Item - 2022.EX33.2

The Director, Program Management and Planning, Transit Expansion Office gave a presentation on Advancing City Priority Transit Expansion Projects - Eglinton East Light Rail Transit.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

Eglinton East Light Rail Transit

1. City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Office to:

a. advance the Transit Project Assessment Process and 10 percent design for a distinct-service concept with an at-grade connection at Kennedy Station for the Eglinton East LRT from Kennedy Station to Malvern Town Centre, and the Sheppard Avenue segment from Neilson Road to McCowan Road; and

b. in consultation with the Chief Vehicle Officer, Toronto Transit Commission, complete an assessment of light rail vehicle options for the Eglinton East LRT distinct-service concept.

2. City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Office to report back to City Council in the third quarter of 2023 with a Class 4 Cost Estimate and 10 percent design for the Eglinton East LRT as a distinct-service concept based on Recommendation 1 above.

3. City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Office in consultation with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to report back with an updated Initial Business Case for the Eglinton East LRT in the third quarter of 2023 based on Recommendation 1 above.

4. City Council request that Metrolinx work with City staff to accommodate and protect for the Eglinton East LRT distinct-service concept in the design and delivery of the Scarborough Subway Extension project, particularly at the Kennedy Station and Sheppard-McCowan Station interfaces.

5. City Council request the Ministry of Transportation to incorporate provisions to accommodate the Eglinton East LRT distinct-service concept in the rehabilitation work on the Morningside-401 overpass.

6. City Council confirm that the Conlins Yard owned by Metrolinx is the preferred location for the Eglinton East LRT Maintenance and Storage Facility and request Metrolinx to provide the City with permanent access to the site.

Waterfront Transit Network 

7. City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Office to undertake a constructability review of the Union Station to Queens Quay Link and the East Bayfront LRT (the Waterfront East LRT) in consultation with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, the TTC and Waterfront Toronto, to assess constructability and coordination risks with major infrastructure projects in the vicinity of the Waterfront East LRT alignment.

8. City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Office in consultation with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, the Toronto Transit Commission, and Waterfront Toronto, to report back to City Council in concert with reports on the Next Phase of Waterfront Revitalization anticipated in second quarter of 2023 with:

a. the recommended alignment and scope of the project based on ongoing work and the review outlined in Recommendation 7 above;

b. an updated cost estimate; and

c. a funding, financing and implementation strategy, including a phasing plan.

General

9. City Council forward this report for information to the Toronto Transit Commission Board and the Waterfront Toronto Board.

The purpose of this report is to provide City Council with an update on the City's priority transit expansion projects, namely the Eglinton East Light Rail Transit (EELRT) and the Waterfront East LRT (WELRT) and seek required authorities to continue advancing both projects. This report also provides an update on the Province's Durham-Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit project.

Eglinton East LRT

The EELRT is a proposed 15 kilometre LRT in Scarborough extending from the terminus of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT (ECLRT) to Malvern Town Centre via the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (UTSC). In 2020, City Council approved the updated alignment and concept for the EELRT as an extension of the Metrolinx-owned ECLRT by extending the ECLRT tracks underground at Kennedy Station, which would enable through-service at Kennedy Station. In February 2022, City Council directed City staff to undertake a constructability exercise for the EELRT to resolve alignment issues at Kennedy station, evaluate the potential to host the Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) at the Metrolinx-owned Conlins site, and to work with Metrolinx to protect for higher-order transit connection at the future station of the provincial Scarborough Subway Extension (SSE) at Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road. This resulting analysis included an assessment, which revealed significant issues with the interface of the EELRT and the provincial SSE project at Kennedy Station.

City staff have worked with Metrolinx in an effort to resolve constructability issues in order to maintain the through-service alignment, however a viable solution that preserved the through-service was not possible due to the conflicts at Kennedy Station between the initial alignment and the planned SSE project. City staff have identified a distinct-service concept with an at-grade connection at Kennedy Station as an alternative solution. Based on preliminary analysis, the distinct-service concept has a number of benefits for the project. This includes cost savings, a shorter construction duration, reduced property impacts, and design flexibility by avoiding dependency on the ECLRT technology, operations, and maintenance requirements. The design flexibility to select alternative vehicles from the ECLRT would enable vehicles to be accommodated at the preferred MSF at the Conlins Yard over the long term. City staff are also assessing the benefits of the EELRT connection to the SSE at Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road, which would provide a complete network for the Scarborough rapid transit network.

Further analysis is required to confirm potential benefits and refine the distinct-service concept. This report recommends that City Council direct City staff to advance the Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) and 10% design for the distinct-service concept for the EELRT from Kennedy Station to Malvern Town Centre, with an at-grade connection at Kennedy Station, and the Sheppard Avenue segment from Neilson Road to McCowan Road. City staff will report back in Q3 2023 with a Class 4 cost estimate and an updated Initial Business Case. 

Waterfront East LRT (WELRT)

The Union Station to Queens Quay Link and the East Bayfront Light Rail Transit (referred to as the Waterfront East LRT (WELRT)) is a priority Waterfront Transit Network project. Since the last update to City Council in December 2020, the City, TTC and Waterfront Toronto have advanced the design for the WELRT to 30%. City staff, the TTC and Waterfront Toronto continue to undertake a value engineering exercise to inform design refinements and an updated cost estimate.

Additional work is required to assess constructability and coordination risks with other planned and in-progress major infrastructure projects in the vicinity of the WELRT alignment, such as the Ontario Line, GO Expansion On Corridor Works, and the Gardiner Expressway Rehabilitation projects. This report recommends that City Council direct staff to finalize design work underway and to undertake a constructability review of the WELRT in relation to these major infrastructure projects, and to report back in Q2 2023 in concert with reports that are expected on the Next Phase of Waterfront Revitalization. The report back on the WELRT will include the recommended scope, an updated cost estimate, and a funding, financing and implementation strategy, including a phasing plan prior to further advancing the design and TPAP.

Durham-Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit

The Durham-Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit is a Metrolinx-led project that will provide approximately 36 kilometres of dedicated transit infrastructure that will connect Durham Region and the City of Toronto. City staff will continue to provide updates to Council as Metrolinx advances implementation of the project and outstanding issues are resolved during detail design with Metrolinx.