MoveOntario 2020

[Disparishun]

Wherever the second the second Thornhill stop goes (Helen, Bay Thorn or Royal Orchard) it still appears to have less development potential than around John Street where there's a few strip malls that can be replaced by high-rises if need be in the future. If the immediate locale of several Toronto subway stops (Lawrence, Rosedale, High Park, Spadina [YUS]) can be surrounded by unchangable affluence yet have density 5 mins down the road, I'm sure Thornhill @ Centre-John can too.

Okay, I take no position on whether or not there should be a Centre St. stop, although I am highly dubious -- there is not much around there and there is not allowed to be much around there -- but, either way, the extra commuting time involved in getting a bus from Bathurst & Centre to Yonge & Clark, vs Yonge & Centre, seems like a very poor argument indeed. We're talking barely minutes, on a segment used by barely hundreds, on a route which subway & LRT developments will either morph or render obsolete. It's not a factor.

 

[unimaginative2]

The whole point of the system is that people from places like Brampton will now ride an express bus along the 407 Transitway, connecting with the subway at the dedicated stop on the Spadina line, and at the Langstaff stop on the Yonge line.

 

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

scarberiankhatru beat me to it but, yeah, there ain't no high-rises going up at John Street. The closest sites with development potential are probably around the Farmer's Market and Octagon to the south. The valley means there is nothing to the north until you get to Royal Orchard/Baythorn.

And what the heck IS happening with the 407 Transitway? I see it mentioned every now and then but it's always vague...why would Viva build lanes on Hwy 7 if there's gonna be a transitway?

 

[unimaginative2]

VIVA is intended to be a local service, while the 407 Transitway will be for GO buses travelling very long distances. Stops will likely be spaced like GO Train stops.

 

[299 bloor call control.]

VIVA is intended to be a local service, while the 407 Transitway will be for GO buses travelling very long distances. Stops will likely be spaced like GO Train stops.

From what I've seen in various plans, 407 Transitway stops are planned one stop per concession block. Though there's nothing to say buses can't go "express" and stop once every few stations. GO Train stops are what? Every 3rd or 4th block right now?

 

[doady]

Yeah, the 407 Transitway could easily have both local and express service provided by YRT and GO respectively. This is how I assume the Mississauga Transitway will operate, since many of the stop are probably too close together for GO.

That said, even if YRT uses it, I doubt the 407 Transitway will have much of an impact on Highway 7 service anyways.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

It'll be a while before any Hwy 7 or 407 route is busy...there's definitely more established travel patterns along all the north/south roads. This could all change, though, once southern York Region has finished building dozens of condos, filled in their office parks with many thousands of jobs, etc. Of particular importance may be the Vaughan Enterprise Zone, which will finally connect Brampton and Vaughan with actual suburban civilization.

 

[DENTROBATE54]

From what I've seen in various plans, 407 Transitway stops are planned one stop per concession block. Though there's nothing to say buses can't go "express" and stop once every few stations. GO Train stops are what? Every 3rd or 4th block right now?

For the GO bus that'd mean stops at Hwy 27, Kipling, Pine Valley, Weston, Jane, Keele Dufferin, Bathurst, and Yonge for the Vaughan leg.

The most relevant GO train line to Vaughan, the Barrie South (formerly Bradford) Line has stations as close as one concession apart in some places (Rutherford-Maple [@ Major Mackenzie] or further a field Aurora to Newmarket) while others have larger gaps (York U to Rutherford is 3.5 concessions apart).

scarberiankhatru beat me to it but, yeah, there ain't no high-rises going up at John Street. The closest sites with development potential are probably around the Farmer's Market and Octagon to the south. The valley means there is nothing to the north until you get to Royal Orchard/Baythorn.

Why is everything that I say twisted? I didn't say high rises WOULD ABSOLUTELY be at John Street but legislation isn't affixed- and can change as readily as governments and public interests. How many people can possibly reside in a couple condominiums that be enough to keep a Helen subway station afloat? Build your station wherever you please but it still looks absurd to me to ignore a location that'd directly serve the buses of two lengthy concession roads, even if one of them interfaces with another subway line farther west.

 

[waterloowarrior]

Flaherty today also earmarked an additional $500 million for public transit projects and said some of that cash would be used to re-establish the rail line between Peterborough — a Conservative riding - and Toronto's Union Station.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/307081

 

[RedRocket191]

From what I've seen in various plans, 407 Transitway stops are planned one stop per concession block. Though there's nothing to say buses can't go "express" and stop once every few stations. GO Train stops are what? Every 3rd or 4th block right now?

I can CONFIRM that the ministry of transportation's plan for the 407 transit way is to have one stop per concession, as you have said. The documents are publicly available on the metrolinx site.

This doesn't mean every bus will stop at every station.

 

[Disparishun]

I can CONFIRM that the ministry of transportation's plan for the 407 transit way is to have one stop per concession, as you have said. The documents are publicly available on the metrolinx site.

Ah, but will the Transitway intersect at Langstaff in a way that permits bridge-free transfer between modes?

 

[adma]

Why is everything that I say twisted? I didn't say high rises WOULD ABSOLUTELY be at John Street but legislation isn't affixed- and can change as readily as governments and public interests.

Denty54, John + Yonge is at the centre of old Thornhill. *Historic* old Thornhill. Sure, maybe not Disneyfied to the hilt a la Unionville; but, being a place deemed genteely "historic", the residents who've chosen to live there are the sort to NIMBY any right-in-the-middle-of-it-all highrise onslaught away lickety split...

 

[MisterF]

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/307081

Here's another article. Some highlights:

Del Mastro told The Examiner the commuter rail service could be running by 2010.

It would cost $88 million to upgrade the existing railway tracks and rail infrastructure to support high-speed passenger rail and freight service, he estimates.

Canadian Pacific Railway has committed to pay a portion of the cost and Via Rail plans to provide passenger rail service, Del Mastro said.

In a report Del Mastro released in October, he argued there's enough demand for the commuter rail service that it could operate without government subsidies after the initial capital investment.

His findings showed the service would start with an estimated 903 daily commuters, saving an annual 469,560 one-way automobile trips to and from the Greater Toronto Area.

 

[ShonTron]

Interestingly, the Conservatives had committed funding to VIA for locomotive and LRC coach refurbishment, as well as some station and line improvements, that was the lion's share of the funding that Paul Martin cut as soon as he became PM. VIA has gone ahead and is spending the money signing contracts for the refurbs.

VIA is the logical operator over GO Transit for sure. I look forward to riding the service. I sincerely hope Pontypool gets a proper stop - it would be a convenient park-and-ride for Lindsay and environs, perhaps even a bus shuttle to Lindsay to and from there!

I can see the line operating without operating subsidies, as long as the bill for rail refurbishment and equipment are paid through VIA or somewhere else.

I'm sure by "high-speed" they mean GO Transit's definition of "high-speed", as in "customers are reminded that high speed trains my pass at any time and any direction..." - ie 70-80 MPH at top speed. I doubt the Havelock sub is rated for anything above 40 or 50 MPH, so signal improvements, tie replacement, additional crossing lights and bells and perhaps welded rail would do the trick for $88 million.

 

[RedRocket191]

I think the transit funding was a little too far to the right... of the GTA

But, seeing as the RTP is supposed to be the growth plan's spouse, this does help.