The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) has produced a report designed to address Toronto’s threatening gridlock that advocates a variety of new road building, mass transit and subway extension projects.
With significant tunnelled components, the suggestions in the report “Mobility Express” have been costed at US$930M annually for the next fifteen years.
One of the major tunnelled components proposed in the report is the US$2.2bn Queen Street subway. This had been planned as a subway or light rail transit scheme to serve the downtown Toronto area. An existing east-west station is unused under Queen Station and the report suggests, “a study be initiated to revisit the Queen Street subway and determine its form”.
Another subway extension proposed is to the US$1.3bn Yonge-University-Spadina line. Currently, the line forms a loop at its southern end and a similar loop at the northern end would make the route circular.
The recently completed Sheppard subway line has also been the focus of attention, with suggestions it should be extended eastwards to Scarborough and connect with the rapid transit line. Also, a westwards extension could connect with the University line and provide a northern loop.
The report also suggested considering a “revival” of the partially constructed Eglinton subway with a route to the airport on the Spadina subway line.
The CAA proposes a three stage implementation plan. Each phase is scheduled to take five years, resulting in a revamped transportation network within 15 years.
As for possible tunnelling work, although difficult to precisely quantify at this early stage, extension to the Sheppard subway worth US$185M are suggested for the first phase. US$4.4bn of subway extensions are mooted for the second phase, including the Queen Street subway and the Yonge-University-Spadina line. Phase three sees US$1.8bn of work with completion of the Sheppard subway and Eglinton subway plans.
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