North America
Electrificationisbeingconsideredaspartofthe$C1.7bnLakeshoreExpressproject,whichinvolvesupgradingthebusiestlinesonthe GoTransitnetwork. Photo: Stephen C Host
one additional track to the south. Finally, in central Toronto, a $C 250m
reconstruction of Union station will be completed in time for the 2015 Pan American Games.
The next wave The Big Move states that transit
services linking destinations outside central Toronto are almost entirely lacking, and this a key focus of the so- called ‘next wave’, which encompasses medium and long-term projects in the period up to 2031. Studies are currently underway on
the 14km Hamilton Rapid Transit project, which will link Main Street and King Street, one of the city’s busiest bus corridors. The project will cost around $C 1bn and the line is forecast to attract 8 million passengers per year. An environmental assessment is also
being carried out on the $C 1.6bn Hurontario-Main LRT, which will run for 23km from Mississauga to Brampton west of Toronto. Annual ridership is expected to reach 29 million by 2031. In Toronto, the 13km Downtown
Relief Line will relieve the existing subway network and support the 6km extension of the Yonge-Spadina line to
36
Richmond Hill. The line is expected to cost around $C 7.4bn, although the project is still at an early stage and the final specification and route alignment have yet to be determined. On the commuter rail network, a
$C 4.9bn investment in Go Transit is proposed as part of the next wave, which will include the introduction of all-day services on the Milton, Kitchener, Barrie, Richmond Hill, and Stouffville lines, as well as extension of the Lakeshore line to Hamilton James Street North and extending Lakeshore West services to Bowmanville. Peak services will also be stepped up on all Go lines. Electrification of the Go network is
also being studied, and the programme would begin with the Kitchener line and UP Express at a cost of around $C 900. An environmental assessment is currently underway and due to be completed next year. Further electrification would include
the $C 1.7bn Lakeshore Express project, which is currently at the planning stage and entails upgrading the Lakeshore West and Lakeshore East lines between Hamilton, Toronto and Oshawa, a total distance of 121km. These are the busiest lines on the Go network and are expected to carry 40 million passengers
per year by 2031. Electrification is considered vital for ‘turn-up-and-go’ frequencies on the two routes. One of the challenges facing the Big
Move is the comparative lack of central government support - of the $C 8.7bn currently being invested in the four light rail projects in Toronto, just $C 333m came from federal sources, leaving the province and the city to foot most of the bill. The federal government agreed in 2007 to provide $C 697m for the Spadina subway extension, but in recent times has shown little enthusiasm for investing in transit projects in Ontario. In May Canada’s finance minister Mr Jim Flaherty even warned the province against sanctioning an increase in sales tax in the GTHAto pay for the Big Move. Nonetheless, Metrolinx is confident
it has backing closer to home and it is working to keep the public informed on its funding proposals. “I think we’ve come a long way in building support at a local level for the Big Move with Metrolinx as the builder and integrator of the system,” says Robinson. “Congestion is a major issue for a region growing as fast as ours, and it’s not going to improve unless we work together to change it.” IRJ
IRJ September 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64