TRANSIT
多市支持建安大略線 成本竣工期皆未確知（2019.10.30）
多倫多市議會周二投票通過支持興建安大略線（Ontario Line），但有批評指，該線在成本、通車日期及技術方面，仍有很多未解答的問題，估計興建過程仍會有爭議。
市議會以22票對3票通過支持興建安大略線，該線連接市中心安省遊樂宮（Ontario Place）至安省科學館（Ontario Science Centre），全長15公里。
自安省政府於4月提出興建安大略線後，一直爭議不斷，多倫多市府最初並不支持項目。省府早前聲稱，有意接管由市府營運的地鐵網絡。多倫多市長莊德利（John Tory）與省府磋商後決定，支持省府提出興建的安大略線，以換取省府放棄接管地鐵的計劃。
市議員馬特羅（Josh Matlow）周一表示，他認為安大略線有很大潛力，是一個令人興奮的項目。但他同時稱，項目在技術、路線連接及可行性方面，都仍有很多懸而未決的事項。
他批評指，市府和省府在規劃公共交通項目時，往往先公布重大項目，之後才進行可行性評估。
業內計算成本較估計高一倍
市府市務經理默里（Chris Murray）最近在一份提交給市議會的報告中指，安大略線的設計工作目前仍處於初步階段，設計只完成0%至10%，工程總成本可能在95億元至114億元之間。
但默里在報告中指出，成本金額有可能大幅更改，根據業內標準計算，安大略線的成本可能是先前估計的一倍。
省府的目標是在2027年通車，默里則指市府無法預估通車時間。
另一方面，多市李斯利維爾區（Leslieville）的居民最近亦向市議會表示，由於安大略線在該區將於高架橋行駛，擔憂會帶來噪音問題。（星岛）
市議會以22票對3票通過支持興建安大略線，該線連接市中心安省遊樂宮（Ontario Place）至安省科學館（Ontario Science Centre），全長15公里。
自安省政府於4月提出興建安大略線後，一直爭議不斷，多倫多市府最初並不支持項目。省府早前聲稱，有意接管由市府營運的地鐵網絡。多倫多市長莊德利（John Tory）與省府磋商後決定，支持省府提出興建的安大略線，以換取省府放棄接管地鐵的計劃。
市議員馬特羅（Josh Matlow）周一表示，他認為安大略線有很大潛力，是一個令人興奮的項目。但他同時稱，項目在技術、路線連接及可行性方面，都仍有很多懸而未決的事項。
他批評指，市府和省府在規劃公共交通項目時，往往先公布重大項目，之後才進行可行性評估。
業內計算成本較估計高一倍
市府市務經理默里（Chris Murray）最近在一份提交給市議會的報告中指，安大略線的設計工作目前仍處於初步階段，設計只完成0%至10%，工程總成本可能在95億元至114億元之間。
但默里在報告中指出，成本金額有可能大幅更改，根據業內標準計算，安大略線的成本可能是先前估計的一倍。
省府的目標是在2027年通車，默里則指市府無法預估通車時間。
另一方面，多市李斯利維爾區（Leslieville）的居民最近亦向市議會表示，由於安大略線在該區將於高架橋行駛，擔憂會帶來噪音問題。（星岛）
SmartTrack stations may be at risk(2019.10.24)
The future of Mayor John Tory’s SmartTrack plan is again in doubt, with the mayor acknowledging Wednesday the city’s tentative transit deal with the province could force a reconsideration of the stations to be built under his signature rail proposal.
A previous city report had already flagged two of SmartTrack’s planned six stations that could be undermined by the province’s plans.
Ahead of a debate about the deal at a meeting of his executive committee Wednesday, the mayor conceded some of the six proposed SmartTrack stations could “become less relevant” if the Progressive Conservatives’ transit plans go ahead. “I would say that there’s a chance of some alteration being made to the station makeup” of SmartTrack, Tory said at a press conference.
