Toronto GO Transit: Davenport Diamond Grade Separation | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx

There is a community consultation meeting for this project on Monday, January 18, 2016 at 6:30PM. It's being held at the Davenport Perth Neighbourhood Centre, 1900 Davenport Rd. Further details in the image file.

If you want to get on the mailing list for this project, the email is rerdavenport@metrolinx.com.
 

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I haven't followed this that closely, but I did have a quick look at the Metrolinx website. The three options are elevated, trenched, or tunneled. The locals are being asked to put up with an elevated structure for the benefit of those from Vaughan and Barrie. I could find no mention of a Station being placed at St. Clair. There needs to be some benefit to the locals as well, not just save $400M for the common good.

I was expecting to see a Station at St. Clair or Davenport with the elevated plan. Then a station being impossible between Eglinton and Bloor for the tunneled option (and to a lessor degree the tranched option) because the line in on too great of a slope.
 
There needs to be some benefit to the locals as well, not just save $400M for the common good.

Less noise isn't a benefit? Less local pollution isn't a benefit? More public spaces aren't a benefit?

Dan
Toronto, Ont.
 
I haven't followed this that closely, but I did have a quick look at the Metrolinx website. The three options are elevated, trenched, or tunneled. The locals are being asked to put up with an elevated structure for the benefit of those from Vaughan and Barrie. I could find no mention of a Station being placed at St. Clair. There needs to be some benefit to the locals as well, not just save $400M for the common good.

I was expecting to see a Station at St. Clair or Davenport with the elevated plan. Then a station being impossible between Eglinton and Bloor for the tunneled option (and to a lessor degree the tranched option) because the line in on too great of a slope.

A station will be added at Eglinton to connect with the LRT. Unless GO changes its fare structure to integrate with the TTC and/or reduces the fare for short trips, I don't think many people would use a station at St. Clair and Caledonia. A station at Davenport makes little sense.

While I think the overhead structure should be optimized for aesthetics, as long as there's a new linear park/trail, especially one that connects up to Davenport Road, and new east-west connections made possible, there are already some benefits to the community. This isn't the original SNC-Lavalin Blue 22 proposal for Weston.
 
A station will be added at Eglinton to connect with the LRT. Unless GO changes its fare structure to integrate with the TTC and/or reduces the fare for short trips, I don't think many people would use a station at St. Clair and Caledonia. A station at Davenport makes little sense.

While I think the overhead structure should be optimized for aesthetics, as long as there's a new linear park/trail, especially one that connects up to Davenport Road, and new east-west connections made possible, there are already some benefits to the community. This isn't the original SNC-Lavalin Blue 22 proposal for Weston.

Plus the benefit of a potential station at Bloor as well.

The TTC will have to reconfigure bus routes to eventually connect to these nodes (which will also help the community). But I'm not holding my breathe
 
Frankly I think the notion of adding in stations at Eglinton, St Clair, AND Bloor is utterly absurd. Even with RER, that stop spacing is outrageously close--the Spadina subway line, for crying out loud, has a stop at Eglinton then nothing until St Clair W, then only 1 stop between SCW and Bloor. Eglinton, okay, major interchange with the LRT and eventually airport access thereby. A stop at St Clair is absolutely pointless with Eglinton and/or Bloor immediately adjacent, and I'm even inclined to say a stop at Bloor doesn't make much sense with one at Eglinton. If there was some way to do a realignment such that the Barrie Line joins up with Kitchener somewhere north of Bloor GO, I think that would be worthwhile as you get the subway/2 streetcars/buses/2 GO lines/UPX at the station, but a separate Barrie line station just metres east of Bloor GO...not much point to that.

What the rageful NIMBYs in the neighbourhood making these absurd demands seem to forget is that GO Transit is a commuter rail service, NOT A SUBWAY; even with RER it doesn't make sense to have spacing that matches Line 1's. I agree that there needs to be better service within the 416 but Eglinton-St Clair/Davenport-Bloor is just ridiculous. And, as mentioned, it's a pretty moot point as usage would be minimal with GO's currently sky-high fares for short trips like Union-Bloor/St Clair/Eglinton vs the TTC's.
 
What the rageful NIMBYs in the neighbourhood making these absurd demands seem to forget is that GO Transit is a commuter rail service, NOT A SUBWAY; even with RER it doesn't make sense to have spacing that matches Line 1's. I agree that there needs to be better service within the 416 but Eglinton-St Clair/Davenport-Bloor is just ridiculous. And, as mentioned, it's a pretty moot point as usage would be minimal with GO's currently sky-high fares for short trips like Union-Bloor/St Clair/Eglinton vs the TTC's.

