This article is the second part of a series of articles “Where will things be in a decade? Toronto’s Transit Engoodening“. Check out the previous parts in this series if you haven’t yet!
On the other end of the rail spectrum, there are a number of light rail lines at various stages of development which, while (as I often discuss) are unlikely to be groundbreaking in terms of speed improvements, will provide a more regular, consistent, and attractive local transit service on key corridors.
The Toronto region is adding 4 new surface light rail corridors, and expanding existing light rail as well.
Finch and Eglinton East
Line 6 Finch and the eastern half of Line 5 Eglinton will add two new rail services similar to the 512 St. Clair streetcar, which will replace two very busy suburban bus routes between Line 1 and Humber College, and Yonge & Eglinton and Kennedy Station through the Golden Mile. This will mean more capacity, less emissions, more attractive (but still not sufficient) streetscapes, and the capacity to reallocate road space on these corridors, which will certainly make them feel a cut above where they are today.
And, for what it’s worth, they will be a cut above the St. Clair streetcar, with faster service, larger trains, level boarding, and off-board fare payment. Essentially, the are not revolutionary, but evolutionary — and that’s not nothing.
What’s more, their interchanges with rapid transit and Humber College will all happen in new or expanded underground stations, which will strengthen those nodes and make those connections more attractive.
Hurontario
The Hurontario tram route, which will be known as Line 10 (for Highway 10 – Hurontario’s former designation), will add a service that is similar to Line 6 to the main north-south corridor of Mississauga and Brampton. My personal view is that with the enormous development on the corridor and future growth potential in Peel, this line really should have been SkyTrain. But no matter what, at the end of the day, it will likely drive more ridership and development than the current bus service, while also providing more comfortable and consistent transit service. Hurontario should also be quickly than the lines in Toronto thanks to the longer gaps between stations, which will help it gain more riders than it would have otherwise, and create a bit of a backbone that other services in the region can connect into. Perhaps it will also convince residents to push for more similar service in the future.
Hurontario is also a first in a few ways. It’s the first numbered transit route in the GTHA that is entirely outside of Toronto, and the first electric transit line outside of Toronto to directly interface with a frequent, all-day GO line (the Lakeshore West at Port Credit) — ION in Waterloo region requires an annoying walk (until the new “transit hub” at King and Victoria is completed), and the Hamilton LRT will not connect directly with either of that city’s GO stations.
Hamilton
Hamilton’s tram route is in procurement at the moment and will be the most modest of Ontario’s modern light rail lines. That being said, it will be the spark for the beginning of what can likely be a much larger system and a lot of urban regeneration. While the line won’t connect directly to GO train services, it will be a short walk away, and it will connect to major destinations in Hamilton, such as downtown, McMaster University, and Tim Hortons Field.
TTC Streetcar
There is also likely to be some modest expansion to the streetcar network. I can’t imagine the Waterfront East LRT through the Port Lands won’t be built — and that will connect the aforementioned district as well as eventually East Harbour station and the streetcar corridors on Broadview, as well as hopefully the Leslie Barns maintenance facility.
I also would expect to see a new connection on Dufferin created between the Harbourfront streetcar route and the King Streetcar, allowing for the “Waterfront West LRT” or a through-running waterfront to western Queens streetcar service to eventually run.
Of course, I am less excited about TTC streetcar expansion than the new tram routes — and that’s mostly because service on the streetcars is often not very good, and because the TTC treats them like buses. If that were to change, things would be very exciting!
The next topic to cover is subways — make sure to subscribe to have it delivered to your inbox as soon as it’s available!
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