The mayor supports the deal with the province, but it has yet to be approved by council. If council votes for it next week, the city would endorse the projects that make up the Ontario government’s $28.5-billion transit plan and agree to allocate federal funding toward the lines, while Queen’s Park would abandon its push to take ownership of the existing TTC subway network.
The mayor didn’t specify which SmartTrack stations could become “less relevant.”
But a city staff assessment of provincial plans released last week determined the proposal for a three-stop Scarborough subway backed by Premier Doug Ford would “reduce the estimated usage” of the planned Lawrence East SmartTrack station.
The city had been pursuing a one-stop extension, but one of the stations that would be added under the province’s plan would be at Lawrence Avenue East, which would eat into SmartTrack ridership.
The report also said the station planned at Gerrard Street on the province’s 15.5-kilometre, $11-billion Ontario Line “may preclude the construction” of a SmartTrack station at Gerrard and Carlaw avenues.
While conceding some SmartTrack stations may not fit with the province’s plans, Tory said new stations may also “be added within the SmartTrack concept.” He provided few specifics, but said Metrolinx, the provincial agency that oversees the GO network on which SmartTrack stations would be built, was in “discussions” about adding stations “that weren’t previously contemplated” as part of an ongoing GO expansion.
He said the new stops could be in Toronto’s west end, but wouldn’t be on the Kitchener GO corridor, where the other planned SmartTrack stops in that half of the city would be located.
SmartTrack has shrunk significantly from the plan that formed the bedrock of Tory’s first successful mayoral campaign in 2014, when he pledged to build a 53-kilometre “surface subway” that would utilize existing GO transit lines and have 15 new stations. He said it could be done in seven years. Since then, the number of new SmartTrack stations was reduced to just six, and their completion date pushed back to at least 2024.
In April 2018, council agreed to use federal and municipal funds to pay up to $1.46 billion for the six stops, the construction of which would be overseen by Metrolinx.
But Metrolinx soon changed course and adopted a “transitoriented development” strategy to try to enlist private sector partners to pay for new GO stops in exchange for development rights near stations. Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins declined to say whether the agency is considering adding SmartTrack stations in the west end.
She said Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario are in “active discussions” about constructing stations using transit-oriented development, and Metrolinx is “pleased with the positive interest from the development community so far.”
It’s been known for some time that SmartTrack stations would be on GO lines and served by GO trains. But if the private sector rather than the city funds the additional stations the mayor referred to Wednesday, and if the stops are on different GO lines than other SmartTrack stations, it’s not clear what would differentiate them from other new GO stations Metrolinx is building in Toronto as part of its ongoing service expansion.(Toronto Star, Ben Spurr)
A previous city report had already flagged two of SmartTrack’s planned six stations that could be undermined by the province’s plans.
Ahead of a debate about the deal at a meeting of his executive committee Wednesday, the mayor conceded some of the six proposed SmartTrack stations could “become less relevant” if the Progressive Conservatives’ transit plans go ahead. “I would say that there’s a chance of some alteration being made to the station makeup” of SmartTrack, Tory said at a press conference.
The mayor supports the deal with the province, but it has yet to be approved by council. If council votes for it next week, the city would endorse the projects that make up the Ontario government’s $28.5-billion transit plan and agree to allocate federal funding toward the lines, while Queen’s Park would abandon its push to take ownership of the existing TTC subway network.
The mayor didn’t specify which SmartTrack stations could become “less relevant.”
But a city staff assessment of provincial plans released last week determined the proposal for a three-stop Scarborough subway backed by Premier Doug Ford would “reduce the estimated usage” of the planned Lawrence East SmartTrack station.
The city had been pursuing a one-stop extension, but one of the stations that would be added under the province’s plan would be at Lawrence Avenue East, which would eat into SmartTrack ridership.
The report also said the station planned at Gerrard Street on the province’s 15.5-kilometre, $11-billion Ontario Line “may preclude the construction” of a SmartTrack station at Gerrard and Carlaw avenues.
