Posts Tagged ‘subway’
Thursday, August 13th, 2009
Chair Fisch and the other dignitaries pose for cameras in front of a scale model of a tunnel boring machine.
Lovat, an Ontario-based company that makes tunnel boring equipment, has been awarded a $58-million contract to build four machines that will be used in the construction of the Spadina subway extension.
The announcement was made last Friday, August 7, at the Lovat plant by Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley, joined by MP Bob Dechert, York Regional Chair and CEO Bill Fisch, TTC Chair Adam Giambrone and Lovat President Dick Cooper. Not only does this mean the creation of some 200 jobs in the GTA and a boost to the economy, it signals continued progress on the project as it’s scheduled to open in 2015.
Prior to the announcement, I had the pleasure of joining the group for a bit of a tour of Lovat. We met at one end of their Mississauga plant and walked through to the other end while learning about what’s involved in making tunnel boring equipment. Cameras and reporters were waiting at the end of the tour to hear each dignitary deliver a short speech about the announcement.
It was awe-inspiring to watch the dignitaries being interviewed in front of a massive tunnel boring machine. They’re HUGE. Just take a look at the picture below to see how big they are compared to the people near them.
Lovat has built similar and even larger machines for projects all around the world, from Algeria to Venezuela. “We are pleased to be a part of this significant mass-transit project, as it not only generates jobs and strengthens infrastructure locally, but also highlights Canada’s technological capabilities on a global scale,” said Cooper.
The first two machines are expected to be delivered in the fall of 2010, with tunnel boring to begin shortly after.
York Regional Chair and CEO Bill Fisch speaks to the audience and TV cameras in front of an actual tunnel boring machine last Friday.
Tags: Adam Giambrone, Bob Dechert, Chair Fisch, connections, Dick Cooper, GTA, Highway 7, Jim Bradley, Lovat, Metrolinx, Spadina extension, subway, subway extension, TTC, tunnel boring, Vaughan, viva, vivaNext, York Region
Posted in Announcements, Press, Subways | No Comments »
Monday, August 10th, 2009
What a transit sign may look like at the Richmond Hill Centre with connections to a subway, YRT and Viva busses, and GO trains.
Last Friday, Metrolinx released its interim Benefits Case Analysis (BCA) for the Yonge North Subway extension.
The BCA was developed by Metrolinx in collaboration with the City of Toronto, the Regional Municipality of York and the Toronto Transit Commission. The analysis looked at two subway options, and a bus rapid transit option.
Here are the key findings:
- The subway options have a far greater positive impact on the environment, economy, land development and community than the BRT.
- The economic impacts of the subway options are considerable – creating 21,800 person-years of employment.
- Both subway options provide better service and reliability than the BRT. The BRT is not as reliable as the subway and would likely experience substantial overcrowding in peak hours.
- The BRT is not considered a long term solution.
- The BRT is likely limited by technology, and would not have sufficient capacity for the long-term needs of the corridor.
The proposed subway extension will meet up with the rapidways along Hwy. 7, which will soon get under construction. The combination of the rapidways and a connecting subway on Yonge St. creates a viable alternative to driving and will make it much easier for people to travel between York Region and Toronto.
While we would like to see the Yonge Subway extension proceed immediately, we know that projects of this magnitude can’t happen overnight. We will continue to work with all stakeholders and analyze the overall network elements, such as GO electrification impacts, the TTC capacity study at Yonge/Bloor, as well as the Downtown Relief Line.
The benefits of this project are significant and long-term. We will continue to work with all levels of government to ensure the funding is in place to keep this project moving forward.
The executive summary of the interim BCA is available here.
Tags: Benefits case analysis, Bus Rapid Transit, congestion, connections, Highway 7, Metrolinx, rapid transit, Rapidway, Richmond Hill, subway, subway extension, Toronto, TTC, viva, vivaNext, Yonge St., York Region
Posted in Studies, Subways | 2 Comments »
Friday, August 7th, 2009
Like Toronto, most of the great cities around the world have a subway system to connect people to key destinations and get people where they need to go faster, without relying on a personal vehicle. So how does ours compare in terms of vastness and complexity? At fakeisthenewreal.org, we found a really neat and simple linear illustration of 36 different subways systems, from Toronto to Tokyo and beyond, all shown on the same scale.
While cities such as London, Moscow, New York and Seoul all have subway systems that are both vast and complex, the ones in some cities tend to be one or the other. For instance, in San Francisco, Washington DC and Los Angeles, the subway systems are vast but not very complex. On the other hand, in Tokyo, Paris and Madrid, they are complex but not very vast. Then, of course, there are subway systems in some other cities that are neither.
So where does Toronto’s current subway system fit in? Ours is similar to those found in cities such at Athens and Delhi. It’s neither vast nor complex and consists of only a few lines covering a relatively small area.
Fortunately, the vastness of our subway system will dramatically improve with the subway extensions that are part of the vivaNext plan. They include the Spadina subway extension that will extend north-west 8.6 kilometres from Downsview Station in Toronto to the Vaughan Corporate Centre in Vaughan, and the Yonge subway extension that will extend north 6.8 kilometres from Finch Station in Toronto to the Langstaff/Richmond Hill Centre by Highway 7. Both of these subway extensions will further connect with vivaNext’s new east-west Highway 7 rapidway that will extend from Highway 50 in Vaughan to Reesor Road in Markham.
Tags: subway, subway extension, Toronto, viva, vivaNext, York Region
Posted in Subways | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
Traffic slowly moving along Highway 7 in York Region.
