SmartTrack

SmartTrack is a proposed Regional Express Rail surface line in Toronto, Canada. It was proposed by John Tory and was the centrepiece of his 2014 Toronto Mayoral election campaign. The SmartTrack line as proposed would be 53 km long and run along Eglinton Avenue from Matheson/Airport Corporate Centre in Mississauga to Mount Dennis before turning downtown to Union Station. It would then run northeast through Scarborough to Unionville in Markham. There are 22 proposed stations and would interchange with the Union Pearson Express, Eglinton Crosstown line, Bloor–Danforth line, Yonge–University–Spadina line, and GO Transit.^[1] Tory estimates ridership will be 200,000 passengers a day,^[2] will cost $8 billion and be in service by 2022.^[3] No costing or ridership studies have been undertaken by Metrolinx, the TTC or The City of Toronto. On December 5 the executive committee voted unanimously to commence feasibility studies regarding the project with Toronto City Council to vote on it in January.^[4] On February 10, 2015, the Toronto City Council voted to spend $1.65 million more to study SmartTrack.^[5]

SmartTrack is the latest in a series of proposed solutions to provide relief for the overcrowded Yonge-University-Spadina Line, particularly at the Bloor-Yonge Station transfer point with the Bloor-Danforth Line.^[6] As proposed, it would service the shoulder areas of downtown such as Liberty Village, CityPlace, and the proposed East Don Lands development.^[7] It would also connect Toronto to major employment centres in Mississauga and Markham. It would run above ground north along Eglinton using the Richview Expressway right of way and along the Kitchener line, Lakeshore East line, and Stouffville line. By building above ground and using pre-existing infrastructure Tory states that SmartTrack would be built far faster than the DRL, in 7 years opposed to 17.^[8]

SmartTrack would complement the Government of Ontario’s plan to electrify the entire GO Transit network over the next 10 years to provide regional express rail (RER) to the GTHA.^[9] Using electric multiple units SmartTrack would provide all day service throughout Toronto on a 15 minutes or less. Tory claims that at Kennedy Station a rider would get to Union Station in less than 30 minutes using SmartTrack’s service instead of 40 minutes along TTC's Line 2 and Line 1 subways.^[1]

SmartTrack is also the latest proposal to bring rapid transit along Eglinton West to Pearson International Airport after the Eglinton West Subway was cancelled.^[10] By connecting to the Eglinton-Crosstown Line at Mount Dennis there would be rapid transportation along Eglinton from Pearson International Airport to Kennedy Road.

SmartTrack is has been stated to cost $8 billion, although no detailed studies have yet been undertaken. As proposed by Tory, Toronto’s share would be paid for by using Tax increment financing. It’s expected that the provincial and federal government will each contribute a third of the cost.^[11] Mississauga and Markham would also pay their 1/3 share for their portions of the SmartTrack Line, although no commitment has yet been made on their parts.

SmartTrack would likely lead to an overhaul of TTC bus routes. Residents of Etobicoke and Scarborough would take an express bus to their closest SmartTrack station instead of the distant terminuses of the Yonge-University-Spadina Line and Bloor-Danforth Line. By diverting these passengers SmartTrack would also benefit North York commuters on the current overcapacity feeder bus routes to the Line 1 subway.^[1]

Anticipated economic benefits

There has been an ongoing discussion as to economic benefits of Toronto's different rapid transit choices.^[12] According to Tess Kalinowski, writing in the Toronto Star, a study co-authored by Andre Sorensen, a University of Toronto professor of Human Geography, SmartTrack's route would average 12 hectares per kilometer available for redevelopment. This was slightly more than the 11.1 hectares per kilometer available if the TTC's heavy rail system was extended from Kennedy Station to Sheppard. But it was less than the 18.4 hectares per kilometer available on the Sheppard East LRT.

Sorenson asserted the worst choice Toronto could make would be to complete both SmartTrack and the Kennedy to Sheppard heavy rail extension—since two routes were much too close together.^[12]

Route

Stations

References

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