DRL routing. Where would you put it?

[CDL.TO]

Why it hasn't been implemented.. no idea!

Track capacity?

 

[toraerach]

Politics aside, Rocco Rossi did have an excellent idea that could be implemented right away... Not sure why there hasn't gotten any traction:

Turn the existing GO line from Main St. to Union to Dundas west to a 'DRL'. Minimal costs as the infrsstructure already exists, would just need to build a few outdoor platforms along the way.

Why it hasn't been implemented.. no idea!

Aside from track capacity, there's also the fact that Main and Danforth stations are not integrated well at all and I can almost guarantee that such a line would do little to nothing to relieve Bloor-Yonge. Then there is the fare integration issue (assuming GO is running this line). If the TTC is in charge of this, they'd have to pay for the track time, buy new vehicles that would comply with railway regulations, and train and hire new staff in a field that already has a shortage. Although the capital costs wouldn't be anywhere near as huge as building the DRL (although probably more substantial than you're imagining), the operating costs would be enormous if it were to be competitive with the subway (or even the streetcar), and it could only ever be a stop-gap measure until real relief comes on-lne.

Danforth already has all-day two-way service and is probably one of the least used stations on the Lakeshore line. You'd probably end up getting more bang for your buck by investing in better GO service through Scarborough than you would with this.

 

[kkgg7]

Which is why I think Queen or King makes the most sense, and the notion of running it through the rail corridor, or treating it as an express line, won't work.

Of course King or Queen, or somewhere in between.
To spend billions building a subway yet let it be 90% empty outside the (limited) rush hours is stupid. Rush hour totals like 25 hours per week. Who the hell would take that line at 2pm, to do what? The "waterfront communities" should be fine having a streetcar, since Queens Quay is nowhere near as busy or important as Queen or King st.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Of course King or Queen, or somewhere in between.
To spend billions building a subway yet let it be 90% empty outside the (limited) rush hours is stupid. Rush hour totals like 25 hours per week. Who the hell would take that line at 2pm, to do what? The "waterfront communities" should be fine having a streetcar, since Queens Quay is nowhere near as busy or important as Queen or King st.

You have never been on a streetcar or Subway at 2 PM? In Toronto, it is busy. Standing room even then.

 

[M II A II R II K]

There could also be short subway bridges to relieve downtown such as a Bay line to have BD riders transfer onto it instead, as well as a Jarvis line. Also a line from Spadina through chinatown and then onto Dundas Square and up through Parliament to Castle Frank.

 

[nfitz]

Who the hell would take that line at 2pm, to do what?

???? Well, someone just outed themselves as someone whose never actually used transit in Toronto ... and perhaps has never been downtown without their parents ...

 

[kkgg7]

???? Well, someone just outed themselves as someone whose never actually used transit in Toronto ... and perhaps has never been downtown without their parents ...

I was talking about Queen's Quay, not downtown.
Unless you think that land south of Front St is also downtown, or so called "south downtown".

 

[kkgg7]

You have never been on a streetcar or Subway at 2 PM? In Toronto, it is busy. Standing room even then.

I meant if the DRL runs on anywhere south of the rail lines, it will be empty except during rush hours. Of course downtown subways and streetscars are busy all the time because that's in the city.

 

[kkgg7]

There could also be short subway bridges to relieve downtown such as a Bay line to have BD riders transfer onto it instead, as well as a Jarvis line. Also a line from Spadina through chinatown and then onto Dundas Square and up through Parliament to Castle Frank.

A Bay line is an overkill, considering it is 3 minutes walk from Yonge and 5 minutes from University.
I do think Spadina/Chinatown needs subways.
It would be nice to have a Jarvis line, however only if the city makes the right decision to rezone Jarvis to commercial use. I would think Jarvis St would be a perfect street for more retail/office activities. There are some now, but not enough.

 

[AKS]

I was talking about Queen's Quay, not downtown.
Unless you think that land south of Front St is also downtown, or so called "south downtown".

QQ gets pretty busy during the summer with all the tourists and people hanging out in the area. Subway is over kill I suppose but it does need an LRT with longer trains for the summer.

 

[car4041]

I meant if the DRL runs on anywhere south of the rail lines, it will be empty except during rush hours.

But I don't think there are any serious proposals to have it south of the rail corridor.

the DRL cannot just run in an area where it is used for people to go and return from work and then no one uses it throughout the day or evening for anything else basically.

Which is why I think Queen or King makes the most sense, and the notion of running it through the rail corridor, or treating it as an express line, won't work.

This is based on a comparison with the Spadina line, but I don't think that's really valid. The Spadina line is located mostly in suburbia, whereas a rail-corridor DRL would be adjacent to extremely dense development (and in the west it's just 2 blocks south of King). Outside of the downtown core, it would also have stations on Gerrard East, Queen East, maybe King West, and Queen West, which are all lively areas with lots of pedestrian and streetcar traffic. This is totally different from most of the Spadina line.

I'm not saying that the DRL should be routed in the rail corridor, just that there's no reason to expect such a routing to be empty outside of rush hour.

 

[nfitz]

Unless you think that land south of Front St is also downtown, or so called "south downtown".

Hang on ... you don't think Union Station is in downtown? You don't think the Rogers Centre is in downtown?

And you don't think that people use the streetcar on Queens Quay mid-day?

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Hang on ... you don't think Union Station is in downtown? You don't think the Rogers Centre is in downtown?

And you don't think that people use the streetcar on Queens Quay mid-day?

He said if you run the DRL south of Union it would be empty. That theory has some credence because the majority of downtown Toronto is north of Union and south of Bloor!

 

[Thoughtless Miscreant]

The DRL is never going to be long enough or closely spaced enough to replace an entire streetcar line. Realistically the east-west portion is only going to go from the Don River to somewhere between University and Exhibition. I think the best route would be the Wellington-Front corridor, with connections at St Andrew and King. That's well-placed to serve the West Don Lands, the Distillery District, St Lawrence, and the CBD. And it would probably be easier to swing south to connect with Bathurst Yard and Exhibition.

 

[nfitz]

He said if you run the DRL south of Union it would be empty. That theory has some credence because the majority of downtown Toronto is north of Union and south of Bloor!

It's the same reason you probably don't even want to run it as far south as Union, as then most of the users are north, rather than south, and really you should be going down the middle.

However the supporting points make little sense.