Council should build a high-capacity, fast, and frequent Eglinton East LRT

Councillors are voting soon on whether to advance the Eglinton East light rail transit line to 10% design. That means we still have time to have a voice in the project and convince them to make it as fast, high-capacity, and reliable as possible.

There is a lot to like about the new plan for the Eglinton East LRT. But we have questions about the capacity of the new line and whether it will serve the needs of Scarborough. 

Can you take 30 seconds today to send an email to your Councillor? Your voice is needed to convince them to invest in a fast, high-capacity public transit network for Scarborough. 

Copy and paste this email template, and scroll down for more information from the reports. 

You can also register to speak at the Executive Committee meeting on June 8, 2022 by emailing [email protected]

EMAIL TO: [email protected][email protected][email protected][email protected][email protected][email protected][email protected][email protected]
CC: [email protected]
SUBJECT:  Invest in fast, high-capacity light rail transit for Scarborough
EMAIL TEXT: 

Dear Mayor Tory and Scarborough Councillors,

For too long, Scarborough residents have been underserved by rapid transit. Transit inequality will only get worse when the Scarborough RT (Line 3) shuts down next year in 2023, forcing thousands of Scarborough transit riders to take slower, congested replacement buses for years.

The Eglinton East LRT is an effective solution that will connect underserved communities like West Hill, Malvern and the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus with higher order rapid transit. 

Residents were promised a fast train with high capacity like the Eglinton Crosstown. But now we are getting a cheaper version that will have lower capacity and could be slower than the buses in RapidTO lanes! (source: EELRT Initial Business Case). 

I urge you to act now for a faster, higher-capacity EELRT by:

  • Supporting the new alignment that will connect Sheppard East, because Scarborough doesn’t end at McCowan and we need a real transit network that connects Malvern.
  • Supporting frequent service and a higher-capacity line to minimize wait times and so that ridership can grow in the future. This may require building a dedicated LRT bridge over Highland Creek, more work on the Highway 401 overpass, building longer platforms, and securing a bigger Maintenance and Storage Facility site for either larger vehicles or more vehicles. We need to plan ahead now for future growth.
  • Approving signal priority and other measures for the Eglinton East LRT so it travels faster than buses. Rapid transit in Scarborough should be rapid!
  • Supporting convenient, fast connections at Kennedy for riders transferring between Crosstown and Eglinton East LRTs by looking at all possible transfer options during design. The report says that the transfer time will only be 1.3 minutes, but this doesn’t factor in waiting up to 5 minutes or more for the EELRT vehicle to arrive. 

The Business Case says so itself: “Further work defining the local bus network to complement the Eglinton East LRT may result in higher ridership for the LRT scenario.” So why plan for a lower capacity line? 

Scarborough residents are sick and tired of receiving the short end of the transit expansion stick. I am counting on you to act now to ensure Scarbrough gets a fast, high-capacity light rail  transit line rather than a shell of what was promised to residents.

Sincerely,

How can I learn more about this plan? 

Link to Eglinton East LRT Initial Business Case, May 2022:
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-226595.pdf

Link to Advancing City Priority Transit Expansion Projects – Eglinton East LRT and Waterfront East LRT, May 2022: 
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-226594.pdf 

What's new about the Eglinton East LRT plan? 

  • A new East-West connection across Sheppard East would connect Malvern and UTSC to McCowan and Sheppard.
  • Smaller trains than the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, with less capacity.
  • Split service: The Eglinton East LRT service will end at Kennedy Station, so you would need to transfer to the Eglinton Crosstown or the Bloor-Danforth subway (Line 2).
  • The Business Case explains that on some portions of the line, RapidTO bus lanes will be faster than the Eglinton East LRT.

What will the capacity and service frequency be? 

Capacity and projected ridership information is not included in the above reports. Here are the assumptions made that we used to calculate potential capacity. 

The report states: 

  • “The distinct-service can effectively meet EELRT peak demand over the long term using trains of 50 metres or less, operating at approximately 5 minute frequencies. … The distinct-service concept will allow for the selection of LRVs that are tailored specifically for the EELRT, in terms of length and car parts (e.g. 2-car trains).” (p. 9)

  • Later, there is a reference to "greater operational flexibility to improve level of service cost effectively (e.g., mixed 1-car/2- car service).” (p. 12)

Based on this information, TTCriders has assumed that 1-car trains would measure approximately 25 metres. It is also possible that the Eglinton East LRT will begin service with 1-car trains. 

Compare a 25-metre train to:

TTC Flexity Streetcar

  • 30.2 metres/vehicle

  • 251 person capacity (70 seated, 181 standing)

Eglinton Crosstown vehicle

  • ~32 metres/vehicle

  • Each train will have 2-3 vehicles (meaning each train would be 60 or 90 metres long, with a capacity of 326-489 people)

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