Thanks for the clarification. At this point maybe we should go back to the Eglinton-SRT combo - or at least make sure Kennedy is designed in a way that would not prevent future grade separation.
AoD
I have said before, the 2 problems with the LRT plan are the closure time and the transfer.
Closure
With the subway, it is nearly 0.
With the LRT, it is 3 or 4 years.
With the use of SkyTrain, it would be 8 months.
How can the LRT closure be reduced? What are the critical tasks leading to this closure; the Kennedy Station rebuild, reconfiguration of other stations, the Ellesmere curve/tunnel, the modification of tracks, the overhead wiring, signals, etc?
- Could a temporary “Kennedy†station be built just north of Eglinton with access to the subway? A bit of a walk, but probably better than shuttle buses.
- Could they close STC Station and make modifications while trains run through without stopping. It would be a bit of a walk from STC to McCowan, but still maybe better than shuttle buses. If the extension is built to Malvern, the number of buses coming to STC may be less and perhaps the few that remain could access a temporary bus area near McCowan.
- I thought about switching the Ellesmere curve/tunnel to going over the GO corridor instead of under, but it could not go under the bridge at Ellesmere and still make it over the GO tracks with adequate clearance.
I think there may be a few options to explore to still use LRT, but shorten the closure time. It may cost a bit more, but the option on the table is to spend $1B on the subway.
Transfer
With the subway, there would be no transfer.
With the current LRT plan, there is a forced transfer. This is required because the Eglinton LRT between Don Mills and Kennedy is in the median and does not have the capacity to carry riders from STC who would stay on, plus the local riders.
With the use of SkyTrain, Eglinton would have to be grade-separated and no transfer would be required.
How can the transfer be eliminated?
- Elevate the Eglinton portion (regardless of technology).
- Have SRT connected to ECLRT with Eglinton underground, but the cost would be in the order of $2B.
- Have one branch go from Malvern to Lawrence East to Kennedy to Don Mills (DRL) to Yonge (YUS), while another branch goes from Malvern to Lawrence East to the Hydro corridor to Flemingdon (DRL) – but this again seems pretty pricy.
- Have the subway extended to Sheppard / McCowan AND the SRT built from Midland to Malvern. This eliminates the transfer for many but still provides access to more. This would be a costly plan as well.
I can’t think of another good way to eliminate the transfer other than continuing the subway, or elevating Eglinton.