Everyone knows that the Scarborough Subway will run east from Kennedy Station, veer north at Danforth Road, and then go straight up McCowan to Sheppard. Right?
At Toronto’s Executive Committee today (Jan. 22), a major item of discussion was the study plan for SmartTrack. As previously reported, this will include a review of the effect of SmartTrack and the companion Metrolinx RER plans on other projects including the Yonge Relief Study and the Scarborough Subway.
As things turn out, there is now a worry that SmartTrack will draw so much riding from the nearby subway line that it will no longer be viable. Whatever can we do?
The answer, believe it or not, is to extend the study area further east looking for a new home for the subway far enough from SmartTrack that the subway has a chance of surviving on its own. Markham Road, 1.7km further east, could raise the attractiveness of the subway to some parts of Scarborough, but it would also move the line well away from Scarborough Town Centre and development plans for the lands around STC.
With an extra roughly 2km of line to reach Markham Road, the project may never reach across the 401 to Sheppard Avenue unless a very generous angel adds to the City’s share of the project cost.
Does this make sense? Yet another route would be included in the subway study in the hope that it will eke out enough ridership if it lies further east. What does this say about any claims the McCowan route is best because of the areas it serves?
This is what passes for planning in Scarborough, and it shows that the subway advocates are far from certain that their project has lasting, solid support.
Does this mean Tory is considering building the Scarborough subway on the SRT alignment (like Glen Murray wanted) so it serves STC, Centennial College and Markham/Sheppard? The whole point of the Scarborough subway is to serve Scarborough Centre (which the Stouffville line does not serve) and the surrounding condo developments.
Alternatively, could “SmartTrack” have a branch that goes to Scarborough Centre, so STC is served by the GO train network?
Steve: No, I think this is the Scarborough Subway advocates trying to keep their project alive, possibly in the face of declining support from the Mayor.
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Steve, how would this make sense of bus routes in the area? You seem to be saying, that well we need a new problem to solve? Another reason to ensure that Scarborough get transit, that we are already planning to provide by another means? That far east Steve, would it not still make more sense to have an express bus or BRT run the say Kennedy to intercept the subway and RER and allow people to board the service that makes the most sense?
Steve: It doesn’t make sense, but to people who only draw lines on maps trying to keep their project alive, this shows the lengths they will go to.
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I always knew that the Danforth alignment, if not the whole project, was a mistake.
My advice for those demanding a subway in Scarborough would be to cut their losses and push for a guaranteed subway extension to Eglinton GO. There is “some” transit value with such an extension thanks to RER and the lower cost would improve the chances that it would actually get built. Also, it’s still possible to reach STC and Scarborough General via Bellamy, Hague park and McCowan in the future from there without burning through too many boxes of crayons.
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Well, we need to squeeze the billions a bit, right? It is sometimes really worth studying things, and make sure they jump through some hoops – like uh “value engineering” or “business case”. We also need proper EA screenings to account for all of the GHG emissions from projects eg. capital emissions/energy and operating emissions/energy – and we’re not really doing any of it.
We’d also pay for lots more things than we’d have to if we had some political will eg. Curitiba’s busways in lieu of subways.
Steve: If you can find me a corridor, other than the 401, that would be comparable in width to the road where Curitiba runs its busway, then we can talk. The whole issue with the subways*3 crowd is to give up no road space, and a whacking great BRT would take up even more space than the planned LRT lines.
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Another Political development disaster waiting wreak havoc on Scarborough.. But im not that concerned as long as the subway is still moving forward I can accept the fact you can’t have it all.
I figured this was coming after SmartTrack was announced. Although leaving out STC would be odd it could be resolved with the already somewhat proposed BRT across Ellesmere from SmartTrack into Pickering.
The current proposal is far from perfect to begin with & there are many benefits for having the route continue towards Scarborough Village (Markham/Kingston Rd.) then up Markham Rd:
1. Closer to priority neighborhoods would be better served (Scarborough Village, Kingston/Galloway, Malvern, Tuxedo Court)
3. South Eastern Scarborough would be better served
2. Could reach Centennial College
3. Closer to UTSC, Zoo, Rouge
4. Reaches Malvern’s Markham/Sheppard “Business Area”,
5. Markham/Lawrence would be better served with a Subway stop than McCowan/Lawrence with more commercial land for development.
