The $4.7 billion project, expected to be completed in 2030-31, will extend the Eglinton Crosstown train line 9.2 kilometers west along Eglinton Avenue West to Mississauga. The route is expected to be mainly underground. But an elevated section is planned to run 1.5km between the stations at Scarlett Road and Jane Street. This will affect parts of Pearen Park, Fergy Brown Park, as well as the surrounding urban forest, and Neiland Brissenden, a member of a group called Stop the Trains in Our Parks, says residents should not have to choose between extending the crossing and of loss park. “This neighborhood needs this transit — we’re a priority neighborhood. We need access to the jobs that this project will bring,” Brissenden said. “But we don’t think this should come at the expense of our fantastic green space.” This rendering shows the elevated portion of the Eglinton Crosstown West extension that runs along the north side of Eglinton Avenue West before heading back underground east of Jane Street. (Metrolinx) Tunnel construction for the extension began in early April, and later that month, Metrolinx invited shortlisted builders to submit proposals for the design and construction of the elevated section. But Brissenden’s team and the Mount Dennis Community are calling on the service to change course before it’s too late. And they’re not alone: the city of Toronto has asked the provincial transit agency at least twice in recent months to consider moving the elevated section underground. But Metrolinx says the current design is the most cost-effective option and can carry the most riders without the risks of tunneling under the Humber River. “Excavations for the Scarlett and Jane underground stations will need to be about 100 feet deep – which is almost as tall as a nine-story building,” said Metrolinx spokeswoman Fannie Sunshine. It says the above-ground design will save more travel time for riders, has “the largest passenger capacity” and will mean “easier, more reliable operations once the extension is up and running”.
“I think through compromises”
The tension between York South-Weston residents and Metrolinx is not unique, says Matti Siemiatycki, a professor of geography and planning who also heads the University of Toronto’s Infrastructure Institute. He says communities often want to see transit expansion projects go underground with minimal structural, environmental and traffic impacts. But in reality, he says, underground transit is the most expensive to build and maintain, requires more energy than above-ground options to operate, and should only be used when transporting large numbers of people or there is no other alternative. “There’s a fixed amount of money that we need to invest in transit, and to spread that out as much as possible we need to think about interchanges,” Siemiatycki told CBC Toronto. The Eglinton Crosstown West extension is projected to run 9.2 kilometers along Eglinton Avenue West to Mississauga. (Submitted by the Government of Ontario) Metrolinx says the line will connect to five regional rail and bus lines and have up to 10 stations — seven from Mount Dennis to Renforth Drive and up to three more for a possible connection between Renforth Drive and Pearson International Airport. Under current planning, the regional transit agency anticipates 37,000 daily ridership and 39,000 tons in annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
Asking for help
Brissenden says that if the plan goes ahead as it is, not only will children have less incentive to use their parks for the eight years construction is expected to take, but also threatened and endangered species found in the area, such as the little coffee myotid bat. put themselves at greater risk. That’s why he’s seeking help from Michael Ford, the new MPP for York South-Weston. Ford, who is also the new citizenship and multiculturalism minister and the nephew of Premier Doug Ford, campaigned on the issue during the recent provincial election and said he would help local residents make their case to Ontario’s transportation minister, Caroline Mulroney. “I will be a voice for my constituents in Queen’s Park and work with Metrolinx, Minister Mulroney and her team to build transit for commuters and support the needs of our community,” she said in a written statement to CBC News from the Ford office.
