With multiple transit plans underway at the City of Toronto, Metrolinx, and the TTC, City staff have planned a number of consultations to provide updates and gather public feedback. Dates have been announced for meetings in late May and early June for Scarborough transit planning, SmartTrack, the Relief Line, and the Waterfront Transit "Reset,". It all comes together at a Transit Network Planning consultation in late June.

Following a series of consultations over the late winter, each initiative is returning for public consultation as the preferred routes and station locations are being refined. All meetings cover all the transit initiatives in the pipeline, but each meeting will have a different focus. Members of the public will be asked to share their feedback and concerns about the projects. 

City Planning's 15-year transit plan, image courtesy of the City of Toronto

The first two meetings will focus on the City of Toronto's Waterfront Transit "Reset" study. According to the City, the study entails "a comprehensive review of existing and planned waterfront transit, and will clearly articulate the opportunities and options that exist to realize an integrated and continuous waterfront transit route and network." Torontonians will have a chance to learn more about the plans—and share their thoughts and concerns—during meetings held on May 25th and 26th. 

A May 31st meeting will focus on the controversial Scarborough subway, and a new plan to extend the Crosstown LRT all the way east to University of Toronto Scarborough. A preliminary analysis of potential corridors has been completed, with potential alignments and station concepts necessitating study. The next steps for the project will involve identifying the preferred corridor, alignment, and station locations, all to be discussed during the upcoming consultation.

TTC subway tunnel, image by Jack Landau

Mayor John Tory's ambitious campaign promise, branded as 'SmartTrack', has also been subject to a fair share of controversy. Essentially a regional express rail planned to operate largely within existing surface rail right-of-ways, further study of two options for integration of SmartTrack and GO RER was endorsed by City Council on March 31, 2016. Two different consultations will be presented for SmartTrack, with the first meeting on the central and east portions on June 1st, and the second meeting on the west portion on June 4th.

The June 2nd date will focus on the Relief Line. The proposed U-shaped subway line will connect the east and (in a later phase) west sides of Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth) with Downtown, bypassing the busy Bloor-Yonge interchange station and the overcapacity Line 1. There have been a few noteworthy developments with this project over the past few months, including the February 2016 collection of feedback on results of potential corridors and alignments for the line, and the March 2016 approval by City Council of Pape to Downtown via Queen/Richmond as the preferred corridor for the Relief Line's first phase. It is expected that preferred station locations will be the focus of this round of consultation. Those unable to attend the Relief Line consultation on June 2nd are encouraged to view information and provide feedback via reliefline.ca. 

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