Eglinton East LRT | Metrolinx

[mossynukes]

If I lived on McCowan and Eglinton and I wanted to go shopping at Golden Mile, My preferred trip would be to drive for 10 minutes or 5km along Eglinton. The current transit alternative to driving this 5km trip takes an egregious 30 minutes; you'd take the 86 (or whichever bus arrives) get off at Kennedy, and transfer to the crawling Line 5. Fine. With this proposed Brimley Infill station, one would have to take the bus for a mere stop or two, get off at Brimley, walk to the subway station, get on the train and get off after a mere stop, walk up to the LRT platform, ride the LRT, Get off the LRT after a mere stop or two. Three modes, two transfers, a whole bunch of walking, all to remain on a single road. If the goal here is to generate ridership, new ridership that is and shift the mode share of the area to more transit usage, than this plan is an antithesis.

 

[Steve X]

If I lived on McCowan and Eglinton and I wanted to go shopping at Golden Mile, My preferred trip would be to drive for 10 minutes or 5km along Eglinton. The current transit alternative to driving this 5km trip takes an egregious 30 minutes; you'd take the 86 (or whichever bus arrives) get off at Kennedy, and transfer to the crawling Line 5. Fine. With this proposed Brimley Infill station, one would have to take the bus for a mere stop or two, get off at Brimley, walk to the subway station, get on the train and get off after a mere stop, walk up to the LRT platform, ride the LRT, Get off the LRT after a mere stop or two. Three modes, two transfers, a whole bunch of walking, all to remain on a single road. If the goal here is to generate ridership, new ridership that is and shift the mode share of the area to more transit usage, than this plan is an antithesis.

This is one of the trips that progressed backwards. A one seat straight forward bus ride on the 34 in the 1960s and 70s turning into this disaster in 2026. It got progressively worse starting in 1980 with the opening of Kennedy Station meaning buses have to make long detours into the station and back out. In 1989, the 34 is cut to rush hour only east of Kennedy. In 2014, all 34s end at Kennedy Station ending the one seat ride from McCowan to Golden Miles in all time period. Now that line 5 opened, riders would have to leave the bus terminal and walk significantly more to transfer to a slow crawling LRT that is not faster.

 

[Westey]

Nice map. Something like that would have worked well.

I do think branching could work on Line 2 or any subway line in Toronto, but not with how they build lines here like the TYSSE or the SSE. It's got to be elevated or built pragmatically to reduce costs. 36m is plenty of room to do so.

Thanks,

My quick math if this was done in 2012 or so.
Eglinton Grade separated to STC = $2B (extra over Eglinton LRT).
8 km elevated extension from STC to Malvern and UTSC = $2B. ($250M/km).
4km B-D extension to Kingston Road. $3B ($750M/km).
Total = $7B.

what we did.
B-D extension to Sheppard. = $10B.

 

[NoahB]

'I am not waiting': Toronto mayor Olivia Chow wants to fast track Scarborough transit line

Chow is set to present a motion to the City's Executive Committee on Wednesday to "fight" for SERT.

toronto.citynews.ca

She also suggests investing an additional $10 million of the City Building Fund Reserve, drawing from funds which are specifically allocated to invest in Scarborough transit, to speed up design work on SERT. The work has been ongoing alongside design work for the Waterfront East LRT since 2023, with $18 million already invested. This additional investment, she says, will help reach 30 per cent completion of the design.

 

[urbanclient]

Thanks,

My quick math if this was done in 2012 or so.
Eglinton Grade separated to STC = $2B (extra over Eglinton LRT).
8 km elevated extension from STC to Malvern and UTSC = $2B. ($250M/km).
4km B-D extension to Kingston Road. $3B ($750M/km).
Total = $7B.

what we did.
B-D extension to Sheppard. = $10B.

Half of the current wave of Toronto transit expansion is shoulda coulda woulda...

Line 2 extension ^see above
Line 5 Eglinton ^see above
Line 1 Yonge North extension (why is the Royal Orchard tunnel so deep? Answer: NIMBYs)

I'll throw in another one, the Ontario Line shoulda been longer.

 

[Jac.]

Would rather see Line 4 extended to Morningside, and Line 5 extended to the Eglinton GO station (preferably elevated, since it would have to travel over the Line 2 Scarborough extension).

Then you could just run an express bus along Kingston Rd & Morningside Ave between both ends of the line. There's already bus lanes along Kingston and Morningside.

I agree with this 100% and it is honestly disgusting and shameful how complicated they are making this, I live in the area and as much as I love higher-order transit, I feel like the need for it in this particular area is heavily blown out of proportion. This area was actually garbage before the RapidTO lanes came along, but ever since they implemented that it is hasn't been really bad.

