West Toronto Junction
New Member
FOR CONSIDERATION: A YONGE EXPRESS SUBWAY
1) A regional vision of an express subway on Yonge has never been
tested. This would include an express subway on Yonge between Eglinton and Union, duplicating the original 1950's line. The new operation would take
the current service from Lawrence and north, including the extension of the
Yonge line to Richmond Hill. On the southern portion of this Yonge Express
Subway (Y.E.S.) there would be new stations at Eglinton, Bloor, Queen, and
Union, either under, beside, or near their existing counterparts.
2) The balance of the Yonge-University-Spadina (Y-U-S) subway, from old
Eglinton to Downsview, would remain operated as it is now and provide the
local service between Union Station and Eglinton.
3) As a separate operation the Y.E.S. would eliminate concerns about capacity and service reliability on the Yonge line and greatly reduce travel times along an existing activity corridor. The TTC is saying another subway is
needed to divert travel demand away from Yonge, why not another subway
actually on the critical part of Yonge? The higher benefit could cover the
higher cost, one won't know until the two are compared.
4) The TTC has reacted to the Yonge extension to Richmond Hill with many good questions. Why were these points not brought up at the time the RTP was being developed? Nevertheless, there is broad concern that there is
insufficient capacity on the Yonge line as it is, expected to be overloaded by
extending to Richmond Hill and feeding in traffic from other Transit City
and Metrolinx lines, and despite stop-gap investments in new, higher
capacity, cars.
5) The Downtown Relief Line currently being discussed would be about 6km long with perhaps seven stations (Pape/Danforth, Pape/Gerrard, Pape/Queen,
Queen/Broadview, Queen/Parliament, Queen/Yonge, Queen/University). This
involves integration with existing stations at three points. The TTC also
indicates that substantial improvements are needed to Yonge/Bloor station,
along with full implementation of automatic train control (ATC) on the
entire integrated Y-U-S line, to meet Yonge line demands.
6) The southern portion of the Yonge Express Subway would be about 6.5km and include four stations (Eglinton, Bloor, Queen, Union).
7) There does not seem to be a significant difference, at this preliminary
strategic scale, of building either line. One is 6km, 7 stations, with 3
integrated stations plus Yonge/Bloor improvements, and the other 6.5km, 4
stations and 4 integrated stations, one of them Yonge/Bloor.
8) With the Y.E.S. the regional-scale north-south demand identified by
Metrolinx would met with speedy attractive service along a proven activity
corridor. The Metrolinx plan for a regional express train with service
every 15 minutes in the Don Valley could be dropped. Would we really
prefer a train every 7.5 minutes (either direction) in a fenced-off
right-of-way through the Don Valley, with no interchange at Yonge and
Eglinton, or Yonge and Bloor? The cost of a connection from the valley
floor to Castle Frank or Broadview to would be quite high.
9) Other, more minor details. The yard and shop for the Y.E.S. would probably end up in York Region, possibly adjacent to Highway 407, possibly totally enclosed in a shed, possibly built upon. The end-of-the-line terminal at Union provides a starting point for further extensions west and north-west,
as well as through the port lands and further east, and north-east.
10) Finally, and quite secondary to the basic economic evaluation except when it comes to cost estimates and timing, the procurement and operation of the new line would not need to be integrated into the TTC's existing
service. The existing North Yonge and Sheppard subways would need to be
included with the operation of the Y.E.S., but the remainder of the
Yonge-University-Spadina subway from old Eglinton to Downsview would remain operated as it is now.
11) We should evaluate the Y.E.S. before we commit to subway business-as-usual on Yonge Street, or elsewhere downtown.
END
1) A regional vision of an express subway on Yonge has never been
tested. This would include an express subway on Yonge between Eglinton and Union, duplicating the original 1950's line. The new operation would take
the current service from Lawrence and north, including the extension of the
Yonge line to Richmond Hill. On the southern portion of this Yonge Express
Subway (Y.E.S.) there would be new stations at Eglinton, Bloor, Queen, and
Union, either under, beside, or near their existing counterparts.
2) The balance of the Yonge-University-Spadina (Y-U-S) subway, from old
Eglinton to Downsview, would remain operated as it is now and provide the
local service between Union Station and Eglinton.
3) As a separate operation the Y.E.S. would eliminate concerns about capacity and service reliability on the Yonge line and greatly reduce travel times along an existing activity corridor. The TTC is saying another subway is
needed to divert travel demand away from Yonge, why not another subway
actually on the critical part of Yonge? The higher benefit could cover the
higher cost, one won't know until the two are compared.
4) The TTC has reacted to the Yonge extension to Richmond Hill with many good questions. Why were these points not brought up at the time the RTP was being developed? Nevertheless, there is broad concern that there is
insufficient capacity on the Yonge line as it is, expected to be overloaded by
extending to Richmond Hill and feeding in traffic from other Transit City
and Metrolinx lines, and despite stop-gap investments in new, higher
capacity, cars.
5) The Downtown Relief Line currently being discussed would be about 6km long with perhaps seven stations (Pape/Danforth, Pape/Gerrard, Pape/Queen,
Queen/Broadview, Queen/Parliament, Queen/Yonge, Queen/University). This
involves integration with existing stations at three points. The TTC also
indicates that substantial improvements are needed to Yonge/Bloor station,
along with full implementation of automatic train control (ATC) on the
entire integrated Y-U-S line, to meet Yonge line demands.
6) The southern portion of the Yonge Express Subway would be about 6.5km and include four stations (Eglinton, Bloor, Queen, Union).
7) There does not seem to be a significant difference, at this preliminary
strategic scale, of building either line. One is 6km, 7 stations, with 3
integrated stations plus Yonge/Bloor improvements, and the other 6.5km, 4
stations and 4 integrated stations, one of them Yonge/Bloor.
8) With the Y.E.S. the regional-scale north-south demand identified by
Metrolinx would met with speedy attractive service along a proven activity
corridor. The Metrolinx plan for a regional express train with service
every 15 minutes in the Don Valley could be dropped. Would we really
prefer a train every 7.5 minutes (either direction) in a fenced-off
right-of-way through the Don Valley, with no interchange at Yonge and
Eglinton, or Yonge and Bloor? The cost of a connection from the valley
floor to Castle Frank or Broadview to would be quite high.
9) Other, more minor details. The yard and shop for the Y.E.S. would probably end up in York Region, possibly adjacent to Highway 407, possibly totally enclosed in a shed, possibly built upon. The end-of-the-line terminal at Union provides a starting point for further extensions west and north-west,
as well as through the port lands and further east, and north-east.
10) Finally, and quite secondary to the basic economic evaluation except when it comes to cost estimates and timing, the procurement and operation of the new line would not need to be integrated into the TTC's existing
service. The existing North Yonge and Sheppard subways would need to be
included with the operation of the Y.E.S., but the remainder of the
Yonge-University-Spadina subway from old Eglinton to Downsview would remain operated as it is now.
11) We should evaluate the Y.E.S. before we commit to subway business-as-usual on Yonge Street, or elsewhere downtown.
END