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Transit Fantasy Maps

T

thompsonsamm

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In the true spirit of fantasy, I've been thinking about how useful the midtown line could be for creating strong transfer points and quick travel between them. In this fantasy, CP builds a new yard somewhere and the midtown line is freed up for frequent commuter service.

Midtown Express Line Stations: Long Branch, Kipling (Using the Canpa sub), Stockyards, Dufferin/Dupont, Spadina/Dupont, Summerhill, Leaside, Ellesmere/Warden. North Scarborough (On the southwest border of the CP yard)

Most of these stations would have strong connections and should be rebuilt as efficient hubs:
  • Long Branch
    • Lakeshore West GO
      • Platforms should be set up such that LW trains can route to union or midtown
    • Lakeshore West Streetcar
    • TTC and MiWay buses
  • Kipling
    • Milton GO
    • TTC Line 2
    • 427 BRT
      • Dedicated BRT running from Kipling to the Airport transit hub. Used by TTC, Miway, and GO
  • Stockyards
    • Milton GO
    • The terminus for St.Clair Streetcars
  • Dufferin/Dupont
    • Just a filler station with Bus connections
  • Spadina/Dupont
    • TTC Line 1
  • Summerhill
    • TTC Line 1
  • Leaside
    • This becomes a major station
    • Ontario Line
      • 4 Platforms (2 for through running, 2 for short turns and yard entry)
    • Richmond Hill Go
      • Re-route the line through this station and use the Leaside spur to re-connect to the line
    • Line 5 Central
      • Terminate and turn crosstown here to run metro like service on the underground portion between here and Mount Dennis
    • Line 5 East
      • Terminate and turn the above street running portion of crosstown here
    • VIA HFR
      • Run the via HFR trains down the RH Go line. For incoming trains, this station provides transfers to those not wanting to end up downtown
  • Ellesmere/Warden
    • Just a filler station with Bus connections
  • North Scarborough
    • Use the land from CP to create a new station, TTC subway yard for lines 2 and 4, GO midtown yard, and VIA HFR yard
    • TTC Line 2 terminus (extend from Kennedy via STC)
    • TTC Line 4 terminus (extend from Fairview along sheppard)
    • VIA HFR
    • GO Mid-East line
      • Super fantasy line running on the CP tracks from Central Oshawa to Scarborough
The key to success is GO RER providing the ability to run metro-style service with the ability to adjust train lengths for demand.
 
T

thompsonsamm

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Because maps are fun, I decided to map the midtown RER concept. I added some additional lines and extensions to complete the map. The main goal was to assume RER lines would run 5-15 minutes frequencies based on demand, so transferring would always be convenient. I also assumed fare integration would happen for this to work. This line layout should reduce the number of people transferring via downtown when trying to get from travel across the city. I feel this would be achievable by 2060 (Assuming a deal with CP made by 2030 that allows for acquiring their tracks and yard).

Hi-Res:
http://imgur.com/m26UiRb

TransitMap1.png
 
S

sacred

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Th
thompsonsamm said:
In the true spirit of fantasy, I've been thinking about how useful the midtown line could be for creating strong transfer points and quick travel between them. In this fantasy, CP builds a new yard somewhere and the midtown line is freed up for frequent commuter service.

Midtown Express Line Stations: Long Branch, Kipling (Using the Canpa sub), Stockyards, Dufferin/Dupont, Spadina/Dupont, Summerhill, Leaside, Ellesmere/Warden. North Scarborough (On the southwest border of the CP yard)

