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SmartTrack (Proposed)

Using your Stouffville map as an example..................If RER is going to Unionville than I could see GO commuter leaving Union with one stop at Kennedy {and possible Scar as it is a RER interchange} and then express to Unionville while RER carries all the inter-city passengers. Someone from Lincolnville wanting to get to Agincourt would have to take the GO commuter to Unionville and then transfer onto RER.

GO will become much more of a longer distance commuter service with only very rare stops that are not covered by RER. We could certainly see the day when Lakeshore West from Ham/Nia having one stop at Aldershot for RER connections, one at Miss for the Huron LRT transfers and then non-stop to Union. This would result in RER basically become a subway service and make GO commuter far more enticing for long distance commuters from Hamilton/Niagara as their travel time drops dramatically.
 
Why did Metrolinx cut Lawrence East GO from the RER proposal? seems stupid to me, and I don't care that it's 2 km away from Line 2. by that logic, we would have to cut many other stations because they're too close to the lines. Having these stations with RER improves connectivity and is more convenient. And it's not like the station currently doesn't have any passengers. There are many, who transfer from the 54, or are just in the neighbourhood. They're gonna lose a station.
 
ssiguy2 said:
Using your Stouffville map as an example..................If RER is going to Unionville than I could see GO commuter leaving Union with one stop at Kennedy {and possible Scar as it is a RER interchange} and then express to Unionville while RER carries all the inter-city passengers. Someone from Lincolnville wanting to get to Agincourt would have to take the GO commuter to Unionville and then transfer onto RER.

GO will become much more of a longer distance commuter service with only very rare stops that are not covered by RER. We could certainly see the day when Lakeshore West from Ham/Nia having one stop at Aldershot for RER connections, one at Miss for the Huron LRT transfers and then non-stop to Union. This would result in RER basically become a subway service and make GO commuter far more enticing for long distance commuters from Hamilton/Niagara as their travel time drops dramatically.
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I don't think Stouffville is a good example of a corridor that would benefit from this since even with all of these additional stops, the additional speed and acceleration gained from being electrified would still make trips from Lincolnville faster, something like the Barrie or Kitchener line would be a better example of what you're talking about, and is in fact what Metrolinx said they would do in the IBC.
H4F33Z said:
Why did Metrolinx cut Lawrence East GO from the RER proposal? seems stupid to me, and I don't care that it's 2 km away from Line 2. by that logic, we would have to cut many other stations because they're too close to the lines. Having these stations with RER improves connectivity and is more convenient. And it's not like the station currently doesn't have any passengers. There are many, who transfer from the 54, or are just in the neighbourhood. They're gonna lose a station.
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Except that basically is the argument. Lakeshore East's riderbase isn't local foot traffic, but is instead entirely reliant on bus transfers, especially from passengers coming from the east. In that sense Lawrence East GO becomes kinda redundant. Its in the middle of an industrial park so there isn't that much foot traffic that can be gained, and the subway station at Lawrence/McCowan is far closer and easier to use for most commuters. While transferring to Lawrence East from the bus, and then to kennedy GO from the subway isn't the nicest thing ever, its also not the worst thing ever, and I'm pretty sure Lawrence East GO will be built eventually, its just not a priority.
 
H4F33Z said:
Why did Metrolinx cut Lawrence East GO from the RER proposal? seems stupid to me, and I don't care that it's 2 km away from Line 2. by that logic, we would have to cut many other stations because they're too close to the lines. Having these stations with RER improves connectivity and is more convenient. And it's not like the station currently doesn't have any passengers. There are many, who transfer from the 54, or are just in the neighbourhood. They're gonna lose a station.
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Actually, it might be back in the cards.

When the Scarborough subway was planned, Lawrence East station was nixed because the thought was it competed for ridership in the area with the Lawrence subway station. However, with the change of the scarborough subway to a 1 stop solution to STC, Lawrence East GO station was added back in.

