Don Mills LRT

Last updated
Don Mills LRT
Overview
StatusCancelled
Locale Toronto, Ontario
Termini
Service
Type Light rail
System Toronto subway
Operator(s) Toronto Transit Commission
Technical
Line length17.6 kilometres (10.9 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Route map

Contents

BSicon uCONTgq.svg
BSicon uxKINTa.svg
BSicon uSTRq.svg
BSicon uCONTfq.svg
Viva blue logo.svg BSicon BUS3.svg
BSicon uexLSTR.svg
BSicon uexCONTgq.svg
BSicon uexTINTx.svg
BSicon uexCONTfq.svg
BSicon BUS3.svg
BSicon uexLSTR.svg
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon uxmKRZo.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
BSicon uexLSTR.svg
BSicon uexCONTgq.svg
BSicon uexTINTx.svg
BSicon uexCONTfq.svg
Steeles
BSicon BUS3.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
Cliffwood
BSicon uexHST.svg
McNicoll
BSicon uexHST.svg
Finch
BSicon uexHST.svg
Van Horne
BSicon uexSPLa.svg
BSicon uexv-HST.svg
BSicon vNULfg.svg
BSicon uexvHST-.svg
The Peanut
BSicon uexSPLe.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
Esterbrooke
BSicon tCONTgq- fuchsia.svg
BSicon MASKl.svg
BSicon tCONTfq- fuchsia.svg
BSicon exlvINTq.svg
BSicon lHST- fuchsia.svg
BSicon uext-STRq.svg
BSicon uext-CONTfq.svg
Don Mills
TTC - Line 4 - Sheppard line.svg Logo of the Toronto Transit Commission.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
Havenbrook/Parkway Forest
BSicon dRP4q.svg
BSicon uexSKRZ-G4o.svg
BSicon dRP4q.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
Graydon Hall/Duncan Mill
BSicon uexhbKRZWae.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
York Mills
BSicon uexHST.svg
Mallard
BSicon CONT4+l.svg
BSicon uxmKRZo.svg
BSicon LSTR+r.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
Donway North
BSicon uexHST.svg
Lawrence
BSicon uexHST.svg
Donway South
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
BSicon d-CONT3.svg
Greenbelt
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon uxmKRZ3+1u.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
BSicon dCONT1-.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon exCONTgq orange.svg
BSicon extINTaeq orange.svg
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon exCONTfq orange.svg
Science Centre
TTC - Line 5.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
St. Dennis
BSicon uexHST.svg
Overlea
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon uexhKRZWae.svg
BSicon WASSER+r.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
Thorncliffe Park East
BSicon uexHST.svg
Thorncliffe Park West
BSicon uexHST.svg
Millwood
BSicon CONT3+l.svg
BSicon uxmhKRZa.svg
BSicon LSTRr.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon uexhKRZW.svg
BSicon WASSERr.svg
BSicon dRP4q.svg
BSicon uexhSKRZ-G4e.svg
BSicon dRP4q.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
Donlands
BSicon uexHST.svg
O'Connor
BSicon uexHST.svg
Cosburn
BSicon uexHST.svg
Mortimer
BSicon gtCONTgq.svg
BSicon uextKSTRa.svg
BSicon uexKINTe.svg
BSicon glHST.svg
BSicon gtSTRq.svg
BSicon gtCONTfq.svg
Pape
TTC - Line 2 - Bloor-Danforth line.svg
BSicon uextCONTf.svg

Wheelchair symbol.svg All stations are accessible

The Don Mills LRT is a canceled proposal for a light rail line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was part of the Transit City proposal announced March 16, 2007, to be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It was expected to cost approximately $675 million, with construction to begin in 2012, and an expected opening in 2016. It would have been the fifth of the seven Transit City lines to be complete after the Sheppard East, Finch West, Waterfront West, and Eglinton lines. Ridership was estimated to be 21.2 million trips in 2021.[ citation needed ]

Mayor Rob Ford cancelled the line after taking office in December 2010. [1] While LRT lines on Sheppard East, Finch West, and Eglinton were revived through a new agreement between the City of Toronto and Metrolinx, the Don Mills LRT was not included. [2] The 925 Don Mills Express bus follows a similar routing to the proposed LRT. [3]

The Don Mills LRT is still included in Metrolinx's regional transportation plan The Big Move under the 15-year horizon. [4] Metrolinx has also completed a detailed benefits case analysis for the Relief Line, exploring the potential of constructing a subway instead of the Don Mills LRT to Don Mills station. [5]

Route layout

According to initial Toronto Transit Commission planning, the Don Mills LRT line would run for 17.6 kilometres (10.9 mi) between Steeles Avenue and Line 2 Bloor–Danforth. The LRT would operate via Don Mills Road from the north, and then turn east along Overlea Boulevard through the community of Thorncliffe Park. South of Thorncliffe Park, the TTC was examining three different alignments for the LRT to connect to the Line 2 subway, prior to cancellation of the project: [6]