 

[Aplus23]

I agree with this 100% and it is honestly disgusting and shameful how complicated they are making this, I live in the area and as much as I love higher-order transit, I feel like the need for it in this particular area is heavily blown out of proportion. This area was actually garbage before the RapidTO lanes came along, but ever since they implemented that it is hasn't been really bad.

no Scarborough, especially east Scarborough definitely needs some sort of Transit station. it's a half hour bus ride from Morningside to the nearest subway station. Scarborough exist east of McCown too, but I'm not going to have these same arguments over and over.
I want Sheppard extended and the station at Lawrence & McCown will really help things. I still like the idea of the EELRT tho, way too many stations tho

 

[Voltz]

Sheppard out to Morningside is lined with the backyards of single detached homes, no it does not need a subway, that’s ridiculous

 

[christiesplits]

Province says Eglinton East LRT not currently on priority list​

Province says Eglinton East LRT not currently on priority list

Mayor Olivia Chow’s executive committee passed a motion Wednesday calling on the provincial and federal governments to prioritize the Eglinton East LRT, but the provincial government said the project is not currently on their list of priorities.

www.cp24.com

 

[Thaboss]

Province says Eglinton East LRT not currently on priority list​

Province says Eglinton East LRT not currently on priority list

Mayor Olivia Chow’s executive committee passed a motion Wednesday calling on the provincial and federal governments to prioritize the Eglinton East LRT, but the provincial government said the project is not currently on their list of priorities.

www.cp24.com

Imo olivia chows hand here is stronger than it may appear (assuming she wins reelection) and my expectation is that this line will get funded in some shape or form within the next three years for three reasons.

1. Scarborough Southwest (provincial electoral district) by-elections, may lead to the election of the future liberal provincial leader and given the relative strenght of the NDP vote in this area, I suspect promising funding for a transit line could become part of an election promise to fight and win that vote.

2. The PCs are losing steam in ontario and may attempt funding this line as we approach the next election to counter a strengthening liberal vote.

3. The feds are very pro transit right now and just convinced a member of the NDP to switch who just so happen to be from the very scarbrough riding involved in this LRT debate. I can see her defection being rewarded with funding like this.

Feel free to call me crazy but you heard it here first folks.

 

[mossynukes]

Province says Eglinton East LRT not currently on priority list​

Province says Eglinton East LRT not currently on priority list

Mayor Olivia Chow’s executive committee passed a motion Wednesday calling on the provincial and federal governments to prioritize the Eglinton East LRT, but the provincial government said the project is not currently on their list of priorities.

www.cp24.com

Is anyone surprised by this? The EELRT was never a part of the province's platform, never campaigned for, unlike the Sheppard Line 4 extension(s). It has always strictly been a municipal project that started off as a tokenistic way to appease the Scarborough voter base by introducing flashy gadget-bahn infrastructure without actually improving trip times. I am glad this has been reaffirmed today.

 

[Transit]

I can see some form of the EELRT/SERT being implemented with support from other levels of government... Eventually.

If the province announces Option 2B for the Sheppard Subway Extension, I also see the conversation about how to take transit to get to UTSC changing, including from UTSC administration itself.

Building an additional 5 kilometres (or so) east of Scarborough Centre for Line 4 with, maybe three stations... Markham Road, Centenary Hospital, and UTSC... might be viewed as attractive/competitive to the EELRT/SERT.

So, I think the future of the EELRT/SERT project is somewhat tied to the Line 4 announcement. Not necessarily, but possibly.

 

[KhalilHeron]

Building an additional 5 kilometres (or so) east of Scarborough Centre for Line 4 with, maybe three stations... Markham Road, Centenary Hospital, and UTSC... might be viewed as attractive/competitive to the EELRT/SERT.

Still perplexing to me that an option to Sheppard and Morningside was presented but not to Centennial and UTSC. Feels like an attempt to sabotage any extension east of McCowan. Unless a new eastern alignment is chosen and funded for line 4 is funded UTSC may be stuck with BRT and LRT for good

 

[urbanclient]

Still perplexing to me that an option to Sheppard and Morningside was presented but not to Centennial and UTSC. Feels like an attempt to sabotage any extension east of McCowan. Unless a new eastern alignment is chosen and funded for line 4 is funded UTSC may be stuck with BRT and LRT for good

Students and staff would love a direct subway connection to UTSC. But car-centrism is the status quo (and therefore should remain the status quo /s). People will say the density/demand is too low now, but I would argue that A. UTSC people would use transit at a higher rate than the typical population B. rapid transit would be the impetus for densification in the area.

Remember this?

U of T applauds new transit proposal for Scarborough

The proposed transit plan for Scarborough is being welcomed as a game-changer for both University of Toronto Scarborough and the entire east end of Toronto. “This plan serves our growing student population, faculty, staff and all of the Scarborough community with a rational transit solution,” U...

www.utoronto.ca

 

[yurt2022]

it's a half hour bus ride from Morningside to the nearest subway station.

And it will become an hour with an at-grade LRT system.

This thing needs to become fully grade separated or die.

Turn it into a high speed BRT.