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Posted Jan 17, 2013, 11:39 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Toronto
Posts: 52,200
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SERVICE/TECHNOLOGY CHOICES FOR SHEPPARD EAST AND SCARBOROUGH RT CORRIDORS
PDF: http://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Comm...o_Commissi.pdf
Quote:
It is recommended that the Commission receive this report for information, noting that:
• from a technical and engineering perspective, it is feasible to build either subway or light-rail transit in either of the Sheppard East or Scarborough RT corridors;
• the TTC has formally transferred its authority over decision-making on these corridors to Metrolinx so, from a jurisdictional and financing perspective, it is no longer “feasible” for the Commission to direct a change in the technology to be implemented in these corridors;
• when planning, designing, and building transportation infrastructure, the TTC abides strictly by industry best practices, with the objective of determining how much future travel demand needs to be accommodated, and designing a transportation facility which will have the right capacity to meet that demand in the most cost-effective way possible;
• for the Sheppard Avenue East corridor, both subway and light rail offer distinct advantages but, overall, the corridor would be effectively served by light-rail transit, with greater overall coverage, ample capacity for future growth, and a much-lower cost than a subway. Metrolinx has formally approved funding and implementation of light rail transit in this corridor;
• for the Scarborough RT corridor, both subway and light rail offer distinct advantages, and the corridor could be effectively served by either technology. A subway replacement would offer the benefit of a transfer-free ride through Kennedy Station and a higher speed than light rail. A light rail replacement would offer the benefit of greater geographic coverage and better local walk access for twice as many residents and workers, and would cost less to build. Metrolinx has formally approved funding and implementation of light rail transit in this corridor;
• after almost thirty years of continuous operation, the Scarborough RT’s vehicles have reached the end of their normal lifespan. For a variety of reasons, no major investment has been made in this facility, and the situation is now approaching critical, with the line being required to operate at reduced speed and capacity owing to the deteriorating state of the vehicles. The Commission should avoid another prolonged debate over the future of the Scarborough RT, which might jeopardize Metrolinx’s commitment to fully rehabilitate and expand the deteriorating Scarborough RT.
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- While reasonably-reliable future projections can be made for 20 or 30 years out, as rapid transit investments will last 50 years or more, it is always desirable to have flexibility to expand capacity to provide for very long-term growth. However, the immediate costs to provide such long-term capacity can be prohibitive. The challenge is to choose the transit technology which meets the expected demand, while avoiding technologies with high costs that provide far more capacity than will likely ever be needed in any particular corridor.
- Toronto’s current Official Plan de-emphasizes the “centres” concept and, instead, calls for more-dispersed, lower-density development spread out along the city’s major arterial roads, referred to as “Avenues”. At the same time, Toronto’s neighbouring municipalities are now all cities unto themselves, and they have competed fiercely, through taxation and economic incentives, to attract employment. This has resulted in the employment originally envisioned for Toronto’s centres, not materializing. The two centres which were intended to anchor the Sheppard Avenue corridor –North York Centre and Scarborough Centre – today have a total employment of 44,000, compared to the 1980’s projection of almost 160,000 by 2011. So, the travel demand which these centres now generate is much lower than what was expected back when a Sheppard Subway was conceived.
- With stop-spacing of 400-500 metres, light rail would provide convenient local walk access to transit along Sheppard Avenue, compared to a subway with stop-spacing of 1 - 1.5 kilometres. The stop-spacing for light rail transit, coupled with physically-separated right-of-way operation, signal priority, and all-door boarding, means that a light rail line would operate at an average speed of 23 kilometres per hour (including station and terminal times), compared to 31 kilometres per hour for subway, and 13 kilometres per hour for a typical streetcar line.
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- As noted earlier, it is projected that, by 2031, if the SRT were converted to light rail, expanded north to Sheppard Avenue, and increased in carrying capacity, the line would carry passenger volumes of approximately 8,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd) in the busiest hour of travel. This level of demand could be accommodated by light rail in an exclusive right-of-way, whose capacity can be as high as 16,000 pphpd. If the SRT were replaced by a continuation and extension of the Bloor-Danforth subway north to Sheppard Avenue, it is projected that, by 2031, the line would carry passengers volumes of upwards of 9,500 pphpd in the busiest hour of travel. This level of demand could be accommodated by a fully-underground subway whose capacity can exceed 30,000 pphpd.
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