Most of these stations would have strong connections and should be rebuilt as efficient hubs:
  • Long Branch
    • Lakeshore West GO
      • Platforms should be set up such that LW trains can route to union or midtown
    • Lakeshore West Streetcar
    • TTC and MiWay buses
  • Kipling
    • Milton GO
    • TTC Line 2
    • 427 BRT
      • Dedicated BRT running from Kipling to the Airport transit hub. Used by TTC, Miway, and GO
  • Stockyards
    • Milton GO
    • The terminus for St.Clair Streetcars
  • Dufferin/Dupont
    • Just a filler station with Bus connections
  • Spadina/Dupont
    • TTC Line 1
  • Summerhill
    • TTC Line 1
  • Leaside
    • This becomes a major station
    • Ontario Line
      • 4 Platforms (2 for through running, 2 for short turns and yard entry)
    • Richmond Hill Go
      • Re-route the line through this station and use the Leaside spur to re-connect to the line
    • Line 5 Central
      • Terminate and turn crosstown here to run metro like service on the underground portion between here and Mount Dennis
    • Line 5 East
      • Terminate and turn the above street running portion of crosstown here
    • VIA HFR
      • Run the via HFR trains down the RH Go line. For incoming trains, this station provides transfers to those not wanting to end up downtown
  • Ellesmere/Warden
    • Just a filler station with Bus connections
  • North Scarborough
    • Use the land from CP to create a new station, TTC subway yard for lines 2 and 4, GO midtown yard, and VIA HFR yard
    • TTC Line 2 terminus (extend from Kennedy via STC)
    • TTC Line 4 terminus (extend from Fairview along sheppard)
    • VIA HFR
    • GO Mid-East line
      • Super fantasy line running on the CP tracks from Central Oshawa to Scarborough
The key to success is GO RER providing the ability to run metro-style service with the ability to adjust train lengths for demand.
Click to expand...
That's awesome!
I was thinking about something similar the other day. I was thinking yesterday about what it would take to get a GO midtown line going. Phase 1 is VIA making whatever improvement they need to make on the Don Branch and the Belleville Sub, with the future in mind. Phase 2 is the province going ahead and quad tracking the Milton Line. Both of those projects have been somewhat seriously discussed/planned. If those are in place, it would be a no-brainer to invest in quad tracking the midtown corridor.
Talk about fantasy though.
 
W

Woodbridge_Heights

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thompsonsamm said:
In the true spirit of fantasy, I've been thinking about how useful the midtown line could be for creating strong transfer points and quick travel between them. In this fantasy, CP builds a new yard somewhere and the midtown line is freed up for frequent commuter service.

Midtown Express Line Stations: Long Branch, Kipling (Using the Canpa sub), Stockyards, Dufferin/Dupont, Spadina/Dupont, Summerhill, Leaside, Ellesmere/Warden. North Scarborough (On the southwest border of the CP yard)

Most of these stations would have strong connections and should be rebuilt as efficient hubs:
  • Long Branch
    • Lakeshore West GO
      • Platforms should be set up such that LW trains can route to union or midtown
    • Lakeshore West Streetcar
    • TTC and MiWay buses
  • Kipling
    • Milton GO
    • TTC Line 2
    • 427 BRT
      • Dedicated BRT running from Kipling to the Airport transit hub. Used by TTC, Miway, and GO
  • Stockyards
    • Milton GO
    • The terminus for St.Clair Streetcars
  • Dufferin/Dupont
    • Just a filler station with Bus connections
  • Spadina/Dupont
    • TTC Line 1
  • Summerhill
    • TTC Line 1
  • Leaside
    • This becomes a major station
    • Ontario Line
      • 4 Platforms (2 for through running, 2 for short turns and yard entry)
    • Richmond Hill Go
      • Re-route the line through this station and use the Leaside spur to re-connect to the line
    • Line 5 Central
      • Terminate and turn crosstown here to run metro like service on the underground portion between here and Mount Dennis
    • Line 5 East
      • Terminate and turn the above street running portion of crosstown here
    • VIA HFR
      • Run the via HFR trains down the RH Go line. For incoming trains, this station provides transfers to those not wanting to end up downtown
  • Ellesmere/Warden
    • Just a filler station with Bus connections
  • North Scarborough
    • Use the land from CP to create a new station, TTC subway yard for lines 2 and 4, GO midtown yard, and VIA HFR yard
    • TTC Line 2 terminus (extend from Kennedy via STC)
    • TTC Line 4 terminus (extend from Fairview along sheppard)
    • VIA HFR
    • GO Mid-East line
      • Super fantasy line running on the CP tracks from Central Oshawa to Scarborough
The key to success is GO RER providing the ability to run metro-style service with the ability to adjust train lengths for demand.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I see the benefit to having the midtown line head south to Long Branch, there are benefits to having Milton trains alternate to Union and North Toronto stations (or have the RER service terminate at Kipling with commuter rail coming in from Milton), especially considering that Lakeshore will continue to be the busiest line in the system and adding Long Branch as a terminus for a midtown line could cause delays on the Lakeshore line. Clearly Kipling is, should be, and will be the major intermodal transit hub of the region, but I can't see someone at Long Branch or coming in on the Lakeshore W line wanting to use/transfer to the midtown line. To take the Bloor subway? To get to destinations along the midtown line? No arguably those destinations along the midtown corridor are close enough to Lakeshore line that they are a quick transfer to local transit away (and if there isn't this kind of local transit connection, there should be), as the midtown line is about 4km from the lakeshore line at most in the West.
 
