Rail Deck Park (?, ?, ?)

[pstogios]

Spadina Avenue ruins Rail Deck Park, especially if it extends east of Spadina. A 6-lane, nearly always traffic-packed thoroughfare smack dab in the middle or abutting against parkland is on no one’s mind as a good idea.

I hope the planners consider a land bridge over Spadina to isolate park-goers from that traffic mess.

 

[salsa]

Spadina Avenue ruins Rail Deck Park, especially if it extends east of Spadina. A 6-lane, nearly always traffic-packed thoroughfare smack dab in the middle or abutting against parkland is on no one’s mind as a good idea.

I hope the planners consider a land bridge over Spadina to isolate park-goers from that traffic mess.

There's an existing linear park below Spadina that already accomplishes that. I'm hoping that Rail Deck Park will maintain this connection, and maybe improve the quality of the landscaping.

 

[mikeydale007]

Call me crazy, but if we're decking over the rail corridor, maybe we should add some more tracks on top while we're at it. The USRC is choked as it is.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Call me crazy, but if we're decking over the rail corridor, maybe we should add some more tracks on top while we're at it. The USRC is choked as it is.

Crazy - it will unseparate it from vehicular and streetcars for one. On a more serious note though, that stretch of the corridor can get pretty deep - and maybe sufficient to allow for two levels of tracks (perhaps leading to an underground platform/concourse - as originally envisioned by one of the USRC studies). Also one of the unspoken goals of the Spadina RER station and OL alignment is probably using the former as a terminus for some lines to relief USRC?

AoD

 

[Jeff Morgan]

Mayor backs city push to expropriate air rights for Rail Deck Park

Mayor backs city push to expropriate air rights for Rail Deck Park

Tory says obtaining the air rights would offer “tangible evidence” that the park is going to happen.

www.thestar.com

 

[crs1026]

Call me crazy, but if we're decking over the rail corridor, maybe we should add some more tracks on top while we're at it. The USRC is choked as it is.

Two levels of tracks may not matter if the platform capacity at Union has maxxed out....but.... what happened to the plan for a new station stop at Spadina ?

The key point is, once the rail deck is added it will be difficult if not impossible to change much of the trackage afterwards. So whatever design is used, it better be the right one for the rail service planned and it better anticipate future needs.... HSR? HFR? RER? Measure twice, cut once.

- Paul

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Two levels of tracks may not matter if the platform capacity at Union has maxxed out....but.... what happened to the plan for a new station stop at Spadina ?

The key point is, once the rail deck is added it will be difficult if not impossible to change much of the trackage afterwards. So whatever design is used, it better be the right one for the rail service planned and it better anticipate future needs.... HSR? HFR? RER? Measure twice, cut once.

- Paul

Of course, but the goal is for the second level of tracks to lead to a new underground concourse (envisioned in some of the old GO/Mlinx studies).

Also - other cities are far, far more efficient at the use of existing tracks/corridors (and even station platforms). We are absolutely pathetic at it.

AoD

 

[Northern Light]

The report to Executive Ctte, for the meeting on Jan 23, 2020 on this is up.

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2020/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-141659.pdf

The expropriation authority is for roughly 3 acres of land, in order to assemble the phase of Rail Deck Park east of Spadina, in conjunction with the Union Park proposal by Oxford to assemble a total of 7 acres.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Where's the toboggan hill?

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

The second track level was to be underground if I understood correctly. That being said the current renovation at Union should still have taken into account this possibility in it's design.

 

[karledice]

Mayor backs city push to expropriate air rights for Rail Deck Park

Mayor backs city push to expropriate air rights for Rail Deck Park

Tory says obtaining the air rights would offer “tangible evidence” that the park is going to happen.

www.thestar.com

Best news today!! Thanks @Jeff Morgan !
Even though I cant really read past the first paragraph of the article

 

[penlasdle]

Best news today!! Thanks @Jeff Morgan !
Even though I cant really read past the first paragraph of the article

Try this https://www.thestar.com/amp/news/gt...xpropriate-air-rights-for-rail-deck-park.html

 

[karledice]

OK was able to read it now and my thoughts: I support the expropriation!
This is wasted air anyways! Nobody is using it otherwise! We're not even talking about land...it's just air space...
This would add much needed park space and give Toronto downtown a park that would attract tourists, create a destination to attract millions of revenue annually!

Look at Millenium park in Chicago and the High Line in NYC! How much tourist dollars did those bring in and put those cities on the civic innovation map?
$1,7B will be recovered by this revenue

 

[dowlingm]

The High Line used a structure already in place. A bit different.

 

[M II A II R II K]

Perhaps the 510 streetcar could go underground into it.