While conceding some SmartTrack stations may not fit with the province’s plans, Tory said new stations may also “be added within the SmartTrack concept.” He provided few specifics, but said Metrolinx, the provincial agency that oversees the GO network on which SmartTrack stations would be built, was in “discussions” about adding stations “that weren’t previously contemplated” as part of an ongoing GO expansion.
He said the new stops could be in Toronto’s west end, but wouldn’t be on the Kitchener GO corridor, where the other planned SmartTrack stops in that half of the city would be located.
SmartTrack has shrunk significantly from the plan that formed the bedrock of Tory’s first successful mayoral campaign in 2014, when he pledged to build a 53-kilometre “surface subway” that would utilize existing GO transit lines and have 15 new stations. He said it could be done in seven years. Since then, the number of new SmartTrack stations was reduced to just six, and their completion date pushed back to at least 2024.
In April 2018, council agreed to use federal and municipal funds to pay up to $1.46 billion for the six stops, the construction of which would be overseen by Metrolinx.
But Metrolinx soon changed course and adopted a “transitoriented development” strategy to try to enlist private sector partners to pay for new GO stops in exchange for development rights near stations. Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins declined to say whether the agency is considering adding SmartTrack stations in the west end.
She said Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario are in “active discussions” about constructing stations using transit-oriented development, and Metrolinx is “pleased with the positive interest from the development community so far.”
It’s been known for some time that SmartTrack stations would be on GO lines and served by GO trains. But if the private sector rather than the city funds the additional stations the mayor referred to Wednesday, and if the stops are on different GO lines than other SmartTrack stations, it’s not clear what would differentiate them from other new GO stations Metrolinx is building in Toronto as part of its ongoing service expansion.(Toronto Star, Ben Spurr)
New Ontario Line to include more stops in downtown core(2019.04.11)
A map of the new Ontario Line proposed in the PC government's 2019 budget. HANDOUT/PC government budget
On Wednesday, the province announced a new transit plan which includes a revamped Toronto downtown subway relief line – dubbed the Ontario Line.
In Thursday’s provincial budget announcement, more details about the line were revealed, including two more stops in the downtown core which were not part of the previous plans for the line.
The added stops will be at the densely populated Queen and Spadina and King and Bathurst intersections.
CityNews asked Mayor Tory about the possibility of extending the relief line further west last week, and at the time he said it would only be considered in the distant future.
The new line will now include the following expansions to the city’s Relief Line South proposal:
On Wednesday, the province announced a new transit plan which includes a revamped Toronto downtown subway relief line – dubbed the Ontario Line.
In Thursday’s provincial budget announcement, more details about the line were revealed, including two more stops in the downtown core which were not part of the previous plans for the line.
The added stops will be at the densely populated Queen and Spadina and King and Bathurst intersections.
CityNews asked Mayor Tory about the possibility of extending the relief line further west last week, and at the time he said it would only be considered in the distant future.
The new line will now include the following expansions to the city’s Relief Line South proposal:
- The line will extend north, all the way to Ontario Science Centre instead of ending at Pape Station.
- The line will extend further west, past Osgoode Station, through the downtown core and all the way to Ontario Place
Hold off on cheering Toronto’s big transit news(2019.10.17)
Happy talk filled the airwaves when the news broke that city hall had reached an agreement with Queen’s Park on a grand new transit plan for Toronto. Mayor John Tory said that the city had beaten back the provincial government’s attempt to seize ownership of the existing subway system. Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said the deal cleared the way for an unprecedented expansion of Toronto’s overburdened transit network. The board of trade called it a “great deal” for Torontonians and promised Mr. Tory its full support. The federal Liberals, perhaps afraid of getting left out of the party on the eve of an election, suddenly dropped their skepticism and suggested they would dedicate billions to the project.
The sweaty straphangers on the Yonge subway line at rush hour could be forgiven for simply shrugging, if they could find the room. After all, they have seen this film before. Time after time, suits have lined up at the microphone to announce a new transit project that would ease crowding and improve service on the subways. Time and again, commuters have seen those projects scaled back, altered or just scrapped.
