Serving the Underserved

New plans to extend rapid transit to areas currently only serviced by buses are a welcomed development.  If you do not live near the subway lines at the moment, you know first hand that the TTC service leaves much to be desired.  Our hopes for better city transit lies in the multi-billion dollar Light Rain Transit (LRT) plan.

What is LRT?

Have you ever been to cities like Amsterdam where they have what looks like a streetcar in the centre lanes of the road?  Well that or something very similar is being planned for Toronto.  Light Rail Vehicles will be electrically powered meaning no street level emissions and offer higher speeds and capacity than buses or streetcars.

Traveling in the dedicated centre lane should provide for increased speed by avoiding traffic and increase safety for riders.

The list of benefits is long

• If you currently take two or three buses to work, significant time will be saved from taking the LRT on its dedicated lanes.
• Less cars on the road meaning less congestion and emissions
• Increased mobility of the Toronto population meaning better employment opportunities among other benefits.

What Routes are planned?

The following route details can be found on the TTC website.  Follow the link for more up-to-date information.

“Sheppard East LRT

This route will operate between Don Mills subway station and Meadowvale Road in northeast Scarborough and will intersect with the Sheppard subway line, GO Transit Stouffville line, Don Mills LRT and the Scarborough Malvern LRT.

Length of project: 14km
Number of stops: 30
Start of construction: 2009
Scheduled start of service: 2013

Finch West LRT

This route will originate at Finch station on the Yonge subway line and travel west, connecting to the extension of the Spadina Subway, the Jane LRT and provide service to Humber College’s North Campus.

Length of project: 17km
Number of Stops: 30
Start of construction: 2011
Scheduled start of service: 2015

Eglinton Crosstown LRT

This route will link Kennedy subway station in the east with Pearson Airport and the Mississauga Transitway and will operate underground for an approximate distance of 10km from Laird Drive in the east to Keele Street in the west. Customers will be able to connect with the Bloor-Danforth subway, Yonge-University-Spadina subway and both the Don Mills LRT and Jane LRT.

Length of project: 33km
Number of Stops: 42
Start of construction: 2010
Scheduled start of service: three phases, 2016, 2018, 2020

Scarborough Rapid Transit LRT

This project will redevelop the current system into a modern LRT as well as extend the project from its current terminus at McCowan subway station north to Sheppard Avenue.

Length of project: TBD
Number of Stops: 10 (3 new)
Start of construction: 2012
Scheduled start of service: 2016″

Update

Perhaps it was too good to be true.  It was announced that funding for the LRT project has been delayed Premier Dalton McGuinty.  This represents a significant delay to the LRT plans and even puts it in doubt.  Fortunately it appears as though the plans for a line from Spadina to York are still proceeding and funded.  For a more detailed story on this delay, follow this link to the Globe and Mail.



Tags: TTC
Posted in Public Transit