[unimaginative2]

The Arrow was actually made in what became the Boeing plant at Malton. You're right about the main motivation for keeping the airport: retaining all those industrial jobs. Only a few years ago, 5,000 people worked at that de Havilland plant, likely making it by far the city's largest industrial employer. Business has even picked up once again since turboprops have better fuel economy than regional jets. If they close that plant, it's very unlikely that they'd build a new facility in the Toronto area. They'd likely move production to their existing facilities in Montreal or possibly out of the country.

A very important question is whether the airfield is actually owned by Bombardier, or leased from the federal government.

 

[EnviroTO]

GO Transit Wilson Station?

Is there plans for GO Transit to move their Yorkdale operations to the Wilson North Bus Terminal? Did GO Transit ever operate from Wilson in the past, even temporarily? I was reading about construction work done to renovate an abandoned TTC bus terminal on Wilson Ave to be used by GO and the floor plan looked like the teardrop shape of the Wilson North bus terminal.

 

[urbanfan89]

If they do, the 401/Allen interchange would require massive reworking.

GO/TTC fare integration would also be required, since Wilson is far from anywhere.

 

[EnviroTO]

If they do, the 401/Allen interchange would require massive reworking.

GO/TTC fare integration would also be required, since Wilson is far from anywhere.

There is direct access to the Wilson bus terminal from Allen Road and the 401 at Wilson via Wilson Heights off-ramp and Transit Road on-ramp. It is arguably easier than getting to the Yorkdale terminal from the west.

Not sure why fare-integration would be required... Yorkdale has no fare integration and is only one station away. The only reason fare-integration would be needed is if the bulk of ridership on GO's existing Yorkdale services had the mall as their final destination.

 

[RedRocket191]

No plans that I have heard of, and I don't think I would support them if I did unless the was a plan for a massive urbanization of the area around Wilson station. Yorkdale already has a major trip generator, so they would have to leave Yorkdale for something much better.

 

[EnviroTO]

The only reason I can think of that would convince them to move is if the lease rates at Yorkdale were too high (I don't know who owns the property) or if they were running out of space in the existing terminal.

 

[adma]

Whether Yorkdale or Scarborough, I don't mind the idea of "mall termini", particularly with a rapid transit connection...

 

[ShonTron]

This would be a disaster.

Yorkdale is a natural trip generator, though it is not all that significant. Most people are coming from the subway, and it bothered me that I would pay a GO fare to ride to Yorkdale when that was rarely a destination for me living in southwest Brampton - better to go to Square One. I wanted the hourly Union Station service.

But getting from Yorkdale to both eastbound and westbound 401 is easy, the same with westbound 401 into the terminal. The only time it can get messy is the Christmas season. It would be more difficult to get into the terminal from nearly all sides, entry from the east would have a slight increase in difficulty.

Yorkdale is also purpose-built, though I can see GO wanting to get away from the back-up maneuvre required from many of the bays, especially with the nearly all 45-foot fleet. And it might be easier to run the new double-deckers from Wilson as well.

One small benefit of having buses go to Yorkdale is that the Greyhound/Northland buses from the north connecting with GO buses. Would Greyhound pull out too?

Do you have any more details?

Could you be thinking of the temporary bus terminal at Wilson and Yonge at the parking lot for York Mills, that could theoretically be used for GO once the TTC is done renovating its own terminal there?

 

[RedRocket191]

Would Greyhound pull out too?

...To Maple

 

[ShonTron]

Touche.

 

[EnviroTO]

This is the details I am referring to:

Wilson Station Bus Terminal
Rounthwaite, Dick & Hadley was the Prime Consultant for the conversion of the Toronto Transit Commission's abandoned bus station and subway link at Wilson Avenue into a GO Transit hub bus terminal. Major renovations included the reconfiguration of the Concourse and ticketing layouts, bus bays, pedestrian access, washrooms, and ancillary facilities. Renovations to the existing building included major reworking of the canopy, ceiling and floor finishes, new double glazing to replace single glazing, new elevators and stairs, and new HVAC Communications and electrical systems. Sitework included new Kiss & Ride taxi zone and landscaping.

It sounds like it is work that was already done to make Wilson North Bus Terminal ready for GO Transit.