So........
I've been leaving this Ontario Line discussion alone for a bit waiting for some dust to settle to see what we are actually talking about, as opposed to speculating about.
That said, I've been reading people's thoughts.
Some of those thoughts got me to looking at the existing alignment proposal (TTC, EA); and then the discussion about crossing the river above ground, as well the suggestion of how that would relate to the new Broadview/East Harbour Stn.
A few observations.
The existing proposal for the underground alignment has the subway going underneath Corktown Common park on an angle across the upper portion of the park.
Assuming it were otherwise possible to surface a train/track on this proposed alignment, it would shadow a meaningful portion of said park, have to pass over a flood protection berm without disturbing its stability in the short or long term............
That alignment would also pass over the existing historic Eastern Ave bridge and associated gas infrastructure.................and would have to pass within proverbial spitting distance of the existing BMW building.
Alternate alignment options are equally problematic, they would all pass over Corktown Common Park, unless you took the train south to the USRC/LSE corridor and brought it up there..
However, that option requires changing the alignment of the King/Sumach Station, and creates another problem...you can't bring the train up under Cherry w/o disrupting the streetcar, or closing Cherry to cars..............
That leaves very little room for a tight curve and rising to meet the level of the rail embankment before the River.
Meeting the embankment on the north side of the corridor would mean coming up after the 2 tracks for Bala curve north, and before the river. Very tight.
Meeting the embankment on the south side of the corridor means pinching tracks from the Don Yard, but will also run very close to the Gardiner Hybrid Option ramp infrastructure.
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The above notwithstanding, I'm not going to pre-judge that there isn't a good option here; but I confess to not seeing it at first blush, and to contemplating a fairly massive revision to existing designs that would surely delay, rather than accelerate this project.
As for someone suggesting the train will be elevated down Richmond Street.............good luck w/that. That requires support piers.........which can't possibly fail to take away at least one lane of traffic, maybe more, there is no engineering/EA work on such an alignment or idea, so that's a from scratch re-start, the property impact issues would be enormous..........granted the impossible happens every so often.........but I'm thinking the safe bet on this idea is 'non-starter'.
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Other random note. The suggestion there's a super deep dive under the river, relative to where the station box would be anyways, assuming it came in under the existing sewer............well, I'll let the diagram speak for itself.
From the EA for the Relief Line:
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pdf/relief-line-epr/appendix/Appendix 3-1_Relief Line South Horizontal and Vertical Alignment.pdf
