Toronto Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport | ?m | ?s | Ports Toronto | Arup

What a waste of money.

Build a bike bridge across the Eastern Gap, so cyclists, and pedestrians have an alternative to the ferries.
 
It isn't taxpayer money. But yeah, an eastern gap bridge should be built and amortized over 30 years of operational savings from shutting down the [city] ferries.
 
Last edited:
I know. It's still a waste of money, and customers are going to have to foot a portion of the bill for what will most likely be a longer trip.

Build a bridge across the eastern gap, and keep the Ferries.
 
Last edited:
I lost track of this discussion long ago, but if there were a bridge, it seems to me it would have been nice to run some sort of transit from the airport across it and on to Union Station.
 
Porter already offers a free shuttle from Union to the airport. Why would the city pour money into a service someone else is already offering for free?
 
The old deal between the city and the TPA said if a bridge was built that it had to be able to accommodate streetcars. If the federal government reversed the order in council that prevents a bridge from being built tendering could start tomorrow (depending on if federal EAs expire or not)
 
Rumors are surfacing of a Porter IPO this spring:

There's also serious money behind Porter Airlines, which has everything going its way these days, and is expected to go public this spring. Porter and its fleet of 15 Bombardier planes enjoy the backing of the OMERS public pension plan and private equity firms Edgestone Capital Partners, Dancap Private Equity and GE Asset Management. The airline needs cash to expand its squadron.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Underground Tunnel to Island Airport?

I apologize if this topic has been posted or if it is in the wrong section, but I recently heard about a news that the Toronto Port Authority is planning to build an underground tunnel that would link bathurst quay and the island airport. i remember before they were going to build that same tunnel for cars (or subway), but the idea was scraped and now they are bringing back again, and this time it's for pedestrian use.

just searched google and i found this: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/644579

imo, just building the tunnel alone would be useless. if they can build some shops along the way, and expand the PATH network, then it would be worth it.

here is another related article: http://www.thestar.com/article/685512

and here is the latest: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/757637--port-authority-plans-a-foot-tunnel-to-island-airport

i just saw the post in the Porter Airlines section...please ignore this post moderators...thanks
 
Last edited:
in my opinion, if they are really going to build an underground pedestrian tunnel, then i would suggest they build some shops along the way (like duty free and what not). they could even expand the PATH network and increase the revenue that way...
 
noctis said:
imo, just building the tunnel alone would be useless. if they can build some shops along the way, and expand the PATH network, then it would be worth it.
Click to expand...

Just curious if you've checked how close the PATH network currently is to the island terminal.

Also curious if you've looked at how much it would cost to build a tunnel under the channel large enough to handle 'some shops along the way'.

Further curious to know if you've looked at the usage of the tunnel with respect to these shops (are people hopping out of their cars or cabs or TTC and heading in to the tunnel to catch their Porter flight going to be much of a market for shops in a tunnel?)
 
"Just curious if you've checked how close the PATH network currently is to the island terminal."

i dun remember how the PATH system map look like, haven't been downtown for a long time...but what i was saying was just a thought...

"Also curious if you've looked at how much it would cost to build a tunnel under the channel large enough to handle 'some shops along the way'."

by shops i meant duty free...maybe one on each end...i duno...once again, it's just a thought...

"Further curious to know if you've looked at the usage of the tunnel with respect to these shops (are people hopping out of their cars or cabs or TTC and heading in to the tunnel to catch their Porter flight going to be much of a market for shops in a tunnel?)"

shud the tunnel be built, then eventually, it will become essential...it's like crossing the border, some may want to stop by the duty free before they move on...
 
The PATH network runs nowhere near the City Centre Airport, the farthest over it extends to is John St. It'd be wiser to propose a bridge crossing at the foot of Bathurst Street, if even a draw bridge should ships need to pass through the channel.
 
I'd want a bridge over to the airport. Here's my logic, and I accept that many will probably disagree with it.

Build a bridge over to the airport at the foot of Bathurst. This would naturally have streetcar tracks built into it, to branch off the Queen's Quay streetcar. But I think that once real HSR talks start building between Ontario and Quebec (not actually that long, it would seem,) Porter's days will be numbered. With a link from Toronto to Montreal, Porter will see a huge loss in revenue, since HSR trains would be about as fast, but would go from city centre to city centre, and will be around the same cost. The airline will have a hard time operating out of City Centre airport with trips to Sudbury and Thunder Bay as the biggest intended draw. Once this comes along, the airport will once again be without a server, and so could be closed and Toronto Island could be turned permanently into a park-only zone, with the bridge to be rebuilt into a pedestrian and transit-only access. This would allow a streetcar/LRT to run through the island year round, perhaps connecting through a similar bridge along the eastern gap. With year-round access, the island could become a much more significant tourist attraction, and connections from the West and East would make it almost like the Central park of Toronto.

Or at least that's my idea. It'd mean an end to the ferries, would increase mobility to the island, and would result in a huge amount of new parkland. Then again, in that dream, there's also a parliament subway going down to Cherry street and underwater to the end of the Leslie spit, which is populated by tropics-themed condos and hotels/resorts. But I think the idea that Porter would go down considerably after a significant HSR is built is sound logic, and also that we shouldn't be building a tunnel that would serve a single purpose that could be basically obsolete in less than 30 years. Also, a streetcar/LRT link would be good to further encourage mass transit to the airport.
 
^ Except when HSR comes around it'll free Porter's planes and valuable Island aiport slots to serve the more lucrative and lower cost Toronto-US market.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top