East Bayfront LRT


East Bayfront LRT is a proposed streetcar line that would run along Queens Quay East from Bay Street to Parliament Street, connecting Union station to the East Bayfront area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It would complement the existing 509 Harbourfront service which connects Union Station to Queens Quay west of Bay Street.

Route

Phase one of the line would start in the underground loop at Union Station, and proceed underground to Queens Quay. The line would then turn east and emerge from the tunnel 250 metres east of Yonge Street at Freeland Street. Both the eastbound and westbound tracks would be in a dedicated right of way along the south side of Queens Quay so as to reduce the need for rail vehicles to stop for road traffic, as there are fewer street intersections on the south side of Queens Quay than on its north side. The line would end in a temporary loop at Small Street, just west of Parliament Street.
When multiple additional routes arriving at Union Station were under consideration, the city considered replacing the streetcar track in the tunnel between Union Station and Queen's Quay with a driverless people-mover system, and changing the streetcar routing so it only ran along Queen's Quay. On April 19, 2019, staff recommended routing the streetcar service to Union Station and expanding the platform section under Bay Street. The recommended expansion would add four platforms, with cross-over tracks, so a vehicle waiting at one platform would not block the platforms for other routes.

Cost

In 2015, the estimated cost to build the East Bayfront LRT from Union Station to Small Street was $520million. The breakdown is as follows:
By June 2019, the estimated cost of the line grew to $700million.

Challenges

The underground streetcar loop at Union Station does not have the capacity to accommodate the extra light rail vehicles needed to service the new line. Thus, a new eastbound platform must be added.
A sewer at Queens Quay and Bay Street will make it difficult to build an eastern portal to bring the tracks to the surface.
One of the issues which has delayed progress of constructing the line is the proposed redevelopment of the waterfront properties between Jarvis Street and Parliament Street, which lie south of Queens Quay. The plans called for two access streets, which would cross the proposed light rail line at signalized intersections. However, the developer has designed a third street into the plan, likely due to the expected traffic volumes from the development, which would require an additional signalized intersection with the light rail line. Some councillors have stated this would negatively affect service along the proposed route, possibly adding as much as an extra three minutes travel to a line that would only require ten minutes to traverse.

Demand

's campus in the East Bayfront has opened and there are development plans for several apartment and condominium complexes on Queens Quay East and, in future years, in the West Don Lands. Thus, there will be roughly 20,000 residential units in the area, plus 8,000 jobs and 3,500 students.
According to transit advocate Steve Munro, developers in the area, particularly for commercial properties, are concerned that without good transit, a better connection to the core area than the Sherbourne and Bay buses, developments are not marketable.
A project called the Waterfront Transit Reset was set up to study possible streetcar system upgrades along the waterfront from Long