The Big Move proposes that the Don Mills LRT run along Pape Avenue to Pape station. It also proposes that the LRT stretch north past Steeles Avenue, along Leslie Street to Highway 7 in York Region. [4]

Proposed stops/stations

The TTC did not indicate specific stops at the time of planning. [6] The Big Move indicates that the line would intersect mobility hubs at Eglinton, Don Mills, Steeles, and Highway 407, and facilitate transfers to the Eglinton Crosstown line, Line 4 Sheppard, the Sheppard East LRT, an LRT or BRT line on Steeles, the 407 Transitway, and the Highway 7 Rapidway. [4]

Relief Line

The Don Mills LRT was proposed to connect to the Relief Line (formerly Downtown Relief Line) at Pape station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth, which was proposed to help reduce current and projected congestion in downtown Toronto. Metrolinx, the City of Toronto, York Region and the TTC partnered on the Yonge Relief Network Study (YRNS) in 2015, which examined options for providing relief on the Yonge line. This included three different versions of the Relief Line, and a surface LRT similar to the Don Mills LRT. The YRNS found that a subway between downtown and Sheppard Avenue would provide the most effective relief on the Yonge line. Pursuing this option would truncate the LRT south of Sheppard, and replace it with a subway. [7] [4]

The Relief Line proposal would eventually be replaced by the similar Ontario Line, which will instead extend further north to end at Science Centre station on Line 5 Eglinton. This would most likely truncate the Don Mills LRT proposal to end at that station instead.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Line 4 Sheppard</span> Rapid transit line in Toronto, Ontario

Line 4 Sheppard is the newest and shortest rapid transit line of the Toronto subway system, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It opened on November 22, 2002, and has five stations along 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) of track, which is built without any open sections in the district of North York along Sheppard Avenue East between Yonge Street and Don Mills Road. All stations are wheelchair accessible and are decorated with unique public art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto subway</span> Rapid transit system in Ontario, Canada

The Toronto subway is a rapid transit system serving Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The subway system is a rail network consisting of three heavy-capacity rail lines operating predominantly underground. As of December 2024, three new lines are under construction: two light rail lines and one heavy rail line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Line 2 Bloor–Danforth</span> Rapid transit line in Toronto, Ontario

Line 2 Bloor–Danforth is a rapid transit line in the Toronto subway system, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It has 31 stations and is 26.2 kilometres (16.3 mi) in length. It opened on February 26, 1966, and extensions at both ends were completed in 1968 and again in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Line 1 Yonge–University</span> Rapid transit line in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario

Line 1 Yonge–University is a rapid transit line of the Toronto subway. It serves Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by the Toronto Transit Commission, has 38 stations and is 38.4 km (23.9 mi) in length, making it the longest line on the subway system. It opened as the "Yonge subway" in 1954 as Canada's first underground passenger rail line and was extended multiple times between 1963 and 2017. As of 2010, Line 1 was the busiest rapid transit line in Canada, and one of the busiest lines in North America. In 2022, it averaged over 670,000 riders per weekday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Mills station</span> Toronto subway station

Don Mills is a subway station that is the eastern terminus of Line 4 Sheppard in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station is at the northeast corner of Sheppard Avenue East and Don Mills Road, within the residential communities of Don Valley Village and Henry Farm, adjacent to Fairview Mall shopping centre. The station is close to Highways 401 and 404, as well as the Don Valley Parkway. Other nearby landmarks include Fairview Mall, Georges Vanier Secondary School, and the Fairview district branch of the Toronto Public Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pape station</span> Toronto subway station

Pape is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station opened in 1966 and is located in Toronto's Greektown neighbourhood at the northeast corner of Pape Avenue and Lipton Avenue, just north of Danforth Avenue. Wi-Fi service is available at this station. It is located at the site of the former Lipton loop.

The Eglinton West line was a proposed east–west subway line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose construction began in 1994 but was cancelled in 1995. It was to start from the existing Eglinton West station on the Toronto Transit Commission's Yonge–University–Spadina line, travel underneath Eglinton Avenue West, and terminate at Black Creek Drive in its initial phase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eglinton Avenue</span> Road in Toronto and Mississauga, Canada

Eglinton Avenue is a major east–west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga in the Canadian province of Ontario. The street begins at Highway 407 at the western limits of Mississauga, as a continuation of Lower Baseline in Milton. It traverses the midsection of both cities and ends at Kingston Road. Eglinton Avenue is the only street to cross all six former cities and boroughs of Metropolitan Toronto.

The Queen Street subway line was a proposed subway line for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was one of many subway lines planned for, but has yet to be built by the Toronto Transit Commission.