You could fill a dumpster to the brim with all the maps, press releases and expert reports on the various subway and light-rail plans that have come and gone over the past generation. Asian cities have built whole subway systems in the time Toronto has been talking about expanding its network, which still relies mainly on two lines opened (if since extended) in the 1950s and 60s.
Toronto to keep ownership of existing subway network in Queen’s Park transit deal
Is this latest announcement any different? The early signs were encouraging, no doubt. The city and the province had been at loggerheads for months over Premier Doug Ford’s move to upload the subways and replace the city’s long-planned Relief Line subway project with one of its own: the Ontario Line. Now, after many months of talking, they have struck a deal.
Queen’s Park drops its plan to upload the subway; city hall drops its objections to the Ontario Line. Toronto doesn’t have to put up even a penny of the nearly $30-billion it will cost for the provincial government’s ambitious transit plan, which along with the Ontario Line includes a westward extension of the Eglinton light-rail line, a northward extension of the Yonge subway to Richmond Hill and the much-disputed, often-adjusted Scarborough subway. That means it will have more money in its coffers to cover the billions in maintenance costs it faces just to keep the existing subways running.
No wonder Mr. Tory felt able to crow in his statement on the deal: “We have defended our TTC, found a way to move forward on transit expansion, and to invest in improvements in our existing system, and we have done so with an increased financial commitment from the province – that is tremendously good news for the residents of Toronto I was elected to represent.”
But, amid all the hosannas, some difficult questions swirled. The centrepiece of the whole thing, the Ontario Line, is still just a coloured line drawn on a map. Much of the money and effort that went into designing the Relief Line is out the window. The Ontario Line is a very different animal. What kind of cars will it use? What kind of stations? How will it fit with the current subway and commuter-rail system?
The Toronto Transit Commission notes that “The Ontario Line will use a transit technology that is not the same as existing TTC subway technology and trains will not be compatible with existing TTC subway trains, tracks, or other facilities.” Its careful endorsement of the project says that “It is important to note that this assessment is based on the current early conceptual design.” That design calls for the western part of the line to end at Ontario Place by the waterfront, no one’s idea of an obvious mass-transit terminus.
Then there is the little matter of money. Thirty billion is a lot of dough. Even if city hall is not picking up the tab, someone has to. How a government that is dedicated to erasing the provincial deficit and controlling the size of government will find the resources for this ambitious plan is another mystery.
Toronto has learned through bitter experience that, when it comes to mass transit, there is a distinction between announcing something and building something. Those sweaty straphangers are right to think: I’ll believe it when I ride it.(Globe and Mail, Marcus Gee)
The sweaty straphangers on the Yonge subway line at rush hour could be forgiven for simply shrugging, if they could find the room. After all, they have seen this film before. Time after time, suits have lined up at the microphone to announce a new transit project that would ease crowding and improve service on the subways. Time and again, commuters have seen those projects scaled back, altered or just scrapped.
You could fill a dumpster to the brim with all the maps, press releases and expert reports on the various subway and light-rail plans that have come and gone over the past generation. Asian cities have built whole subway systems in the time Toronto has been talking about expanding its network, which still relies mainly on two lines opened (if since extended) in the 1950s and 60s.
Toronto to keep ownership of existing subway network in Queen’s Park transit deal
Is this latest announcement any different? The early signs were encouraging, no doubt. The city and the province had been at loggerheads for months over Premier Doug Ford’s move to upload the subways and replace the city’s long-planned Relief Line subway project with one of its own: the Ontario Line. Now, after many months of talking, they have struck a deal.
Queen’s Park drops its plan to upload the subway; city hall drops its objections to the Ontario Line. Toronto doesn’t have to put up even a penny of the nearly $30-billion it will cost for the provincial government’s ambitious transit plan, which along with the Ontario Line includes a westward extension of the Eglinton light-rail line, a northward extension of the Yonge subway to Richmond Hill and the much-disputed, often-adjusted Scarborough subway. That means it will have more money in its coffers to cover the billions in maintenance costs it faces just to keep the existing subways running.
