I think the problem is waterfront Toronto keeps changing what they are doing and seems to have a very slow timeline and they don't really care about anything outside of their projects that need to be done on their timeline and no one else's.
Its TTC and the City that keeps changing things due to lack of funds. Then its ML and WFT.
Waterfront Toronto wanted Transit First since 2004 to stop people needing a car to live, work and play on the waterfront.
The EA was done in 2008 and approved by TTC and council, but TTC was short $90 million for the loop at that time.
Phase 1 was to go to a loop at Parliament St around 2014 if I remember correctly.
As time roll on, Waterfront was willing to add some money to cover some of TTC short fall, but it was a drop in the bucket with TTC cost going up that the plan was still DOA.
2019 saw council requested a review of all transit plans and options to see what could be done to speed things up. The review reinforced the approved EA's as well seeing the Bremmer line being remove with TTC still maintaining it in their master plan. A new recommendation was made to move the Bathurst tracks south of Fort York to the QQW to the west side in its own ROW and close Fleet 100% to traffic.
QQW ROW east of Bathurst St would be rebuilt around 2022-24 as well the road to match the existing rebuilt section when it was time for TTC to replace the tracks. TTC did not have the $18 million to replace the ROW when QQW was to be rebuilt and why the different look today.
The other recommendation was an ROW on the Lake Shore from Humber Loop to Legion Rd and to be done first for the Mr Christie project.
2021 saw a change for QQE phase 1 with the shifting of the portal from Freeland to the west side of Yonge saving close to $50 million along with a request from the owner of Westin Hotel to move the conflict on QQW to a new east entrance from an infill of the Yonge slip. At the same time, the Parliament loop would be move to the Cherry St Loop to allow the building of the new QQE road extension cover by Waterfront Toronto. This would require an EA for the LRT extension as well to get under the rail corridor.
The next change was caused by ML who wanted the Cherry St land for the next 7 years to build the OL that saw the line now going to the Polson Loop. Down side to the Polson Loop was the fact that Waterfront Toronto had no money to build the LRT Cherry South Bridge or had it on order. Going to be a bitch to install it when it comes time to do so, but not as bad as Commissioner St bridge.
Based on current thinking, I can see the Commissioner Line move south to the future road and doing a temporary loop north of the new Mouth of The Don.
The main goal is to get an e-w line up and running ASP to allow a full shut down of Union Loop and TTC taking time to rebuild it based on funds it can get. This still requires TTC to have buses on 509 to allow TTC to rebuilt the current portal for a T connection as well the new east one. Buses will still service Union on the surface at a snail pace cause by traffic.
At the end of the day, Waterfront Toronto is short funds to do things as plan as well over spending on things. QQE extension has been on the books and behind schedule to the point various development east of Parliament can't happen until roads are in place. The new Cherry St was supposed to open in Aug this year and could never see it to the point it will be next year considering the North Road bridge is months late being ship from Halifax. It should show up in the coming weeks and be here by Sept.
I have stated since day one after seeing TTC plan for Union Loop that it will never handle the ridership once the waterfront is 100% fully built out.
Transit First in Toronto is a joke these days.
