For that matter, why bother having the DRL have to cross the Don at all? Run it up Parliament to Castle Frank
Castle Frank is not a destination. It can never be a destination. It's surrounded by deep valleys, a huge cemetery, and some rich people mansions. Having it as terminus would be as hated as Kennedy.
and then have it descend into the Don Valley and follow the rail corridor
How are you getting down into the Don Valley? A gigantic viaduct that will make the abandoned CP Don Branch bridge look like a children's toy?
Going by Google Earth, you need to get down from an elevation of 376' to an elevation of 260'. How long a bridge is that going to be at a grade acceptable for subway trains (4 degrees)?
116 feet / sin(4) * sin(90) = 1662 feet or 506 metres
That's a lot of money that you are spending in order to not serve any riders at all.
The following people will hate your plan:
- Regulars at the
Evergreen Brickworks
- Drivers on Rosedale Valley Road
- Drivers on Bayview
- Cyclists on the Don Valley Trail
- Cyclists on the Park Drive Reservation Trail
- Cyclists on the Beltline Trail
Riverdale is already well served by a plethora of streetcar lines, and the opportunities for intensification are minimal at this point.
Danforth and Pape or Danforth and Donlands have a lot of opportunities for intensification. One station north at Cosburn would serve the wall of 1970s towers there that is ripe for redevelopment. O'Connor has a lot of potential for intensification.
Parliament, especially south of Cabbagetown, is anything but. That wall of condos is going to continue to push eastward.
Parliament north of Cabbagetown is a historic district (or three). It can't be redeveloped. South of Cabbagetown, it's served perfectly well by a horizontal DRL.
And north of Bloor/Danforth, the only stop along the usual DRL route is Cosburn. That's quite a lot of extra KMs of tunnel, and a massive bridge over the Don Valley, for 1 station.
1. Not a massive bridge. Don Valley is tiny between Gerard and Queen. The more south you are, the easier Don Valley is to cross.
2. If you want more stops, put in more stops. Instead of Cosburn, do Mortimer and O'Connor. The station locations in the DRTES were for illustration purposes only, not binding.
If you're going for cost efficiency, a shorter route via Parliament and then the Don Valley itself is the best option.
A route that puts chickens in no one's pot, goes nowhere, and requires titanic geo-engineering to extend north of Bloor-Danforth (if not to get to Bloor-Danforth, given that pesky Rosedale Valley just south of Castle Frank).
Edit: Here's an illustration.