If you think that your commute is taking longer, you’d be right and the bad news is that you’re not alone.
A recent survey conducted jointly by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, the City of Toronto and the Regions of York, Durham and Peel confirms that average speeds on highways and roads all around the GTA are decreasing. On average, a trip now takes 11% to 21% longer than the exact same trip in 2002.
While this figure applies to the entire GTA, one of the worst long sections of highway is travelled by many York Region residents every day. The section travelling southbound along Hwy. 404 from 16th Ave. to Hwy. 401 during the morning rush hour is the slowest long stretch of highway in the GTA. Motorists see an average speed of 31km/h along this stretch during the morning peak period. Driving along Hwy. 404 during peak hours takes 3.5 times longer than during times when you are able to drive at the posted speed limit.
But York Region roads are not just congested by drivers heading in to and out of Toronto. The study looked at Highway 7 all the way from Durham to Peel Region, an 88 km stretch, and found that three of the five slowest sections were in York Region.
Average speeds on Hwy. 7 through York Region are often almost half of the posted speed limit and not just during rush hours. The study found that driving on Hwy. 7 in the middle of the day is almost as slow as driving it during the morning rush.
The simple solution as we see it is to get more people out of those cars that are causing the increase in congestion and get them on fast, convenient transit.
Do you agree that traffic is getting worse? What are some solutions?
Tags: BRT, Bus Rapid Transit, city planning, congestion, connections, GTA, Markham, mixed-use development, MTO, Newmarket, Ontario, rapid transit, Rapidway, Richmond Hill, study, subway, subway extension, Toronto, transit, transit-only lanes, travel time, Urban Planning, Vaughan, viva, vivaNext, York Region
Posted in Studies | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
The Ministry of the Environment recently approved the Environmental Project Report for the Yonge subway extension. We recently conducted a survey* to see how many people in York Region support a subway extension to Langstaff/Richmond Hill Centre at Highway 7 and Yonge. Eighty-nine per cent of residents said that they support the extension.
This is very similar to our online poll that shows over 90% of the hundreds of people who have responded thus far support the subway extension. These survey results reaffirm that we are improving rapid transit routes where people need them.
Are you one of these people who support the Yonge subway extension? Or do you think a subway line would be better built elsewhere? Tell us what you think.
*Survey deemed accurate to within 5 percentage points
Tags: connections, Ontario, rapid transit, Richmond Hill, subway, subway extension, Toronto, transit, tunnel boring, viva, vivaNext, York Region
Posted in Subways, Surveys | 8 Comments »
Friday, May 29th, 2009
We all know that traffic congestion is getting worse. The major arteries, including Yonge St., Davis Dr. and Highway 7, are packed during peak hours of the day and congestion is only expected to get worse. That is a key reason why York Region is taking steps to improve rapid transit and build livable cities.
We wanted to know what you had to say about congestion, so we recently conducted a survey.* When asking York Region residents how they rate traffic congestion on a 10-point scale, over 75% of them said it was between a six and a 10, where 10 was high traffic congestion. In fact, four times more people rate traffic congestion as “high” than rate it as “low”. And almost 25% of the people surveyed rated congestion as an eight on the scale.
When asked about solutions, the largest percentage of respondents said that more and better rapid transit was the answer. People also cited bicycle lanes and more roads as other solutions.
It sounds like we are on the right track to providing those who work and/or live in York Region the solutions they need to avoid congestion.
What do you think about traffic congestion around York Region and what else should be done? Tell us what you think.
*Survey deemed accurate to within 5 percentage points
Tags: Bus Rapid Transit, city planning, congestion, connections, environmentally friendly, Markham, mixed-use development, Newmarket, Ontario, rapid transit, Rapidway, Richmond Hill, subway, subway extension, survey, Toronto, traffic, transit, transit-only lanes, Urban Planning, Vaughan, viva, vivaNext, York Region
Posted in Announcements, Surveys | 4 Comments »
Friday, May 8th, 2009
What a subway will look like heading to Richmond Hill station.
We did it. Thanks to your help throughout our extensive public consultation process, we received approval from the Ministry of the Environment for the Yonge subway extension.
This is fantastic news because the extension up Yonge Street will create the backbone for a seamless transit network that will get you to the places you need to go faster and with fewer connections.
The approval from the Ministry means that the project is in a strong position to receive funding and soon after that happens, shovels can hit the ground. The plans are calling for a 6.8 km extension that will include six new stations and finish at the Langstaff/Richmond Hill Centre at Highway 7.
To put together the report, we engaged the public in many ways, including town hall meetings that hundreds of people attended and gave excellent feedback. It was that feedback that allowed us to address many community concerns and in the end, form a solid report.
Our project was the first one to undergo the new six-month process set up by the Ontario government so construction on transit projects could start as soon as possible.
We feel fortunate to have the first project approved under the new streamlined process and we’re excited because this is another step toward making commuting easier for anyone living or travelling in York Region.
Once funding is secured, we will continue to work with you regarding the design details, especially the bridge crossing and parking lot.
Soon this picture will be a reality. It’s time to start imagining a subway with the word “Richmond Hill” on it.
Tags: city planning, connections, Langstaff, Ministry of the Environment, Ontario, rapid transit, Richmond Hill, subway, subway extension, Toronto, transit, tunnel boring, viva, vivaNext, Yonge Street, York Region
Posted in Announcements, Press, Subways | No Comments »
