The story behind the TTC and Subways...and what the future holds (and should)

I wasn't kidding...

For months and months I've been watching the cluster**** that is Toronto, the TTC and Metrolinx trying to work together to create what they call a grand plan for Toronto's transit woes. Now, here we are....no further along, with a reduced plan, and city counsellors scolded for thinking big (even if it was more of a political move than anything real).

So before coming out and speaking up on the issue, I figured that I'd find some facts, come up with a plan myself...one that would actually make people say "Huh, that might actually work". I'm no city planner, so take what I say, and show you at a grain a salt, but still..be entertained nonetheless...


In the early 80's Toronto's transit scene looked to be booming...the system was great for the needs of the city's residents, and all you had to pay? $26.00 for a Metropass...

$26.00 you say? Well, the system must have been much smaller back then...no subways, crappy schedules....crappy trains....right? Well, you be the judge. Here is the 1981 ride guide, showing the entire route map and hours of service for the TTC at about this time.

Is that the Yonge/Spadina line? The Bloor/Danforth line? and are all of those red lines busses?! How the hell can this be true?

I wish I could tell you that I doctored that photo, but I didn't...and it's true...30 years, and a $100.00/month fee increase later, and all we have is a seldom used Sheppard line, and an inadequate RT system that goes 5 extra stops into the city's East end.

The current subway and RT system map. $100/month bought us the
purple and blue. Nice colours, but worth it?

After years of planning, construction, disputes, stopping construction, renegging plans, we're still at a standstill.

The original plan dubbed "Transit City" was finalized in 2010, and included a number of new lines (all LRT) to be constructed to compliment the city's existing lines (see it here). Everything looked good, until...

I don't know chicken...I don't know...

Rob Ford apparently thought that LRT's were literally gravy trains...and put them on notice. Stomping on the plan and immediately devising a new one. After fighting and arguing (see the great subway vs. LRT debate of 2011/2012), Toronto is pretty much going with the exact same plan, with a ton of cuts. Anyway, something is better than nothing right?

Toronto's current LRT plan

So here we are again...looking at a map that most of us don't find much more convenient than what we already have, and although it's DEFINITELY an improvement for the city, we're not tapping into the potential of what we already have, or the resources that exist outside of the city.

So enough is enough...instead of complaining and complaining about what has happened in the past...I'm going to show you MY ideas..and explain why they could...and SHOULD work for Toronto.

I present to you...my masterpiece (click for full size):

Click to see in detail

Like it? If you don't...leave now...because I'll be talking about it a lot...

Okay, now for a breakdown of what (and why) I've done...

Mississauga's City Centre Terminal..ready for some better
vehicles...LRT perhaps?

• The Bloor/Danforth line gets an extension to the West into Mississauga along Dundas Street, eventually curving up Hurontario (Hwy 10) to connect with Mississauga's main commuter hub at Square One/City Centre Terminal. I know, I know, it's idealistic, but hear me out.
  
  Kipling station is already outfitted with a GO line that runs between the station, and relatively parralel to Dundas Street right until Hurontario (via Cooksville GO station). At this point, the train could run underground, North on Hurontario to Square one. Of course the costs of going underground would be very high (roughly the $250 M/km that the underground portion of the Eglinton LRT is calling for) but with only a kilometer or so to build, it's well worth the money.
  
  Add to that the savings that the line would endure thanks to the existing infrastructure for the trains (via the GO line), and you end up with a fairly affordable system for Mississauga. Of course, I'm not naive, there would still be the cost of adding an electric rail to the track system and building stations along the way, but at about $50 M/km of above ground LRT, it would better connect Mississauga to T.O. and vice versa.
  
  So where does the money come from for this one? Although the connections to the TTC will be very clear, this line would be entirely funded by the City of Mississauga, possibly as a joint venture and revenue sharing partnership with GO transit, as they will need to maintain the lines and will obviously be involved in the initial construction and retrofitting.
  
  My thoughts here are all about working with neighbouring municipalities of Toronto, as well as taking advantage of existing construction and assets in the GO lines.

