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The giant Toronto transit report is now posted as part of next week’s Executive Committee agenda. Dig in: app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgen…
New transit project cost estimates!
Scarborough Subway: $3.9 Billion
SmartTrack Stations: $1.5 Billion
Relief Line South: $7.2 Billion
Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvements: $1.1 Billion
But check those accuracy ranges in footnote 5!
Scarborough Subway: $3.9 Billion
SmartTrack Stations: $1.5 Billion
Relief Line South: $7.2 Billion
Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvements: $1.1 Billion
But check those accuracy ranges in footnote 5!
Staff are recommending the city take on an additional $327 million in debt to pay for the updated one-stop Scarborough Subway estimate.
Approximately $224 million has been spent to date on Toronto’s priority transit projects. Any major changes — like, say, adding more stops, or changing technologies — could waste this investment.
A notable sentence: “The risks are not confined to financial consequences but also relate to reputational risks in public confidence in government.”
Everyone loves an optimistic future transit map so here’s the one from this report. (Note: Sheppard East is listed as an LRT/RT.)
City says it’s currently on track to complete design for the Scarborough subway extension by December 2019, with a construction contract award in September 2020. Provincial changes threaten this timeline.
Report: “If the Province is committed to pursuing a three-stop subway option, an assessment of cost, schedule, and operational implications to the TTC network, including both the Line 3 Scarborough and bus operations, will need to be undertaken.”
Uh oh: “The City has requested the Province
confirm their commitment to the SmartTrack Stations Program … The Province has not yet responded to the City.”
confirm their commitment to the SmartTrack Stations Program … The Province has not yet responded to the City.”
Attachment to report urges huge heaping grain of salt for Relief Line South cost estimate. Does not factor in new Carlaw alignment. We know now that when staff say “order of magnitude” they’re being extremely literal.
Some concept renders of the Scarborough Centre subway station.
Planners targeting Q4 2026 for Scarborough subway opening date, but risk allowance could push it back to Q4 2027. Bus terminal — which can’t be completed until SRT stops operating — scheduled for Q2 2029, but risk allowance for delay to Q2 2030. We’ll all be so old.
Report presents three options for Eglinton East LRT.
- To Kingston/Lawrence/Morningside
- To University of Toronto Scarborough
- To Malvern Centre
- To Kingston/Lawrence/Morningside
- To University of Toronto Scarborough
- To Malvern Centre
The Malvern option is much longer but only a bit more expensive, since it could share a maintenance and storage facility with the Sheppard East LRT. (But this would require that the Sheppard East LRT actually get built, of course.)
Because of the uncertainty re: the Sheppard East LRT, staff are recommending Option 2 (to UTSC) become city’s approved Eglinton East LRT plan. They could build a storage yard for it at Morningside & 401, which could be shared with a future Sheppard LRT.
Four options for the Eglinton West LRT in report.
- 10-stop surface LRT
- 10-stop underground LRT
- 3-stop elevated/underground LRT
- 7-stop elevated/underground LRT
- 10-stop surface LRT
- 10-stop underground LRT
- 3-stop elevated/underground LRT
- 7-stop elevated/underground LRT
Estimated costs for each. Eglinton West LRT option. All-underground is by far more expensive, at $5 billion including the airport segment.
Staff continue to recommend Option 1 — surface operation for the Eglinton West LRT. They note it’s much cheaper than tunnelling, offers good travel time benefits and traffic impacts are minimal.
Report says $1.1B improvements to Bloor-Yonge station to add new platform and increase capacity could be in place by 2026. Staff note construction will require “complex staging” and will have an “inherent impact on passenger flows.”
Good question. Report says Metrolinx analysis of the airport segment has not been provided to Toronto, and that Metrolinx is continuing to study alternatives for both airport and Toronto segments of this route. So: 🤷♂️
That concludes my speed read summary of this giant transit report, but lots more to contemplate. Let me know if you have any questions about any of this.
Yep. If all costs come in at top end of accuracy ranges, these four projects would total about $23 billion. Footnotes are important.
