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SmartTrack (Proposed)

I'm saying they should build this GO Liberty station and instead put the Ontario Line more East. Do both.

That way you have stations to the south, northwest and east of Liberty/Parkdale
and I'm saying that the GO station and the Ontario Line station would not be far west enough for many Torontonians.
 
And here we have the dilemma of the western extension; Dufferin or Roncy? Jane or Kipling-427? We are asking a lot of this one line if we want to cover more than one or two of these needs, when it is already to serve many trip types. The northern extension is thankfully much more clear-cut, and a better priority in the near term.

Nonetheless, the density along the Kitchener corridor is likely worthy of a distinct service, both for the benefit of locals and the people riding through. That’s to say, more stations are warranted, and I am open to how we choose to serve them. SmartTrack was a good idea for prioritizing the locality of the service.
 
I think that the Ontario Line would be better to go up Dufferin. Its already the highest ridership bus route that is not planned to get higher order transit.

It will be a bit of a sharp turn at the Ex, but its doable.

Im not really in favour in mirroring regional rail lines with other modes of transit. With proper signaling, EMU's etc, you can just as easily convert the regional system to have more local transit.
Dufferin seems like the better OL alignment to me, too, in terms of a distinct role for metro versus RR. Would probably spur greater nework effects than Roncesvales due to greater catchment area, density and attractions further east. Hell, if King-Libery is dead, Dufferin-Queen would be a more useful location for a GO-OL interchange with Kitchener/Barrie. But the further north of Bloor you go, the more maybe OL duplicates an EMU-powered Barrie line at much greater cost.

With (relatively) good connectivity between Line 2 and Kitchener coming, I wonder if the best OL extension option is straight westward, stopping at Jameson and Humber Bay before bringing rapid transit elevated along the Queensway to an area that's going to see a lot of residential density
 
Dufferin seems like the better OL alignment to me, too, in terms of a distinct role for metro versus RR. Would probably spur greater nework effects than Roncesvales due to greater catchment area, density and attractions further east. Hell, if King-Libery is dead, Dufferin-Queen would be a more useful location for a GO-OL interchange with Kitchener/Barrie. But the further north of Bloor you go, the more maybe OL duplicates an EMU-powered Barrie line at much greater cost.

With (relatively) good connectivity between Line 2 and Kitchener coming, I wonder if the best OL extension option is straight westward, stopping at Jameson and Humber Bay before bringing rapid transit elevated along the Queensway to an area that's going to see a lot of residential density
How do you do an 90 degree turn to Dufferin St to go under it, let alone being elevated????
 
How do you do an 90 degree turn to Dufferin St to go under it, let alone being elevated????
Total layperson here, but a 90 degree turn seems more than feasible if comparing to line 1's turning radii at Front St.

Grade change, I'm not sure. Eyeballing it it seems feasible, but might run into the heritage buildings on Dufferin
 
Total layperson here, but a 90 degree turn seems more than feasible if comparing to line 1's turning radii at Front St.

Grade change, I'm not sure. Eyeballing it it seems feasible, but might run into the heritage buildings on Dufferin
That Dufferin bridge is to be replace around 2027 and remain high with a taller building where the current heritage ones are that will prevent any type of turn. You have new towers being built across the street to the new entrance. To go from high to low/underground, you can get away with a 5% grade. 100 x 5% x 40-50 feet above grade equal a ramp to grade about 4500-5500 feet long allowing for transition for the grade. To go underground, you will the same distance if not more depending how deep you are going.

Any thought of the line going under Dufferin St will see traffic reduce to a single lane in each direction and the removal of the streetcar line. Any idea of an elevated line will require the removal of existing buildings where the pier supports have to go with some existing locations being impossible due to new towers that have been built in the last few years. Then you need to be higher to get over bridges.
 
Councillor Perks moved a motion at council that was (unfortunately?) ruled out order

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I can't imagine the Ontario Line crossing line 2 at Dundas West or anywhere east of that. All the official studies that suggested such a plan pre-date all the fare integration, presto, and Metrolinx expansion plans. There is going to be frequent nonstop service from Spadina and Front to Lansdowne station and frequent nonstop service from Liberty Village to Dundas West. It just can't be justified to have three north south rapid transit lines in the three station stretch between Dufferin and Dundas West. If the Ontario Line is extended to cross line 2 in the West, it will happen between Jane and Sherway, with somewhere in the middle being more likely.
 
I can't imagine the Ontario Line crossing line 2 at Dundas West or anywhere east of that. All the official studies that suggested such a plan pre-date all the fare integration, presto, and Metrolinx expansion plans. There is going to be frequent nonstop service from Spadina and Front to Lansdowne station and frequent nonstop service from Liberty Village to Dundas West. It just can't be justified to have three north south rapid transit lines in the three station stretch between Dufferin and Dundas West. If the Ontario Line is extended to cross line 2 in the West, it will happen between Jane and Sherway, with somewhere in the middle being more likely.

if anything, it should go west, making local stops along the Lakeshore Corridor, such as at Jameson, Roncesvalles/Sunnyside/St. Joe's, Windermere, and Humber Bay. I'm not speculating that would ever happen, but it could be an useful alignment.
 
Agree. I think the cost-effectiveness of a straight western railway + maybe an elevated extension should win out

That said, if Toronto optimized its metro for dense network-y facilitation of car-free travel like many cities do, there would be a north-south subway on one of Spadina, Bathurst, Ossington, Dufferin, Lansdowne, Roncesvales, and OL could be providing a version of that. Sure, the equivalent of a western Relief Line for Line 2 can be covered by the GO corridors, but there's many parts of western Toronto left nowhere near rapid transit that could benefit from a metro line, if our politics was structured for it. But as far back as the 1960's choice of Bloor-Danforth over Queen, we've opted for the model of long stringy regional rail alternative to serve the suburbs
 

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