Item - 2015.EX9.1

The Executive Committee:

1.  Requested the City Manager to forward the report (October 15, 2015) from the City Manager for information to the Toronto Transit Commission, the Ministry of Transportation, Metrolinx, the City of Mississauga and York Region.

2.  Requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to report to the Planning and Growth Management Committee on the results of the public consultations arising from the Preliminary Assessments of the Smart Track Stations, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report (October 15, 2015) from the City Manager, particularly with respect to the development potential of new stations.

3.  Requested the City Manager to work with Toronto Transit Commission, Metrolinx, and GO Transit, to develop a One Map Strategy where by major intersections and/routes of these transit operators are shown on future hard copy and electronic local and regional transit maps, once SmartTrack routes and stations are established.

The Deputy City Manager, Cluster B and the Chief Customer Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission gave a presentation on SmartTrack Status Update.

The City is currently undertaking planning studies on SmartTrack, the Scarborough Subway Extension (SSE), Relief Line and Waterfront Light Rail Transit (LRT). The Province and Metrolinx are currently planning and beginning early implementation of GO Regional Express Rail (RER), in addition to continued implementation of the Metrolinx LRT Program (e.g. Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Finch West LRT, and Sheppard East LRT). Projects are in various stages of approval and construction, but together will significantly transform the future transit network of the city and region. Through the "Feeling Congested?" framework developed as part of the City's Official Plan Review, the City Planning division is taking a comprehensive view of future transit projects from a network perspective. This information report provides an update on the review of SmartTrack and the preliminary findings to date.

The SmartTrack concept proposes a heavy rail local transit service within the existing regional GO transit network, specifically on parts of the Kitchener and Stouffville/Lakeshore East GO Corridors. SmartTrack includes enhanced service levels (better than 15-minute frequencies) in both directions, additional stations, service and fare integration with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) network, and a new heavy rail corridor connecting to the Mississauga Airport Corporate Centre (MACC)/Pearson Airport. By leveraging the provincial commitment to improve the GO network, SmartTrack seeks to address the immediate need for greater access to rapid transit service in Toronto; provide relief to the overcrowded Yonge subway line; encourage development opportunities across the city; and create connections between major employment centres within the city and region.

In February 2015, City Council approved a work plan to undertake analysis of the SmartTrack concept and requested the Province and Metrolinx to consider specific SmartTrack components in the GO RER plan. Metrolinx has since developed the GO RER Program, and in the 2015 Ontario Budget, $13.5 billion of the Province's $16 billion Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) Transit Fund was committed to implement GO RER by 2025. This funding includes capital construction costs, but does not include other costs such as financing, lifecycle maintenance and operating costs.

GO RER includes several key elements that lay the foundation for SmartTrack. This includes electrification of GO corridors; a service frequency of every 15 minutes on the Stouffville/Lakeshore East and Kitchener GO Corridors; and all-stop service in both directions. Appendix 1 provides further details on the GO RER Program. A number of SmartTrack elements are not included in the GO RER plan:

-opportunities for service frequencies better than 15 minutes;
-additional new stations; and
-fare integration with a TTC fare option.

A new western heavy rail corridor connecting Mount Dennis to the MACC/Pearson Airport is a component of the SmartTrack concept currently being reviewed through a City led feasibility review. City Council also directed the TTC to review opportunities for transit service integration with the proposed SmartTrack plan.

The City, Metrolinx and TTC continue to assess the opportunities for providing a more local SmartTrack service in the same corridors as GO RER. Analysis is underway to assess the SmartTrack components not included in GO RER, and the related service concept, infrastructure and cost implications of integrating SmartTrack and GO RER in the same GO corridors. An assessment of the planning merits, transit network implications and city building opportunities is also underway. A key input is the new ridership demand forecasting model under development by the University of Toronto, which will provide capacity to assess different network scenarios, travel behaviours and off-peak demand. The new model is currently delayed until the calibration and validation process is complete. Model runs are expected to be complete by the fourth Quarter of 2015.

This report provides an update on the preliminary findings to date, including the detailed analysis that has been undertaken with respect to potential new station sites (Appendix 2 and 2A); the feasibility of a new western heavy rail corridor (Appendix 3); and integrating TTC services (Appendix 4). An update on the public consultation program is included (Appendix 5). Preliminary planning analysis has also been undertaken to assess the current SmartTrack concept. Appendix 6 provides details on the Official Plan Review "Feeling Congested?" framework and the preliminary assessment of the current SmartTrack concept from a transit network perspective. An update on key inputs required to complete the planning assessment are included in Appendices 7 and 8. Finally, Appendix 9 provides an update on the work to date to develop a City Funding and Financing Strategy for SmartTrack.

A report will be provided to City Council in the first Quarter of 2016 with recommendations to further develop and optimize the SmartTrack and GO RER concepts to better serve Toronto's transit network and city building objectives. Additional public consultation on SmartTrack and other transit planning studies will occur in the fourth Quarter of 2015.