If you replace the words "rageful NIMBYs in the neighbourhood making these absurd demands" with "people who have transit needs of their own and who vote in the Toronto mayoral election" you explain how we got SmartTrack. This community is a big enough constituency to carry political clout when something gets built through their area.

A north-south route stopping at Eglinton, St Clair, Bloor, and King/Queen is not a bad thing per se. The issue is how to make it coexist with GO commuter/RER. I agree that these should not be 'stopping' services. And does a new stopping service here, combined with RER/ST on the adjacent Weston route, and considering Line 2 already serves the area, represent overbuild relative to other parts of the city who are waiting for any rapid transit to arrive.

The benefit of the overhead route is that it can be three-track, which makes some combination of stopping and express possible. A tunnel removes the irritation factor but delivers no transit improvements to the neighbourhood. It's a case of be careful what you ask for.

- Paul
 
When I read the past days worth of comments, its still sound like there is no benefit of the elevated vs. tunneled for the local residents. There is benefit compared to do nothing, but that is not the point because something will be built.
I thought this was for electrified service, an extra stop add maybe 1 minute to travel times. Just like other GO lines, there would be distant express trains that skip this stop/station. Even if its just for appeasement, spending 10's of million to save 100's of millions is a good deal.
 
From my point of view, Metrolinx needs to change their thinking what GO Transit is and what it should be. I said in 2007 to Metrolinx that GO Transit must service everyone in the GTAH including Toronto from milk run service to long haul express. It also means you run different types of trains ranging from 3 cars to 12-14 cars as well having more stations on line as walk-in only. They all don't have to be built for 12 car trains when they will only see 3-5 car trains only in the first place.

In someway this is Tory SmartTrack idea where there would be more station within Toronto that would be service by different types of trains and service.

With this grade separation, you would have stations at Bloor & Eglinton to handle the long haul service while the milk run would service these stations as well at St Clair, Lawrence, Finch, Queen and Steeles. Don't see a station for Dupont/Davenport at all.

The local residents will regain access to streets currently close off or block when trains cross them. They also gain access to a bike trail that cross CP tracks overhead as well a viewing area. They will not hear the clickly clack, thumb de thumb of trains crossing the diamond today. They will hear GO trains as they climb the elevated section to the south. They gain new green space as well an improve area compare to what there today.

It maybe $400 million cost saving going to elevated over tunnel, but who back yard will have to deal with the ventilation shaft for the tunnel?? The residents will have to deal with the noise at both ends of the tunnel as trains climb out of it compare to one end for elevated line. Local resident gain some more green space going tunneling compare to elevated, but not that much more; but will have to put up with 2+ years of extra construction and noise to build that tunnel. You gain no trail over CP tracks.

Again its the same story as to who came first and the RR was there first. If you move next or near an RR track, you are accepting the fact that you will be hearing trains at various times as well dealing with the noise from them. You have the choice to live with the condition or move on since it was your choice or lack of understanding what was around you when you moved into your place near the RR tacks. You want the country quietness, then move to the country side since a city lives 7/24 these days.

When comparing tunnel to elevated, there very little different between then that will benefit the local residents to justify the spending the extra $400 million for the tunnel proposal. That $400m will benefit someone or thing somewhere else than here.

Time Metrolinx rethink what it is and what it supposed to do as its on the wrong track these days.
 
Metrolinx's RER Davenport team just sent out this email in advance of the community consultation meeting on January 18th. It looks like some new renderings and maps were provided. They've also included this content on their website.

Maps (first map tunnel option, second map bridge option):

Davenport_Diagram_Tunnel-850x3126.jpg

Davenport_Diagram_Overpass-850x3126.jpg


Renderings:
"Overpass Lightened into a Guideway with Greenway Underneath"
Campbell_Under-850x425.jpg

"Looking South at new access point at Antler Street and Lappin Avenue"

Campbell_Park_After-850x266.jpg

"Looking East at Campbell Avenue Park - After (with Overpass)"

....two more images on the website here: http://www.metrolinx.com/en/regionalplanning/rer/davenport.aspx
 
More berm and less bridge than in previous renderings.

Where did the berm start before on the north and south sides? I guess they went back to the drawing board and sharpened their pencils. Is it assumed they perceive that the community will react better to a berm that bridge piers or would there be an engineering reason?
 
Where did the berm start before on the north and south sides? I guess they went back to the drawing board and sharpened their pencils. Is it assumed they perceive that the community will react better to a berm that bridge piers or would there be an engineering reason?

Not sure why...

South end hasn't changed, but at the north end, previous maps showed the "MSE wall" was just a very short bit starting about half-way between Dupont and Davenport.

I expect most of the community would rather have the bridge with usable space underneath, as that's basically been their main selling point of this thing in the first place.

Davenport_Options_Aerial_EN-850x617.jpg
 

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