Toronto Crosstown LRT | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

[TheTigerMaster]

Getting closer.

View attachment 74698

Woah, that snuck up on me. The thing is more than half done. I was still thinking it was just starting

 

[W. K. Lis]

There are updates to the individual station designs. Bookmark this link and check back monthly or so for changes.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

It's still almost 3 years before they begin GO RER electrification construction (~2018-2019).

There's a lot of areas that are still unclear because of in-progress EA's of various sections of RER. Similar EA was conducted for Crosstown in similar 'secrecy' IIRC. I am already getting impressed by the ramping-up of information releases for RER, but the big difference is the Toronto media doesn't cover RER nearly as much as Crosstown LRT.

Only in the last 2 months we saw 500 new pages of GO RER documents (Business Case and its multiple separate Appendix PDF files) which I think is a very big information release of GO RER. I'm reasonably satisfied by Metrolinx's gradual ramp-up of GO RER information release, but I am not satisfied how little Toronto media covers the RER initiatives.

A lot of RER is fairly opaque but info releases seem to be ramping up -- I do recall the early days of Crosstown wasn't exactly nearly as transparent as now... I expect quite a lot more transparency in RER at some point.

Such a coincidence that you mentioned this now. There's a town hall at the moment where people are complaining about ML's lack of transparency. This echoes sentiment we've heard from residents in the year. And I know members of the press have been off put by ML's transparency issues. Metrolinx recently faught hard against releasing certain documents to members of the press, for example.

We see the same issues happening with fare integration planning. Metrolinx is doing the planning 100% behind closed doors, and it's bread a great deal of concern and suspicion amongst GTA municipal leaders and transit agencies.

I find Metrolinx's lack of transparency across the board to be rather off putting. Transit planning isn't a state secret. They need to open up.

 

[ssiguy2]

I don't feel like going back and reading nearly 700 pages so.............. why are they not building the at grade section from roughly DM to Kennedy at the moment? Is Metrolinx still reviewing that section with maybe more grade separation?
Also will the line be opened all at once or possibly in stages and is it still on schedule for 2021?

 

[WislaHD]

I don't feel like going back and reading nearly 700 pages so.............. why are they not building the at grade section from roughly DM to Kennedy at the moment? Is Metrolinx still reviewing that section with maybe more grade separation?
Also will the line be opened all at once or possibly in stages and is it still on schedule for 2021?

It won't take long to build, they just recently selected a winning bid for the tender for the online portion, and the cynic in me thinks they will want to avoid the worst of the surface road delays until after the 2018 election? Optics and all that.

 

[Edward Skira]

I don't feel like going back and reading nearly 700 pages so.............. why are they not building the at grade section from roughly DM to Kennedy at the moment? Is Metrolinx still reviewing that section with maybe more grade separation?
Also will the line be opened all at once or possibly in stages and is it still on schedule for 2021?

Why build it now when it won't be in use for more than 5 years? It can be built as the rest of the line nears completion so that it is all ready to run at the same time.

 

[nfitz]

Why build it now when it won't be in use for more than 5 years? It can be built as the rest of the line nears completion so that it is all ready to run at the same time.

I'd assume they have already got a timeframe set up internally for what happens when. I'd think that the underground stations at Kennedy and Don Mills Road would go first. And I'd think they'd be trying to co-ordinate with the city so that any necessary hydro, sewer, water work was done first, so they don't have to rip up the new roadway and sidewalks again afterwards.

 

[Edward Skira]

I'd assume they have already got a timeframe set up internally for what happens when

Agreed.

 

[Markster]

Also will the line be opened all at once or possibly in stages and is it still on schedule for 2021?

It will be all at once.

If they wanted to do a phased opening, the surface section would be the candidate to open first, as it would only take about 3 construction seasons. But, the maintenance facility is on the far end of the underground section. The tunnel section will honestly take until 2021, so there would be no access to vehicles.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I don't feel like going back and reading nearly 700 pages so.............. why are they not building the at grade section from roughly DM to Kennedy at the moment? Is Metrolinx still reviewing that section with maybe more grade separation?
Also will the line be opened all at once or possibly in stages and is it still on schedule for 2021?

They'll be staring it soon. December 2017

 

[cplchanb]

It will be all at once.

If they wanted to do a phased opening, the surface section would be the candidate to open first, as it would only take about 3 construction seasons. But, the maintenance facility is on the far end of the underground section. The tunnel section will honestly take until 2021, so there would be no access to vehicles.

Did they have any feasible option during the planning phases to have the maintenance facilities near the above ground sections should they have chosen to phase the opening from the getgo?

 

[nfitz]

Did they have any feasible option during the planning phases to have the maintenance facilities near the above ground sections should they have chosen to phase the opening from the getgo?

The earlier plan had a second yard on Sheppard East, that would have been accessed through the converted SRT. Recall they twice sent that yard to RFQ - it would have been the first built, and included early surface LRT on the eastern end of the Sheppard East line, so that they had some track to test the incoming Bombardier vehicles.

 

[Rainforest]

If they wanted to do a phased opening, the surface section would be the candidate to open first, as it would only take about 3 construction seasons. But, the maintenance facility is on the far end of the underground section.

Perhaps an even greater problem is that the surface section would be absolutely useless without the central tunnel part. The riders would have to take LRT to Laird, and then transfer to mixed-traffic buses through the most congested part of Eglinton in order to reach Yonge. They are better off if they just board a bus from the beginning.

A useful phased opening would definitely include a connection to subway (either Yonge or Spadina) from Day 1.

 

[Markster]

Absolutely. The tunneled section is the most logical phase 1, and it's already the part that is dictating opening day.

Realistically, the phased opening that we should all hope for, are the Eglinton West and Morningside extensions. With political will, it's entirely possible to get those under construction by 2021.

 

[Steve X]

Perhaps an even greater problem is that the surface section would be absolutely useless without the central tunnel part. The riders would have to take LRT to Laird, and then transfer to mixed-traffic buses through the most congested part of Eglinton in order to reach Yonge. They are better off if they just board a bus from the beginning.

A useful phased opening would definitely include a connection to subway (either Yonge or Spadina) from Day 1.

A very low percentage of people take the bus all the way from Kennedy to Yonge. The bus empties out by the DVP both directions. There isn't a real demand for LRT east of the DVP, bus are fine for now. Unless the entire link is completed, there isn't a real point of having the surface section. The maintenance yard is in the west end so this discussion is pointless.