Vaughan TYSSE: Highway 407 Station | ?m | ?s | TTC | AECOM

[strookie]

Most of those offices and condos, if they materialize at all, will probably be located north of Hwy 7 and served by the VCC station.

There is a limited amount of space between Hwy 7 and 407, and part of it is occupied by IKEA and its parking lot.

Tsk Tsk. You assume that once a building is built, it's going to stay there. However, Vaughan's official plan for the VMC includes total rezoning of lands and destruction of buildings occupied by Lowe's, IKEA, AMC, and others by 2039. For about a year already, the city has posted notice on a large sign at Toromont stating that Toromont's property is slated to be rezoned as "Corporate Centre" (might this change their property tax rate?). A couple of years ago, an article appeared in the Toronto Star stating that Toromont would have moved out by June 2010 to a spot south of Barrie that was in contention because its proposed site is on the Greenbelt. Obviously that didn't materialize but it is also obvious that the city continues to put pressure on Toromont to vacate.

I have worked at an office in that area since 1995. Wal-Mart, Futureshop, Lowe's, AMC, IKEA were built after the City of Vaughen cemented its plan to design that whole area to be the Vaughan Corporate (now Metropolitan) Centre in 2001. Well, Wal-Mart might have been built just before 2001, but the City had been already in the early '90s focusing on this area as the "new downtown". So none of these businesses can say they weren't warned that they had limited lifetime.

I figure that what the City has been doing can be paraphrased as (note this is my own hypothesis): "Look, we have empty property that we want to utilize at least a bit so that we can get more property tax revenue. We're waiting for developers to show up who are willing to build high density buildings; it looks like that'll take a couple of decades before that starts to materialize. So for the time being, let's allow big box stores, but warning them that they won't be allowed to stay there forever. In fact, we hope that we, the City, won't even have to legally force them to leave, but rather market forces should drive up the cost of land (and thus property taxes) to the point where these box stores will not be able to survive if they stay."

 

[Ramako]

Way overbuilt and expensive. We complain about lack of subways on the one hand then build massive extravagant terminals for stations in the middle of nowhere. If you walk around Manhattan, you'll notice that there are subway stops seemingly everywhere you go... and they are little more than a staircase going from the sidewalk to the platform. No petting zoos or batting cages.

 

[Irishmonk]

I'm sure it will prove to be an excellent landmark for migrating geese.

 

[M II A II R II K]

If they're going to build so much why not have covered parking, perhaps even have it at platform level too for more convenience.

 

[M II A II R II K]

As for 407 Station they should also take the opportunity to build an upscale mall there like Yorkdale and have developers share in the cost. The station would get used a lot more as well to better justify that size.

 

[freshcutgrass]

Man...nobody loves highways more than Ontarians. Hell, we even build subways to get to them.

Perhaps it's irony we really love?

 

[gweed123]

Man...nobody loves highways more than Ontarians. Hell, we even build subways to get to them.

Perhaps it's irony we really love?

To be fair, the Highway 407 BRT is going to be a pretty big E-W rapid transit line, and it's definitely something that's worth connecting to. In fact, once that BRT is completed, I'd venture to say that 407 Station is going to be one of the busiest stations on the extension.

 

[nfitz]

To be fair, the Highway 407 BRT is going to be a pretty big E-W rapid transit line, and it's definitely something that's worth connecting to.

But how far down the line is it? The subway station will open in 2015, but the Transitway isn't part of what Metrolinx wants completed by 2020. So when will we see it? 2025? 2030? 2035? At what point would we be better off simply roughing in a station box, and building the station itself as part of the transitway construction?

In fact, once that BRT is completed, I'd venture to say that 407 Station is going to be one of the busiest stations on the extension.

One of the busier stations it would seem, if the Metrolinx predictions hold up. If we do build it now, there's no reason to skimp on it.

All 6 of the current stations may end up being relatively busy intermodal transfer points, or busy stations.

Sheppard West has the transfer for the GO Train. Finch West could be the transfer to the Finch West LRT one day, York University goes without saying. Steeles West will have a lot of bus service, will serve a lot of York buildings that are closer to this station than the main station, and one day may be a main point an a Steeles transit line. Highway 407 will intersect the 407 Transitway; and Vaughan Centre will intersect VIVA. Even the existing Downsview station may end up being the terminus of the Sheppard subway.

Not a Bessarion or Ellesmere among the lot!

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

But how far down the line is it? The subway station will open in 2015, but the Transitway isn't part of what Metrolinx wants completed by 2020. So when will we see it? 2025? 2030? 2035? At what point would we be better off simply roughing in a station box, and building the station itself as part of the transitway construction?

One of the busier stations it would seem, if the Metrolinx predictions hold up. If we do build it now, there's no reason to skimp on it.

All 6 of the current stations may end up being relatively busy intermodal transfer points, or busy stations.

