Allandale25
Senior Member
This could go in a lot of different threads so we'll see what the news will be. I'll guess and put it here cc @Northern Light
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- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
DSCToronto
Superstar
Some small progress, maybe! To Executive next week.
Wards: All
1. City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion, to request that Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (Waterfront Toronto) undertake the following enabling works to advance the Waterfront East Light Rail Transit (WELRT) project, up to a cost of $5.05M, as part of Waterfront Toronto’s Quayside Infrastructure and Public Realm project:
a. construction of a duct bank on Small Street; and
b. relocation of a Toronto Hydro Electric System Limited (THESL) duct bank underneath Queens Quay East, west of Small Street (collectively the “Enabling Works”).
2. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Transit Expansion to negotiate and execute an agreement, including amendments thereto, with Waterfront Toronto, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Executive Director, Transit Expansion and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor, to facilitate the delivery of the Enabling Works.
Waterfront Toronto is working on behalf of the City to advance the design of the at-grade segments of the WELRT to the 60 percent design development stage. Along the WELRT alignment, and within the Quayside precinct, Waterfront Toronto in collaboration with the City is also undertaking the Quayside Infrastructure and Public Realm project (QIPR) to design and construct streets, servicing and public spaces.
In June 2025, Waterfront Toronto notified the City of an opportunity to expedite delivery of two WELRT enabling works projects in coordination with the QIPR project (see Attachment 1 – Figure 2 for location):
1. Construction of an electrical duct bank on Small Street; and
2. Relocation of a Toronto Hydro Electric System Limited (THESL) duct bank below Queens Quay East, west of Small Street (collectively the “Enabling Works”).
Coordinating construction of these two Enabling Works projects with the QIPR project will benefit the City by:
- Avoiding future construction complexity due to the proximity of the work to the future Inner Harbour West Tunnel shaft along Small Street;
- Designing and installing new electrical connections to the THESL duct bank on Queens Quay East;
- Accelerating work that would be delayed due to the Gardiner Expressway Realignment project, and development of the Quayside community;
- Protecting for and enabling the WELRT electrical substation construction at the preferred location;
- Avoiding a need to override the moratorium on construction following reopening of Small Street and Queens Quay East; and
- Reducing costs and project risk by delivering the Enabling Works now, rather than in the future.
Given that the utilities portion of the QIPR contract is currently in procurement with award anticipated in September 2025, a funding commitment for the Enabling Works is required by Waterfront Toronto to take advantage of this opportunity for construction coordination. This report seeks City Council authority to provide Waterfront Toronto with up to $5.05M of the existing Council approved WELRT funding to deliver the Enabling Works through the QIPR project. Subject to Council approval of this report, and entering into an agreement with Waterfront Toronto, construction for these works is anticipated to begin in Q1 2026 and take approximately 5 months to complete.
EX25.3 - Waterfront East Light Rail Transit - Advancing Enabling Work with the Quayside Infrastructure and Public Realm Project
Consideration Type: ACTIONWards: All
Origin
(June 30, 2025) Report from the Executive Director, Transit ExpansionRecommendations
The Executive Director, Transit Expansion recommends that:1. City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion, to request that Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (Waterfront Toronto) undertake the following enabling works to advance the Waterfront East Light Rail Transit (WELRT) project, up to a cost of $5.05M, as part of Waterfront Toronto’s Quayside Infrastructure and Public Realm project:
a. construction of a duct bank on Small Street; and
b. relocation of a Toronto Hydro Electric System Limited (THESL) duct bank underneath Queens Quay East, west of Small Street (collectively the “Enabling Works”).
2. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Transit Expansion to negotiate and execute an agreement, including amendments thereto, with Waterfront Toronto, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Executive Director, Transit Expansion and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor, to facilitate the delivery of the Enabling Works.
Summary
The Waterfront East Light Rail Transit project (WELRT) is a City of Toronto (City) priority transit project, bringing higher-order transit to the central and eastern waterfront area, including to the Quayside precinct (see Attachment 1 – Figure 1 for WELRT alignment).Waterfront Toronto is working on behalf of the City to advance the design of the at-grade segments of the WELRT to the 60 percent design development stage. Along the WELRT alignment, and within the Quayside precinct, Waterfront Toronto in collaboration with the City is also undertaking the Quayside Infrastructure and Public Realm project (QIPR) to design and construct streets, servicing and public spaces.
In June 2025, Waterfront Toronto notified the City of an opportunity to expedite delivery of two WELRT enabling works projects in coordination with the QIPR project (see Attachment 1 – Figure 2 for location):
1. Construction of an electrical duct bank on Small Street; and
2. Relocation of a Toronto Hydro Electric System Limited (THESL) duct bank below Queens Quay East, west of Small Street (collectively the “Enabling Works”).
Coordinating construction of these two Enabling Works projects with the QIPR project will benefit the City by:
- Avoiding future construction complexity due to the proximity of the work to the future Inner Harbour West Tunnel shaft along Small Street;
- Designing and installing new electrical connections to the THESL duct bank on Queens Quay East;
- Accelerating work that would be delayed due to the Gardiner Expressway Realignment project, and development of the Quayside community;
- Protecting for and enabling the WELRT electrical substation construction at the preferred location;
- Avoiding a need to override the moratorium on construction following reopening of Small Street and Queens Quay East; and
- Reducing costs and project risk by delivering the Enabling Works now, rather than in the future.
