Oh happy days! We're getting one underground line on Eglinton!
Our transit problems are solved with this one UNDERGROUND line.
No one is claiming this will solve our transit problems.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but when Eglinton and the Spadina extension are under full-scale construction (i.e. digging) at the same time as they should be next year, won't that set a record for the number of simultaneous major local transit projects? Not to mention that Eglinton Crosstown will, I believe, also be the longest rapid transit project in Toronto history.
In actual news, TTC has
posted a tender for the construction of the West Launch Box. That means tunnelling could start by the end of the year I'm guessing...
I went to the Eglinton information session at St. Clement's school last night, and that came up.
The digging of the launch area will start at Black Creek in July of this year. Digging and then assembling the TBMs will take approximately one year. In mid-2012 tunneling will begin and head east. The location of the east launch area has yet to be decided.
TTC Chair Stintz headed the panel, which also included Transportation Minister Wynne, four area Councilors, as well as representatives from Metrolinx and the TTC (whose names I can't recall). Chair Stintz began with a short presentation, followed by comments from each of the panelists, and then questions from the audience.
I should also say that two members of the Toronto Environmental Alliance (one of whom, to my amusement, looked like Trotsky) were in front of the school handing out flyers which basically extolled the virtues of surface LRTs. For some strange reason, the flyers made no mention of the T.E.A. Looked very amateurish. By comparison, representatives of Toronto public service unions were handing out their (far more impressive looking) literature after the evening events. They weren't hiding who they were.
Some highlights, subject to my memory:
-Eglinton will cost $8.2 billion based on 2010 dollars
-will create 82,000 jobs
-line is 25KM from Scarborough Centre to Black Creek
-trip from Kennedy to Black Creek will take 35 minutes
-it will take 6-9 months for Environmental Assessments of the Laird-Kennedy and Black Creek-Jane sections
-Black Creek and McCowan yards will be reviewed, as well as the Kennedy connection
-LRT will run under the Spadina subway
-a dedicated website to this project will be up soon
-City is on the hook for approximately $50 million spent so far
-tunnels will be large enough to convert to subway in the future if necessary
-3-car LRT will have a capacity of 12,500 per hour at peak
There were a variety of questions from the floor -- good, bad, amusing, and just plain rambling on and on. My favourites:
What if Dufferin and Eglinton caves in?
What will happen to my parkette at Chaplin?
There was a lot of amusement about why another E.A. will be needed for Laird-Kennedy since it was revealed an underground option was considered in the previous E.A. Councilor Mihevic seems to think there's a chance Laird-Kennedy will not be underground, but I think that ship has sailed. Besides which, since replacing the SRT is now a part of this project, I'm glad it's now all underground.
