Toronto Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown West Extension | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx

I'm more upset about it being tunnelled between Islington and Scarlett. The whole area around the 407 is a mess of bridges and aboveground utilities that would cost just as much to maneuver around or relocate, while there's loads of real estate on the south side of Eglinton to drive over until the natural rise in terrain at the high school.
 
I like how the article looks over the benefits of the old expressway project making it easy to *tunnel*. Lol I'm sure you know what else that wiiide right of way is ideal for.

Anyways:
"The first major works communities will see is expected to begin in summer 2021, when crews will begin building the launch shaft at Renforth Drive. Tunnel boring machines are expected to launch later in 2022, moving east along Eglinton."

Meh, on the bright side at least a new subway project is happening somewhere, even though it's not the one we need the most. 🙄 I don't know how they can sit around and tunnel under grass and a concrete wasteland for no apparent reason but then elevate a higher capacity line over an underground interchange (sci centre) and see nothing wrong with it.
 
From the Eglinton West Extension "Engage" website, at this link:

image_7_ecwe_timeline.png

It says "ongoing public engagement", but we all know that the Doug Ford government will not listen to the "public", unless they are corporate or rich.


These structures will be built during the first construction contract:
  • Twin tunnels
  • Cross passages
  • Headwalls for the underground stations and for two emergency exit buildings on Eglinton near Islington and Royal York


image_6_less_crowding.jpg
 
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From the Eglinton West Extension "Engage" website, at this link:

image_7_ecwe_timeline.png

It says "ongoing public engagement", but we all know that the Doug Ford government will not listen to the "public", unless they are corporate or rich.





image_6_less_crowding.jpg
Note the Summer/Summer 2021 mistake on the timeline. It was previously Spring/Summer 2021.
 
From the Eglinton West Extension "Engage" website, at this link:

image_7_ecwe_timeline.png

It says "ongoing public engagement", but we all know that the Doug Ford government will not listen to the "public", unless they are corporate or rich.





image_6_less_crowding.jpg


Perhaps by the time this line is actually in operation (early 2030s lol) the decision to go underground may be a good one in retrospect. Once shovels are in the ground, developers will start building along the line like crazy. just a thought
 
Perhaps by the time this line is actually in operation (early 2030s lol) the decision to go underground may be a good one in retrospect. Once shovels are in the ground, developers will start building along the line like crazy. just a thought

The thing is, you can get crazy amounts of development without putting the line underground. I mean, just look at skytrain and all the development it spurred along its extensions while being elevated through wide right of ways like that on Eglinton West. And it is just as fast as any underground line! Even with the east part of the LRT through Victoria Park, Warden, Golden Mile, etc spurred lots of development, despite it being a constrained part of the line in terms of capacity and speed. Developers would hop on this line regardless of whether it was elevated, surface or underground.
 
2030+ completion date? Good lord. I haven't kept up with this project very much and didn't realize it is mostly buried. Here I was thinking that in a couple of years, I'll roll my carry-on to Leaside station and read a book all the way to Pearson...
 
The thing is, you can get crazy amounts of development without putting the line underground. I mean, just look at skytrain and all the development it spurred along its extensions while being elevated through wide right of ways like that on Eglinton West. And it is just as fast as any underground line! Even with the east part of the LRT through Victoria Park, Warden, Golden Mile, etc spurred lots of development, despite it being a constrained part of the line in terms of capacity and speed. Developers would hop on this line regardless of whether it was elevated, surface or underground.

At the end of the day I personally feel having an Eglinton West LRT (creating a direct line across Toronto) is a great decision. I live in an area where Ontario Line will be above ground but am not arguing over why Eg W / Etobicoke gets below ground. If the option would be to have an underground EGWLRT vs not having one I would pick the underground one a thousand times. We need more infrastructure in our city and rapid transit. Politicians are not perfect as we know and yeah they are blowing a couple billion putting a large portion of the line underground but its better them blowing a couple billion on this than blowing it in a non beneficial way. i.e. Ontario Power Plant Scandal close to 1 Billion... "final report by the Auditor General of Ontario that was released on October 8, 2013 found the total cost of the cancellations was $950 Million ".

Count your blessings at this point tbh and look at the cup half full.
 
2030+ completion date? Good lord. I haven't kept up with this project very much and didn't realize it is mostly buried. Here I was thinking that in a couple of years, I'll roll my carry-on to Leaside station and read a book all the way to Pearson...

Important to keep in mind... The Eglinton West LRT extension would end at Renforth with no guarantee it would go till the airport. Perhaps the extension to the airport from Renforth wont be built until the mid-late 2030s considering all the delays that will likely impact EGWLRT.
 
At the end of the day I personally feel having an Eglinton West LRT (creating a direct line across Toronto) is a great decision. I live in an area where Ontario Line will be above ground but am not arguing over why Eg W / Etobicoke gets below ground. If the option would be to have an underground EGWLRT vs not having one I would pick the underground one a thousand times. We need more infrastructure in our city and rapid transit. Politicians are not perfect as we know and yeah they are blowing a couple billion putting a large portion of the line underground but its better them blowing a couple billion on this than blowing it in a non beneficial way. i.e. Ontario Power Plant Scandal close to 1 Billion... "final report by the Auditor General of Ontario that was released on October 8, 2013 found the total cost of the cancellations was $950 Million ".

Count your blessings at this point tbh and look at the cup half full.
We could have, for the same money, an elevated line that was fully grade separated (no risk of road traffic causing delays or service disruptions) and thus faster, more frequent, and due to cost savings could have run all the way to Pearson. And it likely would be complete by now. I can see the argument for burying a stretch near Yonge, but most of Eglinton woudln't be overly burdened by an elevated line.
 
We could have, for the same money, an elevated line that was fully grade separated (no risk of road traffic causing delays or service disruptions) and thus faster, more frequent, and due to cost savings could have run all the way to Pearson. And it likely would be complete by now. I can see the argument for burying a stretch near Yonge, but most of Eglinton woudln't be overly burdened by an elevated line.

At this point in time unfortunately we do not have the option you are referring to. Our only option is a buried EGWLRT. It is kind of like a take it or leave it offer. This are no major modifications possible such as grade separated or elevated. It is either we continue debating on what could have or what can happen or accept the fact this is happening and consider ourselves blessed for getting an extension and improving our transit system. TBH I rather have this line than no line at all.

Would you rather have no EGWLRT or would you rather have one that is buried?
 
At this point in time unfortunately we do not have the option you are referring to. Our only option is a buried EGWLRT. It is kind of like a take it or leave it offer. This are no major modifications possible such as grade separated or elevated. It is either we continue debating on what could have or what can happen or accept the fact this is happening and consider ourselves blessed for getting an extension and improving our transit system. TBH I rather have this line than no line at all.

Would you rather have no EGWLRT or would you rather have one that is buried?

Leave it - it's like someone asking whether they should have steak or starve - on you - and refuse to consider any other option. That's ludicrous decision-making that should always be called.

AoD
 

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