Juan_Lennon416
Senior Member
I saw Premier Wynne today at the Pride and Remembrance Run. When I asked her about the Scarborough Subway, she was all smiles and said she can't wait to see it built
Propaganda?
While I guess I can appreciate the sheer comedic value of a "Scarboro Lives Matter" movement, this kind of pseudo-political gibberish can take hold (especially among low-information city councillors) and hamper critical decisions that can allow everyone to move forward into the future.
Using the Vancouver model, this transit line would be fully grade-separated, and elevated for its entire length. Some very short at-grade segments may be possible within the Don Valley, but not enough to achieve any real cost savings. I tried to stay away from residential areas when in low density area. When in residential areas, a stop within 1 kilometer is required - a benefit to put up with having an elevated line. Pick coridors that have not previously been expecting underground subway, so it will be viewed as improved transit from what was previously offered. I would assume the capacity target would be about 30k ppdph, which would require about 100m long trains (and stations) and 100 second frequency.
So overall, we have the following
Phase 1: 22km and 16 Stations and 22 kilometres added to the SRT for a total of 24km and 18 stations.
Phase 2: Extensions with 3km and 3 stations West and 6km and 4 stations north-east.
Cost. $100M/km for elevated track, and $60M per elevated station. Add $20M for each interchange station. Add $100M for SRT rehab. Add $500M for a train yard, likely in the Don Valley.
Phase 1: $3.8B. (This compares to between $3.2B for the 1 stop subway and $4.3B for the 3 stop subway).
Phase 2: $600M and $800M.
Total: $5.2B.
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Would something like this be acceptable?
FYI, most politicians are liars.I saw Premier Wynne today at the Pride and Remembrance Run. When I asked her about the Scarborough Subway, she was all smiles and said she can't wait to see it built
Maybe the key is construction time. It is probably at least 2 years of EA study before Scarborough Subway can begin construction. Then construction is probably 6 years. This Subway plan is still in its infancy and a switch to any other plan would take no longer than this subway. Although trying to switch to the Transit City LRT plan would likely lead to significant delays beyond this as we bounce from 1 extreme to the other.
Fair point, I was being a bit presumptuous, but money talks. Neither ACC nor Skydome were "as of right" developments funded solely from the private sector and planned with City Hall in the bleachers as disinterested passive spectators. Seems to me the political "we" could make this happen.
My theory was - we went from $3B subway to $2B subway plus $1B LRT (i'm using the most primitive numbers to illustrate). That got us from a $3B white elephant to $1B of useful transit and a $2B white unicorn. Now let's take this one step further. Let's take the $2B and build a $1B LRT replacement to the SRT, a $500M stadium, and pocket the remaining $500M. Now we have $2B of useful transit, a stadium, $500M to spend on more transit for Scarboro, and reason for Scarberians to forget they ever wanted a subway.
Or - let's figure out how a $500M stadium would generate $1B in development at STC and build the subway. Either way, a stadium would be a game changer for a site that isn't going to attract much development no matter how much subway we throw at it.
The life cycle of a stadium is only 15 years. Skydome is not the nicest venue and no longer leading-edge. The ACC is one of the worst concert venues going, and similarly not leading edge as a sports venue. Better design + better economics + potentially more seats - OK, it may not be a slam-dunk, but I believe franchise owners wouldn't dismiss it without some conversation.
- Paul
We'd be moving forward if it wasn't for the City's Transit rich Party's "my way or the highway" stance towards any other option outside of Segregated City. When you keep your heads in the sand and refuse to listen to the people outside of your own area and refuse to work together for a comprised solution youll certainly be at a standstill. But why share in the blame when you can blame Scarborough and control that message without a fair debate? Id love to see a better solution but unfortunately the Left has yet to back down from repeating anything but their poorly designed plan. There is a high level of denial that this really is the case.
When it comes to the media. You'll never get it. Nor would you ever care to. This a HUGE issue that has been ignored. The media, is beyond irresponsible when reporting on events within Scarborough compared to other areas of the City, which is likely a bi-product of a bigger issue in that they have Politcal motives for the areas outside of Scarborough and Toronto's suburbs.
It's about the start of some inclusiveness, respect and acceptance for the City as a whole. Sorry these type of words and the cost associated to obtain them offend some of you
Quite frankly, I think an enormous amount of the 'we need respect of a subway' crowd have no interest in either a subway nor an LRT, but think the subway construction will be entirely underground (it won't) and LRT would cut into their precious driving lanes (it won't). The reason a 1-stop subway is acceptable to a huge swath of the 'respect for Scarberia' crowd is due to the fact they have no intention of ever riding on said subway, so they don't want or need stops to get on or off.
Finally, stadiums in suburbs don't promote development. Ever. The number of studies of this by economists the world over number in the hundreds. Why would STC be the exception?
While large areas of Etobicoke (mostly to the north) have been neglected. And I would advocate for the areas left out any day. For the most part they have a subway line that almost reaches the border a Kipling. Scarborough is much larger and even the SSE wont come close to the border but atleast slight more Central. Etobicoke also has a seamless lakeshore streetcar than runs along the entire shore which has helped spur some development and will need upgraded as investment spurs investment. The streetcar on the East Side ends at Scarborough. Right at Scarborough.
Etobicoke's subway is a good example of a subway that didn't do anything for development. Six Points remains a wasteland.
Etobicoke's subway is a good example of a subway that didn't do anything for development. Six Points remains a wasteland. The GO service is what got development started there. And it's just as arduous a bus ride to get downtown from Rexdale or Albion as it is to reach STC from north Scarborough.
As for the Lakeshore streetcar, it isn't seamless, and it hasn't fed development either. Again, it's no better an option to reach downtown than the McCowan bus. The only development west of Humber Bay is around the Long Branch GO station, where some industrial land has been repurposed into town homes. Again, GO, not the streetcar accomplished that. Humber Bay got developed on the basis of access to the Gardiner and Lakeshore Blvd. Connectivity to the subway is poor.
The Kingston Road streetcar to Birchmount got cut back when - 1954? That's a bit old to cite as anti-Scarboro sentiment.
- Paul