Swarley
Active Member
Much better to get at least something started now... because the longer something gets delayed, the greater the likelihood it just gets cancelled altogether. Which could be a real possibility if (when) Hudak gets elected.
But if you read the above carefully they are not beginning to tunnel in the central portion that has the final EA, they are starting at blackcreek which needs updated EA's as it was not initially supposed to be underground.
The original tunnel plan in the existing EA starts just east of Black Creek and goes east from there. They were going to start the digging of the round tunnel bore there anyways. What goes west at that point should be covered in the EA, with amendments to cover Rob Ford's phobia.
Are the above-ground stations in the Scarborough portion expected to go underground? I really think we could axe at least half of them. Keep Leslie, Don Mills, Wynford or Bermondsey (but not both), Vic Park, Warden, Birchmount and Kennedy. The rest of them are bound to be stations that get 2,000 pax per day and cost tens of millions of dollars to construct.
Above ground will be expected in the SRT portion, since all you need is remove SRT technology, is the track gague LRT standard? extension and lowering of platform unless the tracks will be raised, and pantograph wires galore
Standard gauge. The roof of the existing station will be raise for the overhead. It will be rised more if the track are raise up to meet the current platforms levels for the new LRTs.
For all intents and purposes, underground LRT is subway. It's fast, good capacity, and underground.
Some here may not share his view, but nonetheless in terms of his desire for an Eglinton subway, this is a huge win for him.
Yes, if the LRT vehicles hadn't already been ordered, different ones may have been ordered under this subway plan. But to the general public, the perception is that underground LRT = subway... as it should be, since for all intensive dolphins, it is.Also, if I have it correctly, a big reason that we arent going full subway (other issues like cost and whether or not its currently necessary aside) is because we were commited to LRT vehicle order that couldnt be cancelled without large penalties