Scarborough Subway Extension

Stakeholder Advisory GroupJune 6, 2016

Transportation Planning Section | City Planning DivisionToronto Transit Commission

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Today’s Agenda1. Update on transit initiatives underway

2. Scarborough Subway Extension

3. Next Steps

4. Questions

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Feb 2016

• City, in partnership with TTC, worked with Metrolinx on the integration of SmartTrack and GO/RER

• Four options for SmartTrack/GO RER were assessed. • Options A and B were ruled out due to increased costs

and significant community impactsMar 2016 • Council directed staff to focus work on options C and D

May/June 2016

• Public consultation on SmartTrack and RER Integration• Report to Executive Committee and Council on evaluation

progress

Next Steps

• Continue collaboration with Metrolinx on development of preferred alignment and station locations for SmartTrack Options C and D

SmartTrack /GO RERSmartTrack Option C

• 7 to 8 new stations• Kitchener and Stouffville

through service

SmartTrack Option D

• 4 to 5 new stations• Kitchener and Stouffville

through service

SmartTrack/GO RER will help relieve many of the transit network’s capacity limitations, which currently affect many parts of the City, including the subways serving Downtown, the SRT in Scarborough, streetcar routes east and west of the downtown and individual bus routes throughout the City.Particularly, it will help relieve overcrowding on the Yonge Subway line and address congestion at Bloor-Yonge station.

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Jan 2016

• Feasibility study of SmartTrack Western Corridor options recommended optimizing Phase 2 of the Crosstown LRT, approved in 2009

Mar 2016

• City Council directed staff to remove the heavy rail option and work with Metrolinx to optimize the approved Environmental Assessment for Eglinton West LRT

•Six options assessed for further considerationMay/June 2016

• Public consultation on emerging preferred LRT alignment and station locations

SmartTrack – Eglinton West Corridor

Next Steps• Continue to work with

Metrolinx to optimize the approved Environmental Assessment for Eglinton West LRT

• Develop Business Case

Part of the SmartTrack concept is connecting the Mississauga Airport Corporate Centre (MACC) to other important employment districts, including downtown Toronto. A western extension of the Crosstown LRT to MACC and Pearson International Airport would improve access to these important destinations.

Eglinton East LRT

Sept 2009

City Council approved the recommendations of the Scarborough-Malvern LRT Transit Project Assessment

Jan 2016

Executive Committee endorsed refined transit priorities reintroducing the Eglinton East LRT, a modification of the Scarborough-Malvern LRT.

March 2016

City Council endorsed further study of the Eglinton East LRT

• Up to 18 stops over 11km line• Improved reliability• 2 connections to GO RER (Eglinton

& Guildwood)

Next Steps

July 2016: Report to Council, Seek authority to proceed with amendment to Environmental Assessment

Summer 2016: Technical analysis to amend Environmental Assessment

The Eglinton East LRT would extend the Crosstown east along Eglinton Avenue East, Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue to the University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, to improve transportation access along the Avenues and in Neighbourhood Improvement Areas.

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Fall 2015 – Winter 2016

Pape to Queen corridor emerges as preferred corridor due to engineering feasibility and ease, connection to key destinations and ability to meet largest number of city-building objectives (i.e. Feeling Congested? Evaluation Criteria)

March 2016 City Council approves preferred corridor for Relief Line: Pape to Downtown via Queen/Richmond.

March - May 2016 Analysis of alignment options.

Relief Line

Emerging preferred alignment ‘Pape to Downtown via Eastern’• Allows direct connection to Yonge-University

Line• Supports development • Better supports Feeling Congested? criteriaNext Steps

July 2016: Report to Council, Seek authority to launch TPAP (EA)Summer 2016: Initiate TPAP

The Relief Line would be a new subway connecting downtown to Line 2 east of the Don River. It would assist in relieving crowding on the Yonge Subway line and the Bloor-Yonge interchange station as well as provide riders with more travel options.

Waterfront Transit “Reset”The Waterfront Reset will:Provide high quality transit that will integrate waterfront communities, jobs, and destinations and link the waterfront to the broader City and regional transportation network

Phase 2, subject to City Council approval, would consider: Advancing feasibility studies (including but not limited to demand forecasting, operational

assessment(s), further developed cost estimates); Potential Environmental Assessment(s) or amendments to existing Environmental Assessment(s); Pursuing the implementation of short term strategic improvements that minimize long term

throwaway costs; and Advancing a Business Case and pursuing funding opportunities.

Phase 1 will identify reasonable alternative concepts for a waterfront transit solution.