No wonder Mr. Tory felt able to crow in his statement on the deal: “We have defended our TTC, found a way to move forward on transit expansion, and to invest in improvements in our existing system, and we have done so with an increased financial commitment from the province – that is tremendously good news for the residents of Toronto I was elected to represent.”
But, amid all the hosannas, some difficult questions swirled. The centrepiece of the whole thing, the Ontario Line, is still just a coloured line drawn on a map. Much of the money and effort that went into designing the Relief Line is out the window. The Ontario Line is a very different animal. What kind of cars will it use? What kind of stations? How will it fit with the current subway and commuter-rail system?
The Toronto Transit Commission notes that “The Ontario Line will use a transit technology that is not the same as existing TTC subway technology and trains will not be compatible with existing TTC subway trains, tracks, or other facilities.” Its careful endorsement of the project says that “It is important to note that this assessment is based on the current early conceptual design.” That design calls for the western part of the line to end at Ontario Place by the waterfront, no one’s idea of an obvious mass-transit terminus.
Then there is the little matter of money. Thirty billion is a lot of dough. Even if city hall is not picking up the tab, someone has to. How a government that is dedicated to erasing the provincial deficit and controlling the size of government will find the resources for this ambitious plan is another mystery.
Toronto has learned through bitter experience that, when it comes to mass transit, there is a distinction between announcing something and building something. Those sweaty straphangers are right to think: I’ll believe it when I ride it.(Globe and Mail, Marcus Gee)
Toronto to keep ownership of existing subway network in Queen’s Park transit deal(2019.10.16)
Toronto and the provincial government have reached a tentative deal clearing the way to expand transit in the city after months of difficult negotiations.
Under the arrangement, which must be approved by city council, Queen’s Park drops its plan to seize ownership of the existing subway network. In exchange, the city agrees to endorse four provincial transit projects, which would then go ahead without the city having to contribute financially.
Although the city wouldn’t have to put money toward the province’s big-ticket projects, including its three-stop Scarborough subway extension in the city’s northeast and the Ontario Line spanning the downtown, Toronto would be required to direct billions to maintaining the increasingly aged current system, or for other expansions the city and province agree are worthwhile.
The arrangement announced Wednesday marks a turnaround for the governing Progressive Conservatives, which had campaigned on a pledge to take over Toronto’s subways. City council voted against the idea, saying that residents paid for much of its construction. The province had the legal right to go ahead with the takeover, though, and has passed enabling legislation.
The deal, which was negotiated by city bureaucrats, will go to Toronto City Council later this month and is being championed by Mayor John Tory.
“I believe our professional city staff, through negotiations and discussions with the province over the past year, have found a path forward that will see more transit built, see it built as soon as possible and will see the city as a partner in the design and construction of the new lines,” he told reporters as he announced the deal, which comes five days before a federal election.
Although the deal does not require city funding for the Ontario Line, the Scarborough project, an expansion of the subway north from the city to Richmond Hill and an extension of a midtown light-rail line, the city’s endorsement of these projects is crucial.
Under a long-standing federal funding model, Ottawa defers to cities on which transit projects to support. In the case of these four, Toronto has to deem them priorities, even if the city will not pay for them, in order for federal money to flow.
Toronto’s share of the cost of these projects – which would thus be freed up for other use – is projected to be between $5.1-billion and $6-billion under standard funding formulas. Most of this money has not been budgeted for, though, and would have to be raised by the city. If done, this could make a dent in the transit system’s more than $30-billion repair and upkeep backlog.
Under Wednesday’s deal, Queen’s Park would pay the balance of the four projects and has promised to reimburse Toronto for “reasonable costs” incurred by the city on transit design work made unnecessary by the province’s plan.
The province would own the resulting transit infrastructure, which would be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. The city would be liable for any operating-cost shortfalls.
“Riders will be paying to operate new lines through the fare box,” Shelagh Pizey-Allen, director of the advocacy group TTCriders, said in a statement. “Mayor Tory must negotiate for proper funding, because provincial cuts are already squeezing the TTC budget.”
