Richmond Hill Yonge Line 1 North Subway Extension | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx

Overall, the full 6 stations seems like a bit of overkill but it may be what's necessary to make the extension both functional and politically palatable.

The High Tech station can be excluded from the count, it will only exist because it can be built for cheap in the rail corridor. Between Finch and Langstaff ("Bridge" station), that's a 7-km distance with at most 4 intermediate stations: Cummer, Steeles, Clark and Royal Orchard. 7 km / 5 intervals = 1.4 km average stop spacing. That spacing is wider than on any other subway stretch, except the Yonge line between Eglinton and Sheppard where the spacing is 2 km. If we look at the Sheppard line, that's 5.5 km / 4 intervals = 1.375 km.

Having each of the Cummer, Steeles, Clark and Royal Orchard stations built is not an overkill; the issue is whether Metrolinx can fund all of them.
 
the issue is whether Metrolinx can fund all of them.
The bigger issue is if they waste money on overbuilt stations (I'm talking about you TYSSE)...

(Cummer), Clark, and Royal Orchard should be about as basic as they can make it without a huge above ground presence. Steeles and Bridge/High Tech stations should be a little more significant seeing that they are the "main" stations in the project and the centre of new major developments.
 
As above-grade stations that are kind-of in "downtown" environments, I would expect Bridge and HT will be the least-prominent/cheapest designs on the line.

Steeles seems like it'll be the biggie, cuz of the bus terminal (though, right, Bridge has a big one too). Royal Orchard likely won't be fancy, but it will be deep, so that costs money. And that leaves Clark and Cummer, which I agree shouldn't be anything grand.

I know some people bash the TYSSE stations for being overly fancy but I like them, and how they declare themselves on the urban landscape like, "Hey, yeah - we built a subway here!" I don't think that's as necessary on the Yonge extension, which is a more urban context.
 
The bigger issue is if they waste money on overbuilt stations (I'm talking about you TYSSE)...
A few $ for some artistic elements, and design that neither looks like a public toilet nor designed as cookie-cutter isn't a big deal in the context of these type of works. If Metrolinx was concerned about station cost, they wouldn't build many of them so absurdly deep.
 
A few $ for some artistic elements, and design that neither looks like a public toilet nor designed as cookie-cutter isn't a big deal in the context of these type of works. If Metrolinx was concerned about station cost, they wouldn't build many of them so absurdly deep.

Unfortunately, TYSSE appears to highlight the case. If my memory serves me, one of the TYSSE stations has 2 mezzanine levels; why does it need to be so deep?
 
There was a report on CBC Radio's Hear & Now an hour ago about residents of Richmond Hill and Markham banding together to try and stop the proposed development for the area around Bridge Station. "This area can't handle it, the traffic is already crazy, blah, blah!"
 
Unfortunately, TYSSE appears to highlight the case. If my memory serves me, one of the TYSSE stations has 2 mezzanine levels; why does it need to be so deep?
Which one? I think I've used all of them except Finch West, and nothing jumps out at me

Yeah, they could have been shallower in places. Though it's not like they were following roads for much of that one, and it cuts under multiple buildings. Though why it's so deep at, say 407, boggles the mind.
 
There was a report on CBC Radio's Hear & Now an hour ago about residents of Richmond Hill and Markham banding together to try and stop the proposed development for the area around Bridge Station. "This area can't handle it, the traffic is already crazy, blah, blah!"
At some fundamental level, they're not wrong because the entire region can't handle more traffic and development. But their frustration is misdirected because the policies that would reduce congestion (wfh, road pricing) and reduce development (higher interest rates, less population growth) are well outside Metrolinx/the province's purview.
 
Last edited:
They're never wrong that traffic is bad etc.
They just fail to grasp it's bad because the they themselves live in this.
1642771026596.png

2-3 cars in every garage, and they know it.

It would be naive to hope/think that these 2 new communities are going to be self-contained and everyone will bike and take transit and rainbows will cover them after every rainfall. But the residents who are complaining need to get that moving these people further north causes the same problem - worse, in fact, because there's no subway up on the moraine - and so this is how you start working against that trend.

Also, it's hard to say what things will look like 20 or 30 or 40 years from now in terms of car ownership. Maybe traffic plateaus as gas keeps rising past $1.50 a litre, EVs become more common, hybrid offices become entrenched and AVs or PRT starts coming online? But if all you're going to do is complain, "More people means more traffic for me!" without realizing that your arrival in the neighbourhood created more traffic for everyone else, who cares?
 
Which one? I think I've used all of them except Finch West, and nothing jumps out at me

Yeah, they could have been shallower in places. Though it's not like they were following roads for much of that one, and it cuts under multiple buildings. Though why it's so deep at, say 407, boggles the mind.
It's been a while, but York U seemed really deep
 
It's been a while, but York U seemed really deep

When the whole issue came up about the noise under Royal Orchard, you may recall Metrolinx posted a blog entry where they did decibel-level tests in a lecture hall they said was 20m above track level. It's literally next door to the station, so that has to be pretty close to the depth.

TYSSE-Schulich.jpg
 
When the whole issue came up about the noise under Royal Orchard, you may recall Metrolinx posted a blog entry where they did decibel-level tests in a lecture hall they said was 20m above track level. It's literally next door to the station, so that has to be pretty close to the depth.

TYSSE-Schulich.jpg
I remember a long way down from ground level. I can't imagine how bad 50m will be!
 

Back
Top