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Spadina Subway Extension

"Don't forget that as the line gets longer the total cost increases. If the subway ended at Steeles, Toronto would pay 100% of 1.5 billion dollars. Because it ends at Highway 7, Toronto pays 60% of 2.5 billion. If it ended in North Bay, Toronto would pay 1% of 150 billion. Either way, Toronto gets stuck with 1.5 billion, split three ways of course."

Toronto isn't paying 60% of $2.5B. The munipical third of a subway just to York would be ~$500M and Toronto'd pay for it all (edit - and maybe the province and the feds wouldn't even chip in at all), while the municipal third of the subway to the sinkhole would be ~$700M and Toronto's split it with Vaughan/York Region. As long as the costs and funding arrangements stay the same, Toronto saves money in this case.

"I think that a Sheppard West expansion to York interlining for those stations will improve both the viability of the expansion and the ridership of Sheppard."

I've always thought that the York extension cannot reach its potential without the Sheppard extension to Downsview...they're mutually supportive.
 
"I also don't understand the lack of support of Mississauga Transitway also. You guys do realize the 407 Transitway will basically be an extension of this, don't you? So eventually the transitway will connect the Urban Growth Centres of Oakville, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Markham and Pickering? "

This is probably the strongest reason to support the transitway because it offers an alternative to commuters working in business areas outside of the downtown core. GO bus from Oakville to MCC, RH, Markham and Pickering will serve those areas (hopefully the Airport as well) that GO train does not. The potential to change travel patterns if the BRT connects these destinations is powerful, especially for peak rush-hour GO commuters.
 
It'd only be for a year or so, so I think they could dispense with the TTCs usual standards for a "terminus" station, e.g. for bathrooms and whatnot.
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Those are federal requirements, not TTC. Just like accessibility standards are federal and not TTC specific.

Tunnelling isn't a big deal. The subway stations could each be tendered individually and constructed simultaneously. The big constraint to construction speed is the Toronto budget. Borrowing $30M per year for the project is feasible but $100M per year, over 1/3rd the number of years, isn't.
 
Um no, the busway does not go anywhere near Burnhamthorpe, or the 407 for that matter.
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Sorry Doady, but if you look at a map, you will see the "Transitway" follows the 403 towards the 407. At this point, it's very close to Burnhamthorpe and may have a ramp to it intercept buses there. GO will likely extend it through the 407 corridor.

I think the Star had it right, though it was not all that clear.

Reality Checkmate.
 
Will the feds be contributing to the reconstruction of the Islington and Kipling stations?
 
When is the Eglinton line joining Pearson International Airport and Kennedy going to be completed..? That would have been a huge boon to the system.
 
The provincial budget on March 22 will focus on poverty and the environment (each of McGuinty's budgets have had a theme - 2004: health care; 2005 education; 2006 infrastructure; 2007 poverty/environment).

It is my understanding that there will be some additional transportation infrastructure investments, although not to the same scale as last years "Move Ontario" package that included the Spadina extension funding.

I fully expect the Liberal re-election package to include additional subway expansion beyond Spadina. Sheppard is certainly key for a number of reasons - politically it runs through a number of key ridings including the Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal. The Liberals are also very concerned about the NDP's rising fortunes within the City of Toronto and will need the shore up support from centre-left voters - hence the focus on environment/poverty in the upcoming budget - additional transit investments in the election platform will also be necessary to keep swing Toronto voters in the Liberal tent.

The PC's under John Tory will also likely include some transit expansion plans within thier election platform. Mr. Tory is running in Toronto & is desperate to win a couple of seats. '905' will be 'in play' again after the Liberal domination in the 2003 election - traffic congestion is one of the top issues and Mr. Tory is of the Bill Davis school of progressive conservatism vs the Harris cancel all transit expansion school of thought.

Either way the GTA appears to be entering a period of sustained transportation investments (both road and transit) for the next few years (although the investments will never be enough for most of us transit advocates). Hopefully the Feds will be willing to play ball and the funding on the table today isn't just a one time injection to shore up support for the upcoming federal election.
 
Official announcement is tomorrow 11am near Downsview Station.
 
Sorry Doady, but if you look at a map, you will see the "Transitway" follows the 403 towards the 407. At this point, it's very close to Burnhamthorpe and may have a ramp to it intercept buses there. GO will likely extend it through the 407 corridor.

I think the Star had it right, though it was not all that clear.

Reality Checkmate.
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The transitway west of Square One is not part of this funding announcement... and it would not intersect with Burhamthorpe anyways...
 
Who knows. Maybe it'll be the start of a long-term funding of new subways in the city.
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I'm in the other boat. Though the city really did get this extension for a steal, considering they % they actually contributed, and it connects YorkU with the rest of the transit backbone, I do believe the $2Billion could have been spent better. Remember the $2.3 billion dollar SmartRide LRT plan proposed by Peterson's group in the early 2000s.

Also, the new political environment looks like the subways will benefit the suburbs more.
 
Does anybody know if another fare will have to be paid to cross Steeles as on the buses?
 
Ideally it would be true fare by distance by then because we would have already realized that Steeles is no more significant than Finch when you're talking transit.
 
You don't really need smart cards to make passengers pay a second fare north of Steeles on this subway extension. Currently, passengers heading north of Steeles on TTC buses pay the second fare when they get off the bus. To make this work for the subway, all you need to do is to set up exit turnstiles at the York Region stations that require passengers to pay a fare as they leave the station. Don't expect a turnstile with a Metropass scanner.

or... if you stick with a one-fare system, do what Viva does to make sure the subway line benefits Toronto. Viva does not allow passengers to make trips that are entirely within Toronto. We could do the reverse and forbid people from travelling by subway between VCC and Hwy 7- make sure all the people who are taking this extension are going into Toronto.
 
I doubt it, unless...

...if the fare structure is completely re-jigged in the new 10 years with the coming smart cards and zones being implemented across the GTA, than I'd say north of Steeles would definitely be in another zone and an extra fare.
 
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