A city staff report released Wednesday said that both the Scarborough and Ontario Line projects are “supportable in principle,” and would benefit the city.
The report notes that the province has promised to have the Ontario Line open by 2027 and the Scarborough extension by 2029/2030. However, those timelines are not firm. Other lingering issues include how much longer the current train line in Scarborough can be kept operational.
More questions hang over the Ontario Line, which is in the very early stages of design. Councillor Brad Bradford, who was named by Mr. Tory to lead council’s effort on the Relief Line, a long-standing proposal being replaced by the Ontario Line, acknowledged uncertainties around it.
“Design is very preliminary at this point, but as we go through the process, as the professionals, the engineers, the designers, work on that, we’re going to have more information and they’ll flesh out the design of the Ontario Line,” he said.
Talks between the province and the city on a subway upload have been going on for months and included the possibility that Queen’s Park would own only expansions to the current system. Settling on the arrangement announced Wednesday leaves the city owning the current infrastructure.
Asked why the retreat was necessary, Caroline Mulroney, who has been the provincial Transportation Minister since June, said it was clear from the outset that the city wanted to keep ownership of the existing system.
“We share priorities with the city of Toronto on this issue, and it’s an opportunity to work together,” she told reporters at Queen’s Park, explaining that ditching the upload proposal was the best way to work with Toronto and get transit built quickly.
The deal also marks a new twist for transit in Scarborough, which has been modified repeatedly over years. Supporters of the Scarborough subway initially said it would cost only $500-million more than the light-rail line that the then-Liberal government had promised to fund. Costs ballooned by billions and council eventually decided to remove two stops to save money.
While campaigning for provincial office, Doug Ford insisted the project needed to have the stops added back in and dismissed concerns about how much more this would cost. With provincial control of the project, the stops are to be included and all costs borne by higher levels of government.(The Globe and Mail, Oliver Moore & Jeff Gray)
Under the arrangement, which must be approved by city council, Queen’s Park drops its plan to seize ownership of the existing subway network. In exchange, the city agrees to endorse four provincial transit projects, which would then go ahead without the city having to contribute financially.
Although the city wouldn’t have to put money toward the province’s big-ticket projects, including its three-stop Scarborough subway extension in the city’s northeast and the Ontario Line spanning the downtown, Toronto would be required to direct billions to maintaining the increasingly aged current system, or for other expansions the city and province agree are worthwhile.
The arrangement announced Wednesday marks a turnaround for the governing Progressive Conservatives, which had campaigned on a pledge to take over Toronto’s subways. City council voted against the idea, saying that residents paid for much of its construction. The province had the legal right to go ahead with the takeover, though, and has passed enabling legislation.
The deal, which was negotiated by city bureaucrats, will go to Toronto City Council later this month and is being championed by Mayor John Tory.
“I believe our professional city staff, through negotiations and discussions with the province over the past year, have found a path forward that will see more transit built, see it built as soon as possible and will see the city as a partner in the design and construction of the new lines,” he told reporters as he announced the deal, which comes five days before a federal election.
Although the deal does not require city funding for the Ontario Line, the Scarborough project, an expansion of the subway north from the city to Richmond Hill and an extension of a midtown light-rail line, the city’s endorsement of these projects is crucial.
Under a long-standing federal funding model, Ottawa defers to cities on which transit projects to support. In the case of these four, Toronto has to deem them priorities, even if the city will not pay for them, in order for federal money to flow.
Toronto’s share of the cost of these projects – which would thus be freed up for other use – is projected to be between $5.1-billion and $6-billion under standard funding formulas. Most of this money has not been budgeted for, though, and would have to be raised by the city. If done, this could make a dent in the transit system’s more than $30-billion repair and upkeep backlog.
Under Wednesday’s deal, Queen’s Park would pay the balance of the four projects and has promised to reimburse Toronto for “reasonable costs” incurred by the city on transit design work made unnecessary by the province’s plan.
The province would own the resulting transit infrastructure, which would be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. The city would be liable for any operating-cost shortfalls.