The Relief Line was a proposed rapid transit line for the Toronto subway system, intended to provide capacity relief to the Yonge segment of Line 1 and Bloor–Yonge station and extend subway service coverage in the city's east end. Several plans for an east–west downtown subway line date back to the early 20th century, most of which ran along Queen Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transit City</span> Proposed Toronto public transit plan

Transit City was a plan for developing public transport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was first proposed and announced on 16 March 2007 by Toronto mayor David Miller and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) chair Adam Giambrone. The plan called for the construction of seven new light rail lines along the streets of seven priority transit corridors, which would have eventually been integrated with existing rapid transit, streetcar, and bus routes. Other transit improvements outlined in the plan included upgrading and extending the Scarborough RT line, implementing new bus rapid transit lines, and improving frequency and timing of 21 key bus routes. The plan integrated public transportation objectives outlined in the City of Toronto Official Plan, the TTC Ridership Growth Strategy and Miller's 2006 election platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Line 5 Eglinton</span> Light rail line under construction in Toronto, Ontario

Line 5 Eglinton, also known as the Eglinton Crosstown LRT or the Crosstown, is a light rail transit line that is under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to expand and improve public transportation in the Greater Toronto Area. Owned by Metrolinx and operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the line will be part of the Toronto subway system. The Crosstown was conceived in 2007 during the administration of Toronto mayor David Miller as part of Transit City, a large-scale transit expansion plan. The line is being constructed in two phases.

The Sheppard East LRT was a proposed light rail line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was first announced as part of the Transit City proposal in 2007. The Sheppard East LRT as proposed was to be 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) long, travel along Sheppard Avenue from Don Mills subway station to east of Morningside Avenue, and be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

The Eglinton East LRT (EELRT), also known as Line 7 Eglinton East and formerly known as the Scarborough Malvern LRT, is a proposed light rail line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The line would be entirely within the district of Scarborough. It was originally part of Transit City, a 2007 plan to develop new light rail lines along several priority transit corridors in the city.

Network 2011 was a plan for transit expansion created in 1985 by the Toronto Transit Commission. It was centred on three proposed subway lines: the Downtown Relief Line, Eglinton West Line, and the Sheppard Line. Only a portion of the Sheppard Line was built. The Eglinton West and Downtown Relief Lines were cancelled; they were superseded by the Eglinton Crosstown light rail line and the Ontario Line respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaside station</span> Future underground LRT station in Toronto, Canada

Leaside is an underground light rail transit (LRT) station under construction on Line 5 Eglinton, a new line that is part of the Toronto subway system. It is located in the Leaside neighbourhood at the intersection of Bayview Avenue and Eglinton Avenue. It is scheduled to open in 2024.

SmartTrack is a municipal proposal to enhance GO Transit rail service within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It takes advantage of the province's existing GO Transit Regional Express Rail plans. SmartTrack has evolved since it was originally proposed by Toronto mayor John Tory as the centrepiece of his 2014 mayoral election campaign.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) maintains three rapid transit lines and 75 stations on 76.9 km (47.8 mi) of route. There are also two light-rail lines under construction.

The Big Move is a regional transportation plan (RTP) published in 2008 and consisting of 62 rapid transit projects to be implemented across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). These rapid transit projects are intended to form a seamlessly integrated regional rapid transit network, which is the first priority action in the regional transportation plan. These projects form two long-term templates with 15 and 25 year horizons. These templates outline broad projects; specific details about technology, alignment, stations and service levels for each project are subsequently determined though a cost–benefit analysis or an environmental assessment process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Line</span> Rapid transit line under construction in Toronto

The Ontario Line is a rapid transit line under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its northern terminus will be at Eglinton Avenue and Don Mills Road, at Science Centre station, where it will connect with Line 5 Eglinton. Its southern terminus will be at the existing Exhibition GO Station on the Lakeshore West line. The Ontario Line was announced by the Government of Ontario on April 10, 2019. As of August 2024, the estimated cost for the 15.6-kilometre (9.7 mi) line is CA$27 billion with an estimated completion in 2031. Originally, the cost was estimated at $10.9 billion with completion by 2027. A groundbreaking ceremony for the project took place on March 27, 2022. Upon opening, the plan is for the line to be numbered as "Line 3". This number was used by Line 3 Scarborough until its closure in July 2023.

References

  1. Mayor Rob Ford: “Transit City is over” Archived 2013-01-19 at the Wayback Machine Toronto Life December 1, 2010
  2. Tess Kalinowski (28 November 2012). "TTC, Metrolinx finally sign off on LRTs". Toronto Star . Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  3. "TTC Description of 925 Don Mills Express". www.ttc.ca. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "The Big Move" (PDF). Metrolinx. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  5. "Yonge Relief Network Study (YRNS) - Report for June 25th Metrolinx Board Meeting" (PDF). Metrolinx. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-13. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  6. 1 2 UrbanToronto forums - TTC: Jane LRT - Post #880309
  7. "TTC Report: Downtown Rapid Transit Expansion Study – Phase 1 Strategic Plan" (PDF). 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2015-12-08.