Now, the Ford government changed the subway back to having 3 stops, including Lawrence, but it might be too late to nix the Lawrence Easy GO, as the feds have already committed funding to it (so why cancel it, is often the mentality when you get federal funding, often that funding cant be reallocated, so you lose it)

However, that argument falls apart as Gerrard GO was cancelled with the new Ontario Line. However, that station was absolutely redundant, and I think there was no more room for it now that the Ontario Line will use the actual GO corridor for its route.

In the latest Metrolinx documents, Lawrence GO is still shown on some maps. So who knows, maybe it will still go ahead as planned.

IMO it might as well for 3 reasons: federal funding, its not THAT close to the Scarborough subway stop, and there is plenty of room with the SRT gone to have even 2 passing tracks, meaning that it won't impede the speed of the non-RER GO trains, they can bypass it altogether.
 
Having additional local GO stops isn't nearly as problematic as it's made to be as not all trains will stop at them. I suspect more local stops will be added when RER is implemented.
 
asher__jo said:
Having additional local GO stops isn't nearly as problematic as it's made to be as not all trains will stop at them. I suspect more local stops will be added when RER is implemented.
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I suspect that once GO-RER is up and running, many councilors and PM's will be clamoring for stations in their riding and area, some probably not even anywhere near existing GO train tracks, not understanding that necessity.

Although, I'm not against anything creative, like pushing CP out of downtown and converting those lines into GO-RER, or building new GO lines in hydro corridors or along highway medians a-la REM etc. Bring it on!
 
If we do have GO RER and a midtown Line, whats the possibility of a new station at the West Toronto Junction? It'd be pretty close to the Jane-Old Weston and Bloor-Dundas West stations but GO RER is basically a subway anyways.

Could get some skyscrapers there, like the London Shard. How about converting the Stockyards District into a new CBD?
 
t54zhao said:
If we do have GO RER and a midtown Line, whats the possibility of a new station at the West Toronto Junction? It'd be pretty close to the Jane-Old Weston and Bloor-Dundas West stations but GO RER is basically a subway anyways.

Could get some skyscrapers there, like the London Shard. How about converting the Stockyards District into a new CBD?
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CBDs out the wazoo, please
 
t54zhao said:
If we do have GO RER and a midtown Line, whats the possibility of a new station at the West Toronto Junction? It'd be pretty close to the Jane-Old Weston and Bloor-Dundas West stations but GO RER is basically a subway anyways.

Could get some skyscrapers there, like the London Shard. How about converting the Stockyards District into a new CBD?
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NIMBYS?

Truthfully though I think if we can't get the Dundas W/Bloor Go area to intensify into a secondary CBD than I think there would be little hope for a Junction mini CBD.
 
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Allandale25 said:
Newest City report on "SmartTrack"

Item here at Exec Comm: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2021.EX20.2

Report: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-159999.pdf
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Some takeaways

1. It sounds like the city is now on the hook for the costs of the Bloor/Landsdowne station? What? How did that happen?

2. Gerrard and Lawerence stations are removed from the map now, which, I suspected would happen. Both are redundant because of subway projects (Ontario Line and Scarborough Subway)

3. If those 2 stations are missing, why has funding not been adjusted?

4. Woodbine and Park Lawn are now on the map, but so are York University and Etobicoke North.

5. "Smarttrack Rail Corridors" is silly, remove it. Theres no such thing. Its just additional stations for GO-RER. Which is a great thing, but lets not pretend its anything else.

6.
"Fares Fare setting for the Program will be considered in the broader context of regional fare integration. The Province will continue to engage the City, TTC, and other municipal partners to develop the regional fare integration framework and associated measures to ensure a seamless travel experience through the broader region. Given their obligation to pay all operating and maintenance costs (including lifecycle maintenance), the Province will retain all revenue (farebox and non-farebox) from the Program."
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Seems fair (or fare! har) but i'd really love to see the fare integration plans worked out prior to building and committing to these stations. If theres no fare harmonization between the TTC and GO, theres no point in building these stations, IMO.

A map, cuz everyone loves maps!

1611159340138.png
 
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