diminutive
Active Member
Suburban Rail is only a substitute for subways when it has stop spacing equivalent to subways (you're not served by transit if it just speeds by without a stop). The Kingston Sub (Lakeshore East and Stouffville GO line) only has room for 4 tracks. It's HIGHLY unlikely that you can run a decent service of intercity trains to Montreal, Ottawa, and Kingston; local suburban rail to Pickering and Markham; express suburban rail to Oshawa and Bowmanville; and subway-substitute suburban rail with stops in the West Donlands, Queen East, Gerrard East, etc with just 4 tracks.
I think this is addressed to me, so will give my opinion. Assuming the Kingston stub is limited to 4 tracks through its narrowest points, I'd imagine a service of two tracks for intercity rail & express suburban rail (Oshawa), two for S-Bahn/subway.
The S-bahn/subway service would stop at West Donlands, Queen East Gerrard East ect while intercity and 'express' regional rail could use the two remaining tracks. Given VIA's never more than 2-3 trains per hour and express suburban rail wouldn't be either that's well within capacity. The stations themselves would require land aquisition near the rail corridor, but that's a given for any station regardless of route.