[BurlOak]

Yes, but we could just as well wind up with the City recommendations: Buried - Royal York, Kipling, Martin Grove; but elevated Jane, Scarlett and Islington.

Just like the existing western end of the Bloor-Danforth Line, we can have intermittent sections that dart underground, route at-grade in an exclusive side-of-roadway ROW and bridge overhead. Only the confines of one's mind is telling them that it has to be at-grade road median only or tunnel only or bust.

As I recall, the City found the full grade-separated option (I think with 3 to 5 stations) as being the best benefit cost ratio.
The next option they looked at was grade-separated major intersections with at-grade mid-block stops. It was blatantly clear that fully grade-separate with no mid-block stops was the best option - so they chose to not even study it.

 

[crs1026]

^One of the loudest voices for grade sep was the local MPP, Yvan Baker. He is now unemployed. We will see how his replacement handles the file.

I’m just not sure how much effort the Province will put into steering a city project, even one in Ford territory. It was Councillor Campbell who got a motion approved to reopen the grade sep study, after the city issued a study indicating that grade sep was not needed. I suspect the City is still trying to keep costs down, and will continue to do so.

As to the merits, this was debated here on UT in great detail. No need to recycle thru all that. Just page back in this thread.

- Paul

 

[OneCity]

Asking motorists what they want, if that's what is meant by "commuters", is a very bad way to plan and build transit.

Most of the previous plan ignored motorist impacts all together. That was a very narrow attempt to build transit and the result is the politics we have today. We need to respect all modes of transit. It may never be perfect but were certainly getting closer to building lines the majority of people can support.

 

[cplchanb]

When is construction on Eglinton West and Eglinton east expected to begin, I haven't been following super closely . . .

they havnt even tendered yet.....maybe sometime in 2020s

 

[micheal_can]

they havnt even tendered yet.....maybe sometime in 2020s

There are separate UT threads for those. Currently the debate is whether they will even get built under the current new provincial government.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Most of the previous plan ignored motorist impacts all together. That was a very narrow attempt to build transit and the result is the politics we have today. We need to respect all modes of transit. It may never be perfect but were certainly getting closer to building lines the majority of people can support.

At grade rapid transit would be more accessible than grade separated rapid transit. Especially, when the elevators are out-of-service at the grade separated stations.

 

[sixrings]

Justtake the finch lrt money and grade seperate eglinton west

 

[Voltz]

Most of the previous plan ignored motorist impacts all together. That was a very narrow attempt to build transit and the result is the politics we have today. We need to respect all modes of transit. It may never be perfect but were certainly getting closer to building lines the majority of people can support.

You can keep saying the majority of people support this and that as many times as you want, it does not make it true.

 

[Voltz]

Justtake the finch lrt money and grade seperate eglinton west

There is no money to build Eglinton in the first place, so you can't use the Finch LRT money to cover the extra cost to grade separate it. Even if there was money left over after covering the already spent money and the cancellation costs.

 

[BurlOak]

^One of the loudest voices for grade sep was the local MPP, Yvan Baker. He is now unemployed. We will see how his replacement handles the file.

If the loudest voice was on the government side - and didn't get any traction - then wouldn't you say that the MPP must have been ineffective.

 

[crs1026]

If the loudest voice was on the government side - and didn't get any traction - then wouldn't you say that the MPP must have been ineffective.

I’d say that the last government had little or no interest in the project, period.... and the local MPP was just allowed to make ineffective noise to appease constituents, yes.

Do we think the new pro-Ford MPP will do better? I don’t. The province. would have to offer up money to impose new direction on the project. As is, the city pays 100%.

The question now is whether the city sees this as a priority when Doug backtracks and removes funding from things that Wynne promised. People seem to have forgotten that Eglinton West is part of Smarttrack. I bet Tory will let this fade away, protecting his reputation by marshalling the city’s limited remaining funds towards the heavy rail component of Smarttrack. That’s the part of ST people remember.

So, yeah, Eglinton West could be shelved, but not by Ford. If it survives, it’s because Tory doesn’t want to give Etobicoke Councillors a victory by taking credit for killing it. None of them want it, remember.... and they would love to say that they achieved economies at the city level.

- Paul

 

[OneCity]

You can keep saying the majority of people support this and that as many times as you want, it does not make it true.

And you can continue to be in denial of the support yet poorly grade seperated transit is never coming back. All modes of travel as well as integration will be respected better in the design of any line moving forward. These recent LRT lines were overturned on support of those impacted the most. Its never going back, there is not enough support from the people who live and travel within these areas for such narrow planning

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

Build it like an LRT, run it like a streetcar .....(TTC Management)

I hope not. This line needs to set the bar high in order to sell other LRT lines.

 

[BurlOak]

The new government hasn't been sworn in yet, but the lying and aggressive misrepresentation of facts has already begin. This is what we can look forward to over the next 4 years.

View attachment 147266

Regarding the central portion of Eglinton - I presume this is an off the cuff statement by Kinga. "Entire line above ground" - this was never the plan under Mayor Ford. I was not paying enough attention in the 00's - maybe at one point in time there was consideration for fully on street.
If this comment were to come from a minister, or if the caucus was already more organized, I would say it's an indication that Ford will not change the current Eglinton line. Ford can take credit for the Black Creek drive area (connection to train yard) being made grade-separated - the best Rob could do fighting against Council and the provincial Liberals. As others have said, it is likely very difficult at this stage to fix the errors of Eglinton center-east (Leslie to Kennedy), Ford might figure it is not worth the fight (i.e. hassles, costs, delays, etc.) to fix this.

 

[TransitBart]

Let's also remember where the Eglinton West extension runs through... the heart of Ford country. Premier Doug won't just forsake his own people. If any rapid transit is tackled during this term, this one will be a prime candidate.

Finch West runs through the same Ford Nation territory several km to the north. Why then are people questioning whether it will remain on plan?