Which would you choose: Sheppard Subway or Eglinton LRT?

[kEiThZ]

just an opinion here, i think if we build eglinton, there will be no choice but to build a DRL after it. but if we build the DRL first, the DRL doesn't put pressure to build eglinton. eglinton will add to the reasons to build the DRL but i don't think building the DRL will add to the reasons to build eglinton. doing eglinton first will give us the greatest chance of having both in the near future.

Even without Eglinton, the Yonge line is already rammed. And it's still going to be fairly busy, even after they roll out TRs on it. So I don't know how much one will impact the other.....unless you think the only way to get politicians to commit to the DRL is perpetual overcrowding at Yonge-Bloor. I'm hoping not to be that pessimistic yet....but you could be right.

 

[rbt]

unless you think the only way to get politicians to commit to the DRL is perpetual overcrowding at Yonge-Bloor. I'm hoping not to be that pessimistic yet.

It's not the politicians who won't commit to it. It is the general public who needs to demand it (and show they will pay for it) first.

How many people in Scarborough, Etobicoke, and North York phoned Ford and asked him to look into the DRL? He says he got lots of calls about trams in the street being bad but I doubt there were many about the DRL.

 

[M II A II R II K]

If you had to pick one over the other I'd say Eglinton of course, for the sake of the fact that there would be further reaching coverage in the city.

 

[velcro2]

This is such a push poll.

The correct answer is: full subway on Eglinton, LRT running off either end, a la the Yonge line before 1973. Sorry, but getting rid of a transfer can't make up for the loss of carrying capacity, increased cost of rolling stock, and vulnerability to surface conditions. Full subway is the way to go.

 

[nfitz]

Full subway is the way to go.

How can it be, when LRT in the middle can more than handle the projected load for decades to come.

 

[W. K. Lis]

This is such a push poll.

The correct answer is: full subway on Eglinton, LRT running off either end, a la the Yonge line before 1973. Sorry, but getting rid of a transfer can't make up for the loss of carrying capacity, increased cost of rolling stock, and vulnerability to surface conditions. Full subway is the way to go.

The light rail vehicles will be longer than our current heavy rail subway cars. In addition, they will have the same width as the Montréal metro cars and longer than them as well.

 

[Dan416]

The light rail vehicles will be longer than our current heavy rail subway cars. In addition, they will have the same width as the Montréal metro cars and longer than them as well.

IIRC the Eglinton stations are being built to accomodate future expansion to subway length, but not when they open.

 

[Wildymyst]

Sheppard Subway

Sheppard Subway hands down. Do it right the first time, not 20 years later with even higher costs to convert LRT into subways.

 

[nfitz]

Sheppard Subway hands down. Do it right the first time, not 20 years later with even higher costs to convert LRT into subways.

Why would you convert LRT to subways in 20 years time? The passenger forecasts for the LRT in the 2030s have only about 5,000 per hour ... you'd need it over 15,000 before you start considering a conversion.

 

[lafard]

Sheppard Subway hands down. Do it right the first time, not 20 years later with even higher costs to convert LRT into subways.

As opposed to building the Eglinton line, a de facto subway, where the subway demand exists today?

 

[LAz]

Sheppard, in a heartbeat.


The poll question is not good. It's biased. One can do a bit of both. So I am not a happy camper.

Why would you convert LRT to subways in 20 years time? The passenger forecasts for the LRT in the 2030s have only about 5,000 per hour ... you'd need it over 15,000 before you start considering a conversion.

Bullshit. Modern planners project based on population growth. Change the land use, and those results change big time. In other words we should all be prepared to wipe our you know what with the planners reports. If Stockholm could have built subways into nowhere, and faced huge loses initially - which resulted in an outstanding result - then we can too.
Land use is key. Integrate it with planning and it can work miracles. A subway can succeed anywhere.

 

[reaperexpress]

Bullshit. Modern planners project based on population growth. Change the land use, and those results change big time. In other words we should all be prepared to wipe our you know what with the planners reports. If Stockholm could have built subways into nowhere, and faced huge loses initially - which resulted in an outstanding result - then we can too.
Land use is key. Integrate it with planning and it can work miracles. A subway can succeed anywhere.

Even the most generous modern planners haven't projected ridership numbers even meeting the minimum cost-justifiable threshold for the Sheppard Subway, including land use changes. No one is saying that the Sheppard extension would be bad, they're just saying that the Eglinton LRT would be better.

 

[Dan416]

Personally I choose both. I see no reason a wealthy city like Toronto can't finish a subway that was already started, and build one new LRT line.

 

[Wildymyst]

My rationale is that there should be a sustainable long term plan on extending the subway line with the type of infrastructure in the future that can further support it. If the buck stops here on no more subways then it's almost like saying this city is only good enough to build only LRTs but other cities can somehow support grander subway infrastructures at one time or another.

The Sheppard extention to the east of Don Mills favours North York and Scarborough. One reason why Ford was elected is that the people outside the dt core are saying it's about time some resources are allocated to the area that's neglected such as the Scarborough RT. By extending the subway line right across, it'll make more sense for higher end investments from the private and public sector surrounding it, a lot more people will end up riding it since it'll be more convenient.

People don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that the average income level of the people in the area of the Sheppard expansion aren't as high as other areas, but it's the most neglected. With a subway line as the backbone and as shocking as it may sound, Scarborough would be able to significantly revitalize itself to be a great area for increase businesses to invest in and more mix use residences. Scarborough will also restore itself with a bit more pride and respect alongside other parts of the city.

I think the city should think more about potential growth long term than making Toronto seem like an indecisive city that can't figure out whether to go all in or not and thus making anything done in the future all the more expensive.

 

[gweed123]

Why would you convert LRT to subways in 20 years time? The passenger forecasts for the LRT in the 2030s have only about 5,000 per hour ...

Sounds like more of a case for a BRT to LRT conversion in 30 years...