Category: Subways

Categories
Rapidways Subways

Pop quiz for students

All aboard!
All aboard!

If you are a student, you’ll be heading back to school next week so we thought we would get you ready for some of those really hard tests with a little pop quiz. Luckily for you, this is an open book/computer quiz and help can be found on our website and blog.

1) What major university will have two subway stops running by it within the next six years?

2) What College campus in Markham will have a rapidway stop right outside its door within three year?

3) What high school at Warden and Highway 7 will have a rapidway stop outside its doors within three years?

4) What public high school in Newmarket will have a rapidway stop only a short walk away from its doors?

5) What Richmond Hill high school may have a subway stop a few blocks from its doors?

Good work, pencils down.

So as you can see, the rapidways and subway extensions will make it a lot easier for students from many different areas to get to school and travel in to, out of and around York Region.
If you are a student, how will our future projects help you get to school?
Good luck this school year.

Answers: 1) York University 2) Seneca College, Markham Campus 3) Unionville High School 4) Huron Heights Secondary School 5) Langstaff Secondary School
Categories
Announcements Press Subways

Big step toward starting construction on the Spadina subway extension

Chair Fisch and the other dignitaries pose for cameras in front of a scale model of a tunnel boring machine.
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 Chairman Bill Fisch speaks to the audience and TV cameras in front of an actual tunnel boring machine last Friday.
York Regional Chair and CEO Bill Fisch speaks to the audience and TV cameras in front of an actual tunnel boring machine last Friday.
Categories
Studies Subways

Metrolinx’s interim report recommends subway over BRT on Yonge

What a transit sign may look like at the Richmond Hill Centre with connections to a subway, YRT and Viva busses, and GO trains.
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.

Categories
Subways

See how our subway system compares to others around the world.

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.

Categories
Subways Surveys

Yonge subway extension backed by most residents

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
Categories
Announcements Press Subways

Yonge subway extension closer to reality

What a subway will look like heading to Richmond Hill station.
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.

Categories
Live-work-play Rapidways Subways Urban Planning

Transit helps make Centres & Corridors a successful concept

York Region and Toronto planners discuss how to best manage growth over the next few decades.
York Region and Toronto planners discuss how to best manage growth over the next few decades.

We recently had the opportunity to co-sponsor the Regional Forum on Centres and Corridors. The consistent message from speakers and the audience was that investment in public transit should be the first priority in making centres and corridors thrive. They also said designing and building town centres linked by fast, convenient public transit helps to shift people out of their cars.

Speakers from York Region and the City of Toronto along with renowned urban planners and architects spoke about managing growth in York Region over the next 20 years. They examined lessons learned from the past to help improve growth management strategies in the future.

To help manage growth, the Region has a plan to focus development around four “downtowns” away from valuable farmland and environmentally important greenbelts. These centres (in Markham, Newmarket, Vaughan, and Richmond Hill) include residential, business and recreational development connected by transit.

The new centres are being developed as live-work-play communities. We will be posting a blog in the near future that talks more about this idea.

To learn more about the Centres, Corridors + Subways program, please visit their website

Read the Official Regional Plan

Read the Transit-Oriented Development Guidelines

Categories
Subways

Increasing subway capacity

If the subway seems crowded, we've got ways to increase capacity.
The subways may seem crowded, but we've got ways to increase capacity.

We get a lot of people asking about how the subway extensions will affect the current service and levels of capacity. We understand that extending the line will allow more people to ride and there are plans in place to manage ridership growth and help increase current capacity during peak times, especially at Yonge and Bloor.

Our plan includes opening the Spadina subway extension first to divert riders who begin their commute in the north. We expect this to divert 1,300 peak hour riders away from the Yonge line. There will also be 2,900 parking spaces along the Spadina extension, to divert more riders away from the Yonge line.

A new signaling system will allow trains to run closer together, reducing the wait time between trains. More frequent trains help spread out ridership, reducing the bunching-up effect. The new trains will allow people to walk from one end to the other – making use of space between the train cars that’s currently not possible. In addition, only every second train will go north of Finch Station during the morning peak, meaning every other train arriving at Finch during the morning peak will start its southbound trip empty.

That is a very short overview of some of our plans to increase capacity. Please let me know if you are interested in how any particular plan will work. I like talking about solutions that will make getting around better for everyone.