Sheppard West has the transfer for the GO Train. Finch West could be the transfer to the Finch West LRT one day, York University goes without saying. Steeles West will have a lot of bus service, will serve a lot of York buildings that are closer to this station than the main station, and one day may be a main point an a Steeles transit line. Highway 407 will intersect the 407 Transitway; and Vaughan Centre will intersect VIVA. Even the existing Downsview station may end up being the terminus of the Sheppard subway.

Not a Bessarion or Ellesmere among the lot!

Steeles west will also be the terminus of the now dormant Jane LRT, so there's that.

I'm not sure what the ridership numbers will be for the 407 Transitway, 30 000 passengers per day? How many of those will transfer from the transitway to the subway there.

The other benefit that 407 station will have is that VCC will not have a commuter parking component so those riders that are driving down to Yorkdale today will wind up parking at 407 and/or Steeles W.

 

[victor]

I'm not sure what the ridership numbers will be for the 407 Transitway, 30 000 passengers per day? How many of those will transfer from the transitway to the subway there.

A quote from "The Liberal"

The transitway is expected to handle 70,000 to 80,000 weekday trips by 2031, including about 14,000 boarding during morning rush hour. A key goal is funneling people onto other systems and 80 per cent of riders are expected to exit at Richmond Hill Centre ot board the GO train, YRT and VIVA buses or the planned Yonge subway.

 

[W. K. Lis]

To be fair, the Highway 407 BRT is going to be a pretty big E-W rapid transit line, and it's definitely something that's worth connecting to. In fact, once that BRT is completed, I'd venture to say that 407 Station is going to be one of the busiest stations on the extension.

As a rapid transit route, the 407 would have a problem with pedestrian access to an entrance. One only has to look at the Spadina stations at Eglinton West, Lawrence West, and Yorkdale for examples of how difficult it is for pedestrian to reach because of the on and off ramps.

 

[gweed123]

But how far down the line is it? The subway station will open in 2015, but the Transitway isn't part of what Metrolinx wants completed by 2020. So when will we see it? 2025? 2030? 2035? At what point would we be better off simply roughing in a station box, and building the station itself as part of the transitway construction?

I suppose. I agree that until the 407 BRT is in place, that station will likely see less than stellar ridership. However, I think the Park N Ride planned for there now will create some decent ridership levels.

One of the busier stations it would seem, if the Metrolinx predictions hold up. If we do build it now, there's no reason to skimp on it.

All 6 of the current stations may end up being relatively busy intermodal transfer points, or busy stations.

Sheppard West has the transfer for the GO Train. Finch West could be the transfer to the Finch West LRT one day, York University goes without saying. Steeles West will have a lot of bus service, will serve a lot of York buildings that are closer to this station than the main station, and one day may be a main point an a Steeles transit line. Highway 407 will intersect the 407 Transitway; and Vaughan Centre will intersect VIVA. Even the existing Downsview station may end up being the terminus of the Sheppard subway.

Not a Bessarion or Ellesmere among the lot!

Yes, they have done a good job in making sure that every station will have at least 1 other busy rapid transit (or heavily used bus route) connecting to it. I think this stems more from the fact that there aren't any mid-block stations. They're all located at either major arterials, or major nodes (be they educational or Town Centre). There is no equivalent of Summerhill on this extension, or Bessarion as you pointed out. Once you get further outside the core, you need to shift more towards having subway stations be mini-nodes into themselves, because they won't have the density around them to support a majority of their ridership being walk-ins.

 

[gweed123]

As a rapid transit route, the 407 would have a problem with pedestrian access to an entrance. One only has to look at the Spadina stations at Eglinton West, Lawrence West, and Yorkdale for examples of how difficult it is for pedestrian to reach because of the on and off ramps.

I thought the BRT was going to have direct access to the station. Meaning it was going to dip underneath the 407 to the south side, to allow for a direct transfer from the BRT to the subway. No bridging over on and off ramps involved.

 

[nfitz]

I thought the BRT was going to have direct access to the station. Meaning it was going to dip underneath the 407 to the south side, to allow for a direct transfer from the BRT to the subway. No bridging over on and off ramps involved.

I think that is the case at Jane for the Highway 407 subway station - but what about the dozen other stops? I don't know the answer ... but clearly this isn't going to be in the middle of the highway line like Spadina. So presumably it will be all along one side or another (or cross occasionally).

 

[gweed123]

I think that is the case at Jane for the Highway 407 subway station - but what about the dozen other stops? I don't know the answer ... but clearly this isn't going to be in the middle of the highway line like Spadina. So presumably it will be all along one side or another (or cross occasionally).

From what I remember reading, I think that was the case. It would run on 1 side of the highway, occasionally flipping back and forth depending on what side the next station needs to be on. With stops so far apart, I don't think it'll be flipping back and forth that often.