A combo of Smart Track, BRT’s & a Subway up Markham road would be quite effective. But here we are at the drawing board again so maybe I should be concerned.
Steve: And having said all of that, the people who claim that McCowan is going to be the centre of the universe (not to mention STC) are going to have to explain why that doesn’t matter any more.
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I could see the Scarborough subway tax being shifted to Smart Track.
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This is idiotic. McCowan or Brimley would be the best options for the subway. If you go further east it loses all value. You start getting into what can be best described as no-man’s land.
The heart of Scarborough consists of Kennedy to McCowan. Anything west of there is bordering on industrial and anything east of there is so lacking of connecting routes that it would never gain any ridership. It would be a mainly walk-to subway.
All in all Markham Road is a non-starter. The area through which it runs very spread out from Lawrence onwards. Its also one hell of a gap from Kennedy Road to Markham and Eglinton.
The heart of the residential, the heart of the demand is between Kennedy and McCowan in the east/west and the 401 and Eglinton in the North/South. If you start positioning the subway around a railway line you will kill the demand. This seems like a great way to say the subway was a failure.
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Steve: I remember you predicting there would be a conflict between SmartTrack and the Scarborough subway when Tory first proposed the scheme.
Looking at Google maps, ‘Scarborough City Centre’ encompasses the Scarborough Town Centre (STC) shopping mall, the former Borough of Scarborough municipal buildings, and the high density condo developments to the east of STC around Ellesmere and McCowan.
It now appears they are considering two multi-billion dollar transit projects, both of which will completely fail to serve Scarborough City Centre. The idiocy, the idiocy.
Steve: The fact that they will be in Scarborough counts most. Meanwhile, as we know from that transit expert Glenn De Baeremaeker, nobody actually walks to a subway station and so it doesn’t really matter where you put the line.
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The key politically is to use the current $3.5B “Scarborough Subway” money in Scarborough to improve transit. (I somehow think it is a poor strategy to say that Tory and all his supporters are idiots and they should go back to the original LRT plan and use the rest of the money for the DRL).
If the subway is to go to Markham road – then keep it there. It is about 4km – in a straight line – with 3 stations at Brimley, Scaroborough GO, and Markham Road for a bit over $1B. North-eastern Scaroborough could be connected to the rest of the City via the SRT, at a cost of about $2B. Of course I think there needs to be a seemless connection of Scarborough to Yonge (and eventually Pearson) – for about $0.5B using elevation. This way, northeast Scarborough is connected in a one-seat ride to Yonge (at Eglinton), and the south-east (well, Guildwood) is connected with a one-seat ride to Yonge (at Bloor). Both these lines would intersect the GO RER (or SmartTrack) lines so people could transfer for a rapid connection to downtown when those services are run more frequently.
I think Scarborough Councillors and MP’s are probably realizing that the current “Scarborough Subway” plan may not be the best, but they need some way of saving face, because they all used it to get re-elected last year. The solution cannot be to go back to the plan that they all rejected the year before.
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Or we could give into one of the greatest acts of irony in human history and convert/build the SRT into an LRT line to link the SmartTrack line with the BD line along Markham Road since traffic lanes for cars in Scarborough are too important to waste on transit as the residents there have told us repeatedly.
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I believe that the Scarborough Subway alignment was going to be reviewed by the City Planner well before SmarTrack was a twinkle in John Tory’s eye.
If I recall correctly, the City Planner took over the responsibility for determining the final Scarborough Subway alignment from the TTC last year. Therefore, the City Planner will do a review of all of the available options to determine which subway alignment will be the best City Builder.
The major City Building initiative in the heart of Scarborough is the McCowan Precinct Plan. The subway will be the anchor for this new urban revitalization project.
Public consultations are beginning now and will continue over the next 2 years to pick the best subway alignment using the City Planner’s criteria.
With SmartTrack’s arrival, the discarded Scarborough LRT option is now moot, since the Ellesmere and Lawrence stations cannot serve both lines. Therefore, the Scarborough Subway extension will proceed by default, if not merit. However, the subway alignment is not a simple choice between 2 alternatives, i.e. the Murray line vs the TTC Danforth line.
There is at least a 3rd option for the subway alignment, as a hybrid between the TTC Danforth and Murray alignments. The subway can be run from Kennedy underground along Danforth to the existing McCowan Station, and then veer right to follow the previously proposed LRT extension up until Markham & Sheppard. The track east of McCowan Station will run on the surface, just like the previous LRT plan.
