Work begins on Sheppard East LRT line

[canada-man]

Work begins on Sheppard East LRT line

Updated: Mon Dec. 21 2009 1:28:38 PM

ctvtoronto.ca

The city had a groundbreaking ceremony Monday to mark the start of construction on the Sheppard Avenue Light Rail Transit line.

The project's funding is coming from the federal and provincial governments as well as the city, but the question of funding the 14-kilometre line's operating costs when it opens in 2013 isn't answered yet.

"By 2013, we'll have sorted that out," Mayor David Miller told reporters. "We're having discussions with the province. That'll come, I'm absolutely confident."

He added: "The sad thing is that the project should have happened 20 years ago. The thing I'm proud of is they're happening now."

The line's westernmost point will be Don Mills subway station, where it will tie into York Region's Viva transit system. It will go eastward to Meadowvale, with a stop at the Agincourt GO Transit station, and potentially into Durham Region.

That part of Toronto is currently served by the 85 Sheppard East and 190 Scarborough Centre Rocket buses, which will be ended when the LRT opens. The ridership was estimated to be nine million in 2006, and will rise to 20 million by 2021.

The LRT line will travel under Highway 404 and enter Don Mills station. It will have dedicated lanes on Sheppard Avenue.

The budgeted cost for constructing the line is just under $1 billion.

The Sheppard Avenue East project is part of Transit City, an ambition plan to create a 120-kilometre network of light rail transit in Toronto's outer neighbourhoods.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Alicia Markson


http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/lo...construct_091221/20091221/?hub=TorontoNewHome

 

[hinz]

The LRT is 2nd best alternative, a chicken way to fix the infrastrutures deficits in GTA.

Sheppard Subway extension to Scarborough Town Centre makes more sense but when was the last time the City Hall and TTC doing something close to common sense, on budget and not overplaying politics?

Simply put everything become toxic when the overambituous politicians and rapacious Union controlled TTC are in charge of the projects.

Get ready to pay jacked up fees annually to pay the cost of running already broken system currently in place and the new ones in the future, while funding unsustainable, indexed pension plan and overcompensated salaries TTC workers who always make threat to take the city hostage once in every three years. All of these without incrementally improving services.

We would be lucky if we no longer use last century payment system like the tokens/Metropass and started to rollout SmartCards like Presto, something the rest of the world are using for the past 12 years. That's assuming there're any leftovers at TTC to upgrade the payment system.

BTW, do not count on Bombardier to install the following system to the home country, cause Canada is too "broke"/budget tight to afford one, like those in Europe. Not even subsidy/incentives from Queen's Park or Ottawa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZylrGjebnw

 

[misterme]

It's about time the Sheppard LRT was started. This is something that should have been put into place in the 1970s, to properly serve the then-developing suburbs.

Other than the core, this city doesn't have the density to support subways. It's a travesty the subway is being taken out into Vaughan.

 

[hinz]

Speaking of TTC, do not expect the new Bombardier Movia subway car, aka "Toronto Rocket" to enter service in early 2010 has capabilities and low cost on building the rolling stocks like their robust cousins being built in Savli in India or Changchun in China for their respective customers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnhw...4136FAEA9&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2

By comparison, Bombardier Transportation factory in Thunder Bay is expensive to maintain and upgrade just to keep up with the rest of the world. 3 levels of Government subsidies/contributions or whatnot would help but until now the Tories enjoys to bash Bombardier a poster child of corporate welfare for the "Franchie company"/"cronies that are run by the Liberal buddies", while the NDP complains the company for "ill treating" their union members in the factory, who are among well-paid workers, maybe except those used to work for the Detroit Three.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipTBbtCK05s&feature=related

Unless things are going to change for better, otherwise we'll keep on paying a premium for less transportation service compared to the rest of the world, just like keep on buying high MER mutual funds annually.

 

[fmahovalich]

For the longest time

I have been writing the city, the mayor, the TTC..to get better transit, faster, more available.

My solution...to date has been ignored.

I have told them to shed the buses...and instead use the monorail lines that one sees at the Airport!!

SO SO EASY!!!!


You put some sono tubes in the ground....throw some concrete in..then throw a rail on top.

MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper than Subways.

IT IS ELECTRIC (Green)

You could disguise the concrete poles with greenery. Run these north and south, through parks , green space, hydro corridors, but picking up people at major streets, and built up areas and then running them into the current Subway system. Simple and we would have a practicle, predictable, cheap, green mass transit system

As an example...run a line up and down Islington and loop it at the bottom and top over to ....say Kipling. The cars just run around in a circle and make their way to the subway stations. East/ west line could cross over..also make their way to the University /Yonge Line. Start in the Inner City and move outwards. You could use it and continue to build on from the get go!!!

FORGET SUBWAYS, BUSES!!!

 

[shakenbake]

Is this going to be an abomination similar to the St. Clair Streetcar Right of Way? The other day, I was on that street and saw thwe tracks, without overehad wires, occupying a lot of real estate, and the diesel buses running in place of the streetcars in areas west of Dufferin.

 

[girorok66]

At least the work on the Sheppard East LRT has started. Look at what happened to the Ottawa LRT project

 

[shakenbake]

At least the work on the Sheppard East LRT has started. Look at what happened to the Ottawa LRT project

Yes, but my point was, will it be brought to a successful completion? After all, it was that same clown, Miller, who was behind the St. Clair right of way.

 

[rgkv]

MASS TRANSIT is coming to an area near you!!!!!!!!
get used to it........

 

[tboy]

I have been writing the city, the mayor, the TTC..to get better transit, faster, more available.

My solution...to date has been ignored.

I have told them to shed the buses...and instead use the monorail lines that one sees at the Airport!!

SO SO EASY!!!!


You put some sono tubes in the ground....throw some concrete in..then throw a rail on top.

MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper than Subways.

IT IS ELECTRIC (Green)

You could disguise the concrete poles with greenery. Run these north and south, through parks , green space, hydro corridors, but picking up people at major streets, and built up areas and then running them into the current Subway system. Simple and we would have a practicle, predictable, cheap, green mass transit system

As an example...run a line up and down Islington and loop it at the bottom and top over to ....say Kipling. The cars just run around in a circle and make their way to the subway stations. East/ west line could cross over..also make their way to the University /Yonge Line. Start in the Inner City and move outwards. You could use it and continue to build on from the get go!!!

FORGET SUBWAYS, BUSES!!!

Yeah, I got into it with someone on here (who must have his hand in the subway cookie jar) and tried to tell him that an EL such as what Vancouver has is not only cheaper, but faster to install and cheaper to operate. As with the TTC and the city: they're stuck on subways and buses and don't want to hear anything else BUT that.

For the same cost as the sheppard subway to no-where they could have installed an EL from STC to the airport.......