scarberiankhatru
Senior Member
If memory serves me correctly, wasn't an RT extension along Eglinton a regular AreBe proposal? If so, maybe I should list this as "pointz"...
It's funny that Steve Munro is bitching about Metrolinx...he helped convince Miller and friends to abandon all of our existing transit plans and now he's upset that some people aren't subscribing to the "all streetcars, all the time" network? Aww, poor baby.
Of course Soberman would suggest an RT extension...Soberman suggesting something other than building/keeping/renovating/extending the RT would be like Steve Munro not recommending streetcars.
As much I think the RT along Eglinton is a fundamentally silly idea (for reasons including: it would kill the needed Danforth extension to STC; an Eglinton line is best off running east of Kennedy, too; that existing subway technology works fine and need not be as gold-plated and overbuilt as the Spadina extension will be; the potential future ridership on Eglinton clearly warrants a full-blown subway), I must admit that at least it could be a real rapid transit line capable of fulfilling short-term (short-sighted?) goals.
I must point out that an Eglinton subway is not currently as undeniably 'needed' as everyone makes it out to be and the peak hour ridership projections really are unknown (but with huge potential). Eglinton's existing and potential ridership base could be greatly cannibalized by other routes and the mythical "Scarborough to Mississauga" riders can take the existing B/D subway, that connects with Eglinton at one end and is only 4km away at the other. A large percentage of the Eglinton corridor's buses and riders are forced onto Eglinton due to geography (like Lawrence East, which could be intercepted by the DRL) or because that's where the subway ends (all the routes funneling into Kennedy). Ultimately, although a subway on the full length of Eglinton could and probably would be a key part of Toronto's rapid transit network, I don't see it as a top priority, more of a major part of the future fantasy network (one that we can and should eventually build...fantasy can become reality). The central portion of Eglinton needs immediate help, though, which is a nightmare as musters says.
Long story short, if we're already going to spend at least $3B on a tunneled streetcar, we owe it to Toronto's future to halt that plan and seriously consider a real subway line, even though it means spending money now to build for the future. There's a half dozen subway projects I'd rather see built first, but I would not oppose an Eglinton subway on grounds of sequential priority (similar to why I don't oppose the Spadina line going up to #7). A phased project would be ideal, as long as outer stretches are not built with streetcars in the interim...subway from Don Mills to Jane in phase I sounds good. Or from western DRL branch to eastern DRL branch
Clearly, though, the DRL is needed and would be absolutely necessary if an Eglinton subway is built, or probably even if an Eglinton RT is built (and, yes, Rainforest, if there's any money at all to pay for any of these projects, there's money for the DRL).
RR191: An Eglinton subway would hopelessly overcrowd the entire YUS line...there will be no room on Spadina trains at Eglinton West once the line is extended north of Downsview.
It's funny that Steve Munro is bitching about Metrolinx...he helped convince Miller and friends to abandon all of our existing transit plans and now he's upset that some people aren't subscribing to the "all streetcars, all the time" network? Aww, poor baby.
Of course Soberman would suggest an RT extension...Soberman suggesting something other than building/keeping/renovating/extending the RT would be like Steve Munro not recommending streetcars.
As much I think the RT along Eglinton is a fundamentally silly idea (for reasons including: it would kill the needed Danforth extension to STC; an Eglinton line is best off running east of Kennedy, too; that existing subway technology works fine and need not be as gold-plated and overbuilt as the Spadina extension will be; the potential future ridership on Eglinton clearly warrants a full-blown subway), I must admit that at least it could be a real rapid transit line capable of fulfilling short-term (short-sighted?) goals.
I must point out that an Eglinton subway is not currently as undeniably 'needed' as everyone makes it out to be and the peak hour ridership projections really are unknown (but with huge potential). Eglinton's existing and potential ridership base could be greatly cannibalized by other routes and the mythical "Scarborough to Mississauga" riders can take the existing B/D subway, that connects with Eglinton at one end and is only 4km away at the other. A large percentage of the Eglinton corridor's buses and riders are forced onto Eglinton due to geography (like Lawrence East, which could be intercepted by the DRL) or because that's where the subway ends (all the routes funneling into Kennedy). Ultimately, although a subway on the full length of Eglinton could and probably would be a key part of Toronto's rapid transit network, I don't see it as a top priority, more of a major part of the future fantasy network (one that we can and should eventually build...fantasy can become reality). The central portion of Eglinton needs immediate help, though, which is a nightmare as musters says.
Long story short, if we're already going to spend at least $3B on a tunneled streetcar, we owe it to Toronto's future to halt that plan and seriously consider a real subway line, even though it means spending money now to build for the future. There's a half dozen subway projects I'd rather see built first, but I would not oppose an Eglinton subway on grounds of sequential priority (similar to why I don't oppose the Spadina line going up to #7). A phased project would be ideal, as long as outer stretches are not built with streetcars in the interim...subway from Don Mills to Jane in phase I sounds good. Or from western DRL branch to eastern DRL branch
Clearly, though, the DRL is needed and would be absolutely necessary if an Eglinton subway is built, or probably even if an Eglinton RT is built (and, yes, Rainforest, if there's any money at all to pay for any of these projects, there's money for the DRL).
RR191: An Eglinton subway would hopelessly overcrowd the entire YUS line...there will be no room on Spadina trains at Eglinton West once the line is extended north of Downsview.