“Riders will be paying to operate new lines through the fare box,” Shelagh Pizey-Allen, director of the advocacy group TTCriders, said in a statement. “Mayor Tory must negotiate for proper funding, because provincial cuts are already squeezing the TTC budget.”
A city staff report released Wednesday said that both the Scarborough and Ontario Line projects are “supportable in principle,” and would benefit the city.
The report notes that the province has promised to have the Ontario Line open by 2027 and the Scarborough extension by 2029/2030. However, those timelines are not firm. Other lingering issues include how much longer the current train line in Scarborough can be kept operational.
More questions hang over the Ontario Line, which is in the very early stages of design. Councillor Brad Bradford, who was named by Mr. Tory to lead council’s effort on the Relief Line, a long-standing proposal being replaced by the Ontario Line, acknowledged uncertainties around it.
“Design is very preliminary at this point, but as we go through the process, as the professionals, the engineers, the designers, work on that, we’re going to have more information and they’ll flesh out the design of the Ontario Line,” he said.
Talks between the province and the city on a subway upload have been going on for months and included the possibility that Queen’s Park would own only expansions to the current system. Settling on the arrangement announced Wednesday leaves the city owning the current infrastructure.
Asked why the retreat was necessary, Caroline Mulroney, who has been the provincial Transportation Minister since June, said it was clear from the outset that the city wanted to keep ownership of the existing system.
“We share priorities with the city of Toronto on this issue, and it’s an opportunity to work together,” she told reporters at Queen’s Park, explaining that ditching the upload proposal was the best way to work with Toronto and get transit built quickly.
The deal also marks a new twist for transit in Scarborough, which has been modified repeatedly over years. Supporters of the Scarborough subway initially said it would cost only $500-million more than the light-rail line that the then-Liberal government had promised to fund. Costs ballooned by billions and council eventually decided to remove two stops to save money.