T

thompsonsamm

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Woodbridge_Heights said:
I'm not sure I see the benefit to having the midtown line head south to Long Branch, there are benefits to having Milton trains alternate to Union and North Toronto stations (or have the RER service terminate at Kipling with commuter rail coming in from Milton), especially considering that Lakeshore will continue to be the busiest line in the system and adding Long Branch as a terminus for a midtown line could cause delays on the Lakeshore line. Clearly Kipling is, should be, and will be the major intermodal transit hub of the region, but I can't see someone at Long Branch or coming in on the Lakeshore W line wanting to use/transfer to the midtown line. To take the Bloor subway? To get to destinations along the midtown line? No arguably those destinations along the midtown corridor are close enough to Lakeshore line that they are a quick transfer to local transit away (and if there isn't this kind of local transit connection, there should be), as the midtown line is about 4km from the lakeshore line at most in the West.
Click to expand...
My thought is southwest Etobicoke and southeast Mississauga need a good North-South link. The rail-corridor is a convenient way to provide that, but a BRT up Brown's Line-427 or Kipling could also provide that. I'm not sure if you would get many connections from the LW line, but it should capture anyone heading to destinations NW of Spadina Station. Providing alternate routes that don't require transferring via downtown is good for system capacity in the long run. If you terminated the midtown line there, you would build extra tracks and platforms to not interfere with LW frequency. The other connection you get at Long Branch is the planned lakeshore BRT running from Long Branch to Port Credit.

If you have modern signalling and infrastructure, Metrolinx could definitely run some alternate routes to reduce transfers (eg. Milton to North Toronto, Scarborough to Oakville). It would be a bit like Thameslink through London.
 
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Woodbridge_Heights

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thompsonsamm said:
My thought is southwest Etobicoke and southeast Mississauga need a good North-South link. The rail-corridor is a convenient way to provide that, but a BRT up Brown's Line-427 or Kipling could also provide that. I'm not sure if you would get many connections from the LW line, but it should capture anyone heading to destinations NW of Spadina Station. Providing alternate routes that don't require transferring via downtown is good for system capacity in the long run. If you terminated the midtown line there, you would build extra tracks and platforms to not interfere with LW frequency. The other connection you get at Long Branch is the planned lakeshore BRT running from Long Branch to Port Credit.

If you have modern signalling and infrastructure, Metrolinx could definitely run some alternate routes to reduce transfers (eg. Milton to North Toronto, Scarborough to Oakville). It would be a bit like Thameslink through London.
Click to expand...

That link would hardly be a N-S link when it only serves the southern half (third?) of the region... A Kipling or Islington BRT or LRT would do this though, but that's probably 30+ years down the road.

Wrt to destinations NW of Spadina, I think connecting to the subway at Union would be just as quick as connecting to the midtown line and has the benefit of being a counter peak flow thus using free capacity on the subway. And Keele, Roncy, Dufferin, and Bathurst can also provide those connections to points North (provided Go builds infil stations in places such as Parkdale, and Cityplace).
 
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afransen

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Kipling is kind of narrow for BRT (assuming people would insist on two general purpose lanes per direction).
 
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