The YRT's new BRT system along HWY 7

• The Yonge/University/Spadina Line gets its planned extension North on the Spadina side to the Vaughan Corporate Centre at Highway 7 (The TTC's plans...not mine), but on the Yonge line, you'll notice that I've proposed a new extension North to Highway 7 as well.
  
  Like the Mississauga line, this line would allow a closer partnership between Toronto and one of its neighbouring regions - this time with York Region.
  
  As they near completion of the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) along highway 7, the only logical step is the connect in the East and West to a solid North/South line - which is the Yonge/Spadina line. Like Mississauga's plan, York Region would take the reigns on this project, and although it would be run by the TTC, York would be called upon to provide a bulk of the funding, whether it be privately or public. Either way, the money isn't coming out of Toronto's pocket - increasing the worth of the city on another person's dollar. Sounds good doesn't it?

• The Eglinton Crosstown LRT gets added into the mix - I've made no changes to the design, I think those who need it will be ecstatic with the design. The fact that there is an underground section makes this one of the best projects the TTC could have pushed. No complaints here, look how beautiful it looks on the map.

• The Finch West LRT - like the Eglinton LRT gets added into the system map as well. Although I don't think that this should be one of the priorities of Metrolinx or the TTC, it will be a useful addition nonetheless. Allowing better access and infrastructure to forgotten parts of the city like this will no doubt increase awareness and value in an otherwise negatively associated part of Toronto.

• The Scarborough RT also gets the planned extension a couple of stops NorthEast to connect to Centennial College as well as the the planned extension of the.....

• Sheppard Line. The newest kid on the TTC block gets an extension already? How did this happen!? Who knows, but it does fit in nicely if it connects to the Scarborough RT at Sheppard East station. Once this is completed, I would propose a joint effort with Pickering/Durham (see the Mississauga and York partnerships above) to bring the system into Pickering.

• The first of two "new" lines that I've proposed is the Lakeshore East line. This relatively short stretch of LRT would serve as another way to get people into the core from the East, and would help ease congestion on the Yonge line coming South.
  
  I chose Broadview as the connecting station in the East for a couple of reasons. First of all, this is an important connection for many bus and streetcar routes, as to allow greater ridership. As well, the route South along Broadview, The Don and the DVP is open for development without anything getting into the way. Connections to Bridgepoint Health , as well as some of the communities in the SouthEast core is also of benefit here.
  
  Going East West across Queen was also an easy choice, as it would allow the city to finally utilize the Lower Queen and Lower Osgoode stations that exist beneath their respective "upper counterparts". Any ways to cut costs like this should definitely be explored.

Look at all that room for an LRT...

• The final addition I made to the plan is adding in the Lakeshore West LRT line. This line (like the Mississauga line) would utilize the existing Lakeshore West GO transit route, and run alongside the tracks the whole way. With more frequent stops, and stopping at the edge of Toronto in Long Branch, this line would keep the Southern residents of the city connected with the rail system, rather than relying on streetcars and busses.
  
  Furthermore, connection to Exhibition place, Southern Etobicoke, and more parts of the southern downtown (the waterfront), this line seems like a no brainer. Again, we're utilizing planning that has already been done, and although electrifying a rail system along this line would still come at a considerable cost, the ridership would no doubt exist, allowing cutbacks on certain streetcar and bus routes, as well as easing congestion on the Bloor line heading West.
  
  GO transit would no doubt be up in arms about this line, as it would directly cut into revenue generating by their Lakeshore West GO line. However, sharing revenue with GO transit or possibly allowing them to run this line in a partnership with the TTC might be the way to go. Those travelling from any further west than Mississauga would surely still travel via GO, and I believe the impact would be negligible. 

So there you have it...my master plan...one that will never see the light of day, or the wood of a city counsellor's desk, but will be in my dreams nonetheless.

If only our city planners and counsellors has the foresight and knowledge of a mid-twenties ginger  who's only lived in the city for a few weeks...we'd be in a much better place.