While campaigning for provincial office, Doug Ford insisted the project needed to have the stops added back in and dismissed concerns about how much more this would cost. With provincial control of the project, the stops are to be included and all costs borne by higher levels of government.(The Globe and Mail, Oliver Moore & Jeff Gray)
放棄接管地鐵換支持 省市終達成雙贏方案（2019.10.17）
兩級政府就大規模公交項目達協議 省府放棄接管多倫多地鐵獲市府撐省府「安大略線」（2019.10.17）
【明報專訊】多倫多市長莊德利昨天(16日)宣布﹐市政府和安省政府達成了協議﹕省府不再堅持接管多市地鐵線﹐市府支持省政府版本的「安大略線」。
上周有傳聞稱﹐省、市政府之間正在就此事進行談判。昨天莊德利的宣布﹐證實省長道格福特已經正式放棄接管多倫多地鐵線的設想。他在競選期間做出這個承諾﹐但由於這個計劃如果落實﹐將令多市公交系統「傷筋動骨」﹐因此頗為引人關注。
莊德利和安省交通廳長卡羅琳．梅龍尼昨天為此先後舉行新聞會。
梅龍尼表示﹐對於省、市雙方在大多區開展大規模公交項目﹐可以達成一致立場﹐感到非常高興。下一步是希望多市議會大會批准這個協議﹐並考慮動工事宜。
昨天已經有消息稱﹐杜魯多會宣布如果當選﹐也將支持「安大略線」。梅龍尼表示﹐這是好事﹐多倫多地鐵建設進入一個少有的好時機。
莊德利昨天稱﹐談判結果﹐省府將向多市提供300億元投資﹐用於建設新的公交項目。
與此同時﹐多倫多市府和公車局官員宣稱﹐他們認為「安大略線」的計劃合理﹐優點明顯﹐將可能真正減輕現有地鐵系統的壓力﹐並給一些鄰里社區帶來快速交通﹐比如Thorncliffe 公園和Flemingdon公園等2個地方。
莊德利說﹐省府將建設新的地鐵線﹐並擁有新建地鐵線的所有權﹐但多市公車局將會運營它們。他感謝道格福特和交通廳長梅龍尼坐下來和市府談判﹐最終得到一個雙方都能接受的公交計劃。
他說﹐在多倫多建設公交項目﹐需要3級政府的共同努力﹐而不是相互的鬥爭。省府宣布多倫多4大地鐵工程為其優先項目。
‧安大略線。這條地鐵線在多市原來的央街地鐵紓緩線的基礎上延伸﹐將從多市東南方的科學宮﹐通到湖濱的遊樂宮。市府的紓緩線原定2030年完工。省府計劃則稱可在2027年通車。
‧士嘉堡地鐵線。計劃於2029到2030年交付使用。
‧央街地鐵北上工程。從現在的芬治路地鐵站連接到烈治文山中心。
‧目前正在建設的艾靈頓輕鐵線﹐向西延伸。大部分延伸部分將在地下。
多倫多市府提供的新聞稿提出的省、市之間協議要點﹕
‧多倫多擁有現有的地鐵系統。
‧多市公車局運營公交系統。
‧省府提供資金﹐並負責建設公交擴張的項目﹐支持多市將自己的公交擴建資金用於現有的公交系統的維護和保養上﹐以及多市自己的優先項目上。多市的優先項目包括艾靈頓輕鐵線﹐和湖濱公交。
上周有傳聞稱﹐省、市政府之間正在就此事進行談判。昨天莊德利的宣布﹐證實省長道格福特已經正式放棄接管多倫多地鐵線的設想。他在競選期間做出這個承諾﹐但由於這個計劃如果落實﹐將令多市公交系統「傷筋動骨」﹐因此頗為引人關注。
莊德利和安省交通廳長卡羅琳．梅龍尼昨天為此先後舉行新聞會。
梅龍尼表示﹐對於省、市雙方在大多區開展大規模公交項目﹐可以達成一致立場﹐感到非常高興。下一步是希望多市議會大會批准這個協議﹐並考慮動工事宜。
昨天已經有消息稱﹐杜魯多會宣布如果當選﹐也將支持「安大略線」。梅龍尼表示﹐這是好事﹐多倫多地鐵建設進入一個少有的好時機。
莊德利昨天稱﹐談判結果﹐省府將向多市提供300億元投資﹐用於建設新的公交項目。
與此同時﹐多倫多市府和公車局官員宣稱﹐他們認為「安大略線」的計劃合理﹐優點明顯﹐將可能真正減輕現有地鐵系統的壓力﹐並給一些鄰里社區帶來快速交通﹐比如Thorncliffe 公園和Flemingdon公園等2個地方。
莊德利說﹐省府將建設新的地鐵線﹐並擁有新建地鐵線的所有權﹐但多市公車局將會運營它們。他感謝道格福特和交通廳長梅龍尼坐下來和市府談判﹐最終得到一個雙方都能接受的公交計劃。
他說﹐在多倫多建設公交項目﹐需要3級政府的共同努力﹐而不是相互的鬥爭。省府宣布多倫多4大地鐵工程為其優先項目。
‧安大略線。這條地鐵線在多市原來的央街地鐵紓緩線的基礎上延伸﹐將從多市東南方的科學宮﹐通到湖濱的遊樂宮。市府的紓緩線原定2030年完工。省府計劃則稱可在2027年通車。
‧士嘉堡地鐵線。計劃於2029到2030年交付使用。
‧央街地鐵北上工程。從現在的芬治路地鐵站連接到烈治文山中心。
‧目前正在建設的艾靈頓輕鐵線﹐向西延伸。大部分延伸部分將在地下。
多倫多市府提供的新聞稿提出的省、市之間協議要點﹕
‧多倫多擁有現有的地鐵系統。
‧多市公車局運營公交系統。
‧省府提供資金﹐並負責建設公交擴張的項目﹐支持多市將自己的公交擴建資金用於現有的公交系統的維護和保養上﹐以及多市自己的優先項目上。多市的優先項目包括艾靈頓輕鐵線﹐和湖濱公交。
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