Given that the utilities portion of the QIPR contract is currently in procurement with award anticipated in September 2025, a funding commitment for the Enabling Works is required by Waterfront Toronto to take advantage of this opportunity for construction coordination. This report seeks City Council authority to provide Waterfront Toronto with up to $5.05M of the existing Council approved WELRT funding to deliver the Enabling Works through the QIPR project. Subject to Council approval of this report, and entering into an agreement with Waterfront Toronto, construction for these works is anticipated to begin in Q1 2026 and take approximately 5 months to complete.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
LOL, they will need another round of advanced enabling works by the time they are ready to build the QQE LRT.
AoD
DSCToronto
Superstar
Yes, these are clearly the Advance, advanced works!
Northern Light
Superstar
In fairness to the City/WT here.....this is actually the sort of thing that should be done (though in this case, several years ago)..... in that, the City is ensuring as WT redevelops existing streets/adds public realm the requisite infrastructure for the WELRT is being built-in, so that the road will not have to be dug up again.
Good, as far as it goes.
Of course, we needed to be much further along, sometime ago.
DSCToronto
Superstar
More than 100,000 people are expected to move into this new Toronto neighbourhood. So why is there still no transit line?
The Waterfront East LRT is expected to service more than 100,000 people, but there’s one catch — there’s no money to actually build it.
www.thestar.com
Yes, more 'no news is no news' here.
Dr. Snoot
Active Member
More than 100,000 people are expected to move into this new Toronto neighbourhood. So why is there still no transit line?
The Waterfront East LRT is expected to service more than 100,000 people, but there’s one catch — there’s no money to actually build it.
Yes, more 'no news is no news' here.
I've thought this from the beginning (despite the poll above) -- the City should drop the Union loop from the project, if not entirely then at least from the first phase.
The loop is the most complicated aspect of the project from an engineering perspective and probably the largest line item in terms of cost. The project might actually be built if it were eliminated.
In my view, a 450m convenience tunnel should not hold up building many kilometres of new rail to a growing neighbourhood. I also think Queens Quay would be much better served by a through line than a lengthy diversion, plus the PATH already connects QQ and Union via RBC WaterPark Place.
DSCToronto
Superstar
There are LOTS of comments on this, including the 'people mover/conveyor belt' idea that was looked at ages ago WAAAAY back in this thread. I agree that dealing with the east-west link and MAYBE the link to Cherry Street north of the rail berm could be a useful Phase 1.
goreckm
Active Member
The problem will be you will then have kilometers of light rail to nowhere, since most people will not do the 450m walk (+ stairs/elevators). It would be a downgrade over the bus service. The LRT needs to connect to the rest of the network. This shouldn't be this hard, just fund the thing.
evandyk
Senior Member
Yeah, a through-running service from east to west along Queen's Quay doesn't get you much, because there are very few people who want to get from QQE to QQW. 99% of the potential people traveling along QQ are either coming from or going to somewhere north of Union Station. Just build the proper transit when you build a new neighbourhood that is supposed to house tens of thousands of people.
Transit first, amirite? That's been the motto here since 2005.
Transit first, amirite? That's been the motto here since 2005.
drum118
Superstar
Given the cost to do Union as well how long it maybe, an east-west line is far better than no line along with unknown date. Yes, it will be a pain to a fair number of current riders to have to walk from QQ to Union or catch the Bay bus. Those who want to catch the ferry walk from Union to the docks these days.
During the CNE and events there, TTC can run extra service to them by the way of King and Queen along with service on the Waterfront.
Waterfront Toronto has wanted Transit First, but TTC has seen transit being 3rd starting with buses only. TTC wanted to run buses first until the ridership was there to justify in building a streetcar line.
As far I am concerned, the Union Loop will not handle the future ridership after rebuilding the loop, tunnel and I have stated that since 2008 with the Cherry St Line EA. I have called for the east-west line before 2019 with the closing of the loop until the funds are found to do the loop as well rebuild the QQ station correctly for accessibility, not what TTC currently wants to do.
Even when the loop is rebuilt and after most of us are gone, the loop issue will resurface again caused by high ridership and lack of capabilities to deal with it.
This is one area where 45m LRV will be needed.
dowlingm
Senior Member
Is there any infra known off underneath the QQ eastbound lane between York and Bay? So much grief would have been saved if the streetcar portal had been wholly south of the roadway, with all those idiots driving their cars into it and shutting down the tunnel, but also creating a weird over and back for drivers to the outside line and then back to the inside past the portal. Ideally, this is something that would be rectified in the construction of a full delta junction for QQE.
What's been really annoying in all this time is the number of lengthy closures there have been for the streetcar track above and below ground west of York, but no progress on the eastern extension even as far as the previously floated Parliament loop. At least some of the time, this would have permitted operations to continue east of Spadina during maintenance on that section of tunnel and the loop, depending on electrical isolation of course.
smallspy
Senior Member
Uhhh.....the entirety of Queen's Quay eastbound between York and Bay is to the north of the ROW - there is no zig-zag as you describe. There does exist a "laneway" of sorts that exists to the south of the tracks to allow for access to those properties, but it is by no means a live traffic lane like the roadway. It is signed and even paved differently than the roadway.
Dan
dowlingm
Senior Member
My mistake - I was looking at openrailwaymap and didn’t crosscheck vs Street View.