Therefore, the hybrid subway alignment may cost less than the TTC Danforth alignment, since it will run underground only under Danforth, but emerge on the surface east of McCowan to Markham and Sheppard.
The City Planner is correct to study all alternatives and conduct public consultations to ensure that the final subway alignment selected will deliver the most benefits from a City Building and Cost perspective and integrate seamlessly into the future transit network (SmartTrack, Subway, LRT and Buses).
Steve: The question here is whether the Scarborough faction will let the City Planner do her job, or will spend their time trying to draw maps (as you have done) before the studies are completed.
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First of all, those councilors (or whoever brought up this idea at the Executive Committee) may be discussing a solution for a nonexistent problem. They should wait for the results of demand modeling, based on the realistic (15 min? 10 min?) frequency of SmartTrack. While some riders will certainly get diverted from the subway extension to SmartTrack, the number may not be large enough to warrant any changes in the subway plan.
If the projected drop in subway ridership is substantial, then the easiest amendment is to shorten the subway and end it at STC. We can assume that Sheppard LRT plus SmartTrack will be an alternative route downtown for those residents who live north of 401. (Some kind of LRT connection between STC and Sheppard is still desirable in this scenario.)
Ending the subway at STC, instead of going to Sheppard, can save up to $800 million (1.7 km of underground subway), making it more affordable.
Any subway route in Scarborough that does not connect to STC, will never attract enough riders to justify the subway. The proposal to extend the subway east along Eglinton is interesting from the network connectivity perspective, but the ridership count would be so low that the provincial and federal government would never contribute to such project.
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If SmartTrack was going to be very frequent, that would be an excellent option. Running on a 3 min or 4 min headways south of the branch point, it would send 1/2 of trains to STC. A train would be coming there every 6 – 8 min.
But if we have a train every 10 min (at best) south of the branch point, then the branch won’t work. STC would get a train every 20 min, or 3 trains an hour. The capacity of such service will be 6,000 pphpd at best; perhaps much less if smaller trains are used for SmartTrack.
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Well on that theory, could we not propose an extension to Warden to keep him happy?
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LOL. What ever happened to McCowan Road being Scarborough’s Yonge Street?
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Sometimes I think we would have been fine if the subway had just stayed on Danforth … yes it would have cost more money than using the old Canadian Northern sub and covered not traveled as far north into Scarborough, but it would have been under a main road and development would have been encouraged to spread along the corridor rather than trying to build high density nodes at stations.
I’m wondering how long it takes before someone brings up the Sheppard Subway and how it needs to be extended to STC since the Scarborough subway won’t be going to STC.
Cheers, Moaz
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Huh? Even the McCowan subway alignment doesn’t go to STC. It’d be a 650m walk away at McCowan and Ellesmere … It’d be closer to the current McCowan station (300m) than STC.
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Joe M:
The current Subway proposal actually meshes better with SmartTrack than the RT alignment. And isn’t that the issue discussed here?
Massive areas are being left out no matter what plan & we are forced to pick and choose what areas should be left out. On top of that we be forced into accepting short stub lines & transfers which connect to different forms of transit & won’t even provide & effective loop through Scarborough. Whats the point?
The issue is that we are fighting over incomplete & inefficient transit proposals for Scarborough. It’s a large area & we need to come up with a plan the covers all key areas. And FUND IT. None of these proposals do that.
If LRT’s or BRT’s are going to be built they need to be effectively mapped out & fully funded as we don’t need 100 years to go by of political gamesmanship. Otherwise the Subway will do more good for Scarborough as a whole in terms of overall use & future development.
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The proposal wasn’t to put a subway station at McCowan and Ellesmere. It was for 300 metres further north at McCowan near Town Centre Court – likely underneath the existing SRT. It’s also possible to deflect the line west under the trees, and run up under Borough Drive, and then back east under the parking lot to McCowan. This allows for a direct above ground connection into the mall.
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As the City Planner, how do you find the best route in a region where so much is in question? Consider that in addition to the subway, the following projects could all significantly impact Scarborough travel patterns: smarttrack, 15 minute service on the Lakeshore East, the Sheppard East LRT, the Scarborough-Oshawa BRT, and GO/TTC fare integration. All of these could, theoretically, be completed within the same decade as the Scarborough Subway. But it seems equally possible that none of them are completed within our lifetime. And then there’s also the potential impact of the Crosstown and the DRL.
