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This story has been UPDATED and clarified following a public consultation held on February 21, 2016.
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As the City of Toronto, TTC, and Metrolinx roll out their public consultations across the Greater Toronto Area, the details of the combined "wish list" for transit are becoming clearer, and they contain one or two surprises.
In the "short" term (by 2022) they are suggesting a "transit priority corridor" along King, which would be an addition to current construction on the Crosstown LRT between Mount Dennis and Kennedy, the Toronto-York Spadina subway extension, and the soon-going-to-tender Finch West LRT. It is notable (though perhaps merely realistic) that the Crosstown LRTs west of Mt Dennis and east of Kennedy are not in this first six year plan.
A second map sets out two visions for 2031 and beyond.
Although the slides state that the lines shown are to be built within the next 15 years, Hilary Holden, Toronto's director of Transit and Sustainable Transportation Planning, made it clear that the parts that are shaded lighter - for example the western and northern corridors of the relief line subway - were parts of the plan that would follow after 2031.
These maps contain largely familiar projects—SmartTrack, a Relief Line from Nathan Philips Square to Pape, the eastern and western extensions to Crosstown LRT, and a one-stop Scarborough subway—but adds some less familiar items including a waterfront LRT, some form of Sheppard rapid transit running east to Morningside, bus rapid transit along Steeles, and the LRT north on Jane from Bloor to Vaughan. These have all been suggested before at various times but have been brought together here to indicate the city's key transit priorities, which Holden hopes to have written into the city's official plan by year end.
Although maps like these give a sense of commitment, it should be noted that station numbers and locations are still subject to further study and negotiation in several cases—after a public consultation on Feb 21st, for example, the city promised to consider whether the Crosstown West route could be a bus rapid transit service instead—and the four SmartTrack options currently being presented show between four and eight stations and frequencies ranging from every four to every 20 minutes (see below).
A lively discussion about these plans and earlier master plans is already taking place on the forums. Is a favourite project of yours missing or more delayed than you expected? Is there something you could share that has not been widely known or considered about any of these plans? Please drop me a line or post in the forums.
In the meantime, a full list of the public consultations where you can learn more and in which you can participate, is available at this link.