Findings will be reported to Council in July, including:• Development and analysis of

‘Concept Families’• Preliminary evaluation of solutions

to create a complete transit network solution for the Waterfront

Scarborough Subway Extension

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Background

In January 2016, Toronto’s Executive Committee endorsed refined priorities for transit in Scarborough:

1. Support the development of Scarborough Centre as a vibrant urban node

2. Support the development of complete communities along the Avenues and improve local accessibility

To address these transit priorities, City Council provided direction on an optimized transit plan for Scarborough on March 31, 2016

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Optimizing the Extension

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To support the transit priorities for Scarborough, optimizing the subway extension into an express subway includes:

• Removing Lawrence Station between Kennedy Station and Scarborough Centre;

• Ending at Scarborough Centre rather than Sheppard Avenue East; and

• Re-routing buses to the potential Lawrence East SmartTrack station and Kennedy Station

These changes to the Scarborough Subway Extension would result in a significant reduction in construction and operating cost with only a small reduction in transit accessibility

Work to Date

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• Alignment options for an express subway extension have been studied

• Station concepts for Scarborough Centre including bus terminals and other elements are being developed

• Cost estimates (ongoing)• Modelling

– Accessibility– Travel demand

Optimized Concept

Alignment Re-evaluation

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• Express subway extension alignment has been re-evaluated due to shift in project parameters

• Corridor options for express subway:– SRT corridor– Midland Corridor– Brimley Corridor– McCowan Corridor

• Evaluation focusing on:– Supporting growth of Scarborough

Centre (including potential future extensions)

– The impact of SRT closure– Property Impacts– Costs Possible Express Subway Corridors

Station Locations

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Serving People - ExperienceSRT Midland Brimley McCowan

◔ ◕ ◑ ●

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• McCowan offers the shortest travel time and the best passenger comfort due to fewest curves

Serving People - ChoiceSRT Midland Brimley McCowan

◕ ◕ ◕ ●

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• Station location associated with SRT, Midland and Brimley offer better opportunities for bus transfers and commuter parking

• Line 3 would need to be torn down during construction of SRT, Midland or Brimley

• McCowan allows Line 3 to remain in operation

SRT Closure

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• If SRT was closed, service would be replaced by buses

• Replacement would be for duration of subway construction, estimated at 5-6 years

• 63 buses, temporary bus terminals and storage would be required

• Buses would stop at Lawrence Avenue

• Average delay for transit riders would be 6.4 minutes/trip

Replacement Buses During SRT Closure

Strengthening Places – Healthy Neighbourhoods

SRT Midland Brimley McCowan

◔ ● ◕ ◑

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• Midland alignment would have the least significant property impacts

• SRT alignment would have the most significant property impacts

Supporting Prosperity– Supports Growth

SRT Midland Brimley McCowan

● ● ● ◑

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• Initial station on McCowan alignment is slightly better at encouraging growth in Scarborough Centre than the initial station on the other alignments

• SRT, Midland and Brimley alignments offer the opportunity to provide a future second station in the McCowan Precinct

Supporting Prosperity– Affordable

SRT Midland Brimley McCowan

◑ ◕ ◕ ●

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• McCowan alignment is the least expensive, and has fewer risks associated with constructability

Preferred Corridor - McCowan

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The feedback and technical analysis support McCowan as the preferred corridor:• SRT remains operational during

construction• Received strong public support• Least constructability/

infrastructure impacts = reduces risks to costs

• Connection across both sides of Scarborough Centre with one station

Preferred Express Subway Corridor

Scarborough Centre Station Concept• The bus terminal for

Scarborough Centre Station is currently being designed

• The terminal will– Integrate with existing

and future development around the station

– Support the growth and development of Scarborough Centre

– Offer convenient transit access to pedestrians and cyclists

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Construction• The alignment will be

constructed with tunnel boring machines, with cut and cover used around Scarborough Centre Station and Kennedy Station

• Also included:– Emergency exit buildings– Tunnel ventilation– Traction power substations

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Tunnelling Work Sites• Sites near Scarborough Centre Station and McCowan/Ellesmere are

needed to:– Launch or maintain the tunnel boring machine– Temporary storage of concrete tunnel liner segments– Temporary stockpiling and haulage of excavated soil– Storage of other equipment and material– Location of construction trailers

• Five options for location at McCowan/Ellesmere– Consultation with property owners, including Parks, Forestry and Recreation

is ongoing

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Travel Demand in 2031

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Express subway extension compared with other TTC subway terminus stations

AM Peak Hour Boardings All day BoardingsFinch Station 16,500 59,700Scarborough Centre

7,300 31,000

Kipling 6,000 27,000

• Scarborough Centre Station is expected to perform well and serve a comparable number of riders to other terminal stations

• Note: Finch Station serves too many riders – resulting in overcrowding further down the line

Travel demand modelling assumes SmartTrack Option C

Travel Demand in 2031

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Comparing ridership between 3-stop and Express:Peak hour ridership

(Westbound, East of Kennedy)

Peak Hour Opposite Direction Ridership

(Eastbound, east of Kennedy)

New Transit Riders

Express Subway Extension

7,300 2,900 4,500

3-stop Subway Extension

11,100* 3,200 3,100

* Note: Peak hour ridership reported in March, 2016 (approximately 14,000) assumed no SmartTrack

• Express subway provides more benefit to more people – making transit the better way for them – than the 3-stop subway

Next Steps

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May/June 2016 • Public and stakeholder consultations• Continue to refine technical work and business

cases on current transit initiativesJune/July 2016 • Report to Executive Committee and Council

‒ Report on full range of transit projects, seeking authority for next steps

‒ Will be seeking authority to proceed to TPAP on Scarborough Subway

Summer/Fall 2016

• Transit Project Assessment Process for Scarborough Subway (subject to Council direction)‒ Consultation in the fall

Winter 2017 • Undertake Feeling Congested? review for priority projects

• Report to Executive Committee and Council on transit project prioritization

Questions

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