AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Very true. I suspect that it was dropped from Tory's SmartTrack plan in order to reduce the price tag. The tunnel will no doubt be a pretty considerable sum, and $8 billion (still not sure how he got to that number) is a pretty hefty price already.
And of course, SSRA was hired to do the planning for ST again (quelle surprise). In any case, the options through downtown is limited - GO/Metrolinx recognizes the capacity of Union is limited, and that tunnelling is one of two solutions. Might as well adopt that as the solution and morph ST into DRL in the core area in a way that is more friendly to the needs of the central city/shoulder (high-frequency, lower capacity - and I suspect there are benefits to be had running the line with EMUs, in terms of scaling the infrastructure and than say adopting say double-decker electric trains). In that case, it would practically be a subway line by default.
As to the price tag, I am sure the city and province/Metrolinx (and even the Feds) can sort out the who pays what.
AoD
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