And they’re all so vague right now – assuming all are built, if you live at Markham and Sheppard, what’s the fastest way to get to St. George station? Is it Sheppard LRT/subway>YUS>BD? Is it Sheppard LRT>smarttrack>BD? Is it LRT>smartrack>YUS? Is it bus to the nearest BD station? Who knows?
And of course, as (if?) these projects finish, presumably the bus routes will be adjusted accordingly, leading to potentially major changes in travel patterns in Scarborough. I know the City Planner has an expert on this stuff and knows far more than I could hope to, but between this uncertainty and the heavy cloud of politics surrounding the issue, I do not envy her on this one.
Steve: Part of the study will be to run various models with different assumptions of network configuration, fare levels, travel speed and land use to see how various configurations perform. The likely outcome is that some areas and lines will do well because the underlying structure of the city provides a good base for growth. Other areas will not do well no matter what happens (other than massive interventions such as redevelopment which are highly unlikely), and these are places where the “hump” we would have to get over to make them more successful is quite high. Still others will fall in between. Some configurations will do well not because of inherent benefit for Scarborough itself, but for people travelling through Scarborough to go elsewhere.
The question then is to pick among the possible outcomes, not to mention to prioritize the initial conditions and changes we might make to encourage the future to evolve vaguely in line with our desired plan.
And in all of this, there is more to the GTHA than Scarborough. That’s not to say we should spend nothing in Scarborough, but it may not get every single present it wants under the Christmas tree.
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Steve, what is the basis of this Scarborough subway might not serve Scarborough Centre.
There doesn’t seem to be anything in the published documents remotely suggesting this. Is there something I’ve missed?
Is this really serious? Or is just throw the Option D into the study so that they have one they can all throw away because it’s clear that the ridership isn’t there, and doesn’t meet the objectives.
Nothing wrong with an expanded study area. And it’s certainly worth studying splitting the subway somewhere. Surely all 4 of our major subway termini would be more efficient if only half the trains got there. Seeing half the trains split at Danforth/Eglinton with some heading north, and some heading east would surely not be a bad thing. Even if not built now, it doesn’t hurt much to build to allow for it in the future (or it least not preclude it in the future).
And it’s certainly worth considering alternate alignments, such as instead of heading north out of Scarborough Centre 1.7 km to Sheppard/McCowan, to instead head east 1.7 km to Markham/Progress. (or dare I say suggest the hypotenuse and go 2.4 km to Markham/Sheppard … though I guess that misses Centennial … but then I wouldn’t be able to say “hypotenuse” … and really how often does one ever get to use “hypotenuse” in a sentence).
Steve: At the Exec Committee meeting, Cllr Thompson (who is from Scarborough) put up a diagram drawn on a napkin (I am not kidding) showing the relative location of the SmartTrack/RT corridor and the proposed McCowan subway. He then talked about the potential problems of two lines close together competing for the same riders. From that premise he went on to asking that the study area for potential subway alignments be widened to the east to include Markham Road. He was not laughed down by the committee, and staff indicated that, yes, they will be exploring that possibility.
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That is the sad part, is what I have said before (and Steve commented on) the money needs to be set up in a trust account so that the politics do stop. The most efficient plan would be the complete LRT plan, which has never really made it onto the list of projects we are doing now. The 2nd wave projects therefore are automatically seen as the never never to happen election goody’s. The sad thing is we can find the 3.8 billion for a subway, and it would appear even another 2.7 billion for the city portion of changing RER, but not the will to make the solid commitment to fund a project in a truly credible manner. Steve, would not the 3.8 billion have built all the plans (including BRT follow up ones) for Scarborough in Transit City proposals? Could not even another $200 million provide a line haul high frequency BRT in the Gatineau Hydro corridor to connect Kennedy stations? If everybody actually believed the money would be locked up, and the plan executed, I suspect there would be a lot less militancy to get a subway.
Steve: Yes, easily.
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P.S. and Steve’s comment was that governments in deficit don’t want to do that, and the federal government doesn’t work that way. I believe that in reality that is our fault. We as voters need to get better. Need to ask for the realistic, vote for the reasonable, and to stop voting for the guy who is telling us what we want to hear. If you hear something that sounds really good, its probably an election promise. Notice how much less sweet the words of the planners are, and how quietly they are spoken. We need to start listening to the voices of reason (note they tend to whisper). The voices that are loud and reasonable have no political ambition (I have noted Steve’s previous responses with regards to TTC council membership). The best government is made up by those anxious to be fired by the voters, not those actively seeking approval.
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In fairness Steve, you can reasonably highlight significant concerns with regards to the potential of wasting billions by drawing a sketch on a napkin. I just really do not think that plans should be fully adopted and voted for in the positive (ie committing billions) with plans that may as well have been drawn on napkins.
Steve: I was not making fun of this, but it’s almost quaint seeing one as a legitimate drawing used as part of a Councillor’s presentation. In this era where one cannot talk about anything without multimedia, a napkin shows what is possible without all of the technology.
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Who said anything about alignments? I was merely pointing out that the residents of Scarborough have made it clear that nothing less than grade separated rail based transit will be acceptable and that it seems rather elitist to think that “buses are good enough” for downtown Scarborough. Fortunately though, the elevated portion of the RT will still be standing with a detailed plan on how to extend it to Markham road and thus you can have a shuttle service that meets the wishes of Scarborough residents while not causing irreparable harm to drivers in Scarborough by building a BRT.
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Steve, in an earlier comment you said:
“Steve: No, I think this is the Scarborough Subway advocates trying to keep their project alive, possibly in the face of declining support from the Mayor.”
Do you have any information that suggest that the Mayor could be withdrawing his support for the project, or is this a guess on your part.
Steve: It was striking at Executive Committee that the Mayor stayed out of much of the debate, and made no move to trumpet his support for any particular plan. Couple this with his change of position on TTC fares and service, his desire to see detailed studies on transit options and his statement that during the campaign, he didn’t have all of the answers (a paraphase of a remark at Exec), and I would say that the Mayor avoiding premature commitments and leaving room for change. Any move to modify the Scarborough Subway that could significantly affect its cost give him a perfect reason to back away from the project. That’s the problem — leave the subway plan alone, and it risks being unproductive due to competition from his own SmartTrack scheme, change the subway plan, and it may not be affordable.
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Steve: Everyone knows that the Scarborough Subway will run east from Kennedy Station, veer north at Danforth Road, and then go straight up McCowan to Sheppard. Right? … As things turn out, there is now a worry that SmartTrack will draw so much riding from the nearby subway line that it will no longer be viable. Whatever can we do?
Yet another attempt to derail the Scarborough subway. Steve, what you state, do you have any numbers or studies to cite or is it just your opinion?
Steve: Pay attention: this was not my idea. It was Councillor Michael Thompson from Scarborough. My point is that by introducing SmartTrack to the mix, John Tory has destabilized the Scarborough Subway plan. If it were only GO RER with 15 minute (at most) service on the Uxbridge Sub and GO level fares, the subway would keep a lot of its demand. But put another line nearby with faster trips to downtown at regular fares, and things don’t work so well any more.
It is a very real fear by a supporter of the Scarborough Subway at Council, with at least a preliminary concern by staff that the numbers used to justify the subway might be affected by ST.
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Changing position? Detailed studies? Not knowing everything? What kind of commie pinko stuff is this? Bring back Rob Ford!
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Joe M:
Depending where you go in Scarborough you’ll get a different opinion on transit. We real haven’t had a decent choice other than a hacked up LRT “network” or “subway, subways, subways”. So please don’t judge the people based on political narratives. Politics have done enough damage to Scarborough.
And buses will good enough if it’s good enough in the rest of the City and their hubs. It’s nothing Elitist only fairness.
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How many other places in the city had their transit service downgraded to buses in the past 40 years? It seems like you are more interested in subways than fairness.
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Joe M says:
Not true whatsoever. I’d actually prefer a fully funded complete coverage, proper alignment LRT/BRT network over a 3 stop subway.
Without a proper network going fully steam ahead we’d be left with incomplete stubs connect to differing forms of transit and be trolled for another 100 years by politicians in hopes something would ever be completed.
So for that reason & a few others which include a level of fairness I see great benefit for Scarborough as a whole to connect the subway to Central & North Central Scarborough. Whether or not it’s Markham or McCowan is debatable as both have pros and cons & clearly we could never build anything properly to begin with.
And who knows … 4 years from now when Smart Tracked might get cancelled, delayed? Maybe we can debate LRT’s and subways all over again? Or maybe even the next back of a napkin plan for the next Mayor to get voted in.
Who knows? Sooner or later something will get built.
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When will the updated master agreement be coming back to council … that will be a fun day … a can of worms just waiting to be opened … what happens if they just terminally refer it to committee? Does it proceed as per prior agreement and the subway is extended?!?
Steve: No word on this yet. I suspect the brouhaha about whether the LRT cancellation penalty will be made public is part of the delay too.
Also, has there been any word from the TTC on what they will be doing to extend the life of the SRT?
Steve: No. I hope to see some details buried in the Capital Budget, but it could just be a dollar allocation with no details. Wait and see.
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I think people here have lost sight of the purpose of Scarborough transit — it’s not about transporting passengers or encouraging development; it’s about electing councillors, MPPs and MPs.
Costs should be divided by the number of votes received or, better, votes swung.
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Councillor Thompson may have brought up the idea at a council meeting to expand the Scarborough Subway study area to include Markham road, but the City Planner was already one step ahead of him. Here is an quote from the Scarborough Subway Project Page:
Here is the map of the Scarborough study area map currently underway, which clearly includes Markham Rd.
Therefore, the decision to include Markham Road as part of the Scarborough Subway study was not a last minute decision, but was already incorporated into the City Planner’s study area.
Steve: I believe that the distinction was between the scope of areas that would be reviewed and specific possible alignments. Cllr Thompson wanted to be sure that a Markham Road line was in the hopper.
Given that the selection criteria are described as:
A line up Markham Road cannot both head north across the 401 to reach the areas at and north of Sheppard and turn west to serve STC. Of course, Sheppard Subway extension advocates would love a U-shaped extension because it would position the Scarborough Subway for a western link to hook up with the existing subway at Don Mills.
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When you say lasting solid support, what exactly do you mean? If the lion’s share of the funding has been secured, isn’t the rest of the study simply about to build not whether or not it should be built?
Steve: Don’t forget that Tory’s SmartTrack scheme requires net new money which, according to his campaign, will be delivered by the Tooth Fairy in the form of Tax Increment Financing. If things turn out that the financial projections don’t look so good, then something has to go to bring total system costs within available funds. If the Scarborough line turns out to be more expensive (either through discovery of unexpected conditions, or because it is rerouted with additional stops to keep everyone happy, then the gentle fiction that we can just treat it as a “done deal” goes up in smoke. With SmartTrack and the Scarborough line competing for the same riders, the “justification” for the subway may fall apart and with it the political support for the city spending $1-billion on that project.
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What would be the centre of Scarborough if we looked at where Scarborians live rather than the geographical centre of Scarborough? Not that this necessarily means that a subway line must run through there. But it would give some sort of perspective.
Steve: Does anyone out there have a link to a population density map for Scarborough that is reasonably current?
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If we just keep throwing money at the SRT how long is it supposed to last?
Steve, do you believe it will continue operating until a theoretical Scarborough subway opens up?
If not, what happens then?
Steve: I suppose with enough money, anything can be made to run, even if we have to pull the RT cars with mules.
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One might think that would be easy enough, since there are so many mules involved in this debate.
Except the debate also reminds us that when you have a lot of mules, they will all pull in different directions and nothing is actually accomplished.
I’ll leave it to Robert to explain the underlying physics.
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Rogers Road, Mount Pleasant, Bathurst north of Bloor.
If you’re willing to talk 50 years, you can add Harbord, Sherbourne, Coxwell and Dupont.
Steve: For Sherbourne, you have to go back more than 50 years to 1947. The most obvious omission in your list is Bay.
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I remember one of the arguments made in favour of a subway extension from the Ford camp was that we wouldn’t have to shut down the SRT until it was done. But I don’t see how that’s physically possible. As I understand it, all of the proposed alignments involve reorienting Kennedy station, which needs to undergo major work anyway to include the Crosstown’s platform and remove the SRT’s platform, and which might be worth a rethink anyway if it should become an intersection of the BD subway, the Eglinton LRT, and the SmartTrack line. I suppose the work could maybe be done in stages, like Union, but depending on where the new subway platform has to go, that may not even be possible.
Steve: Taking the subway east along Eglinton does not require reconstruction of Kennedy Station. The extension would connect to existing tail tracks east of the station platform.
A route north along the SRT alignment (the Glen Murray scheme) would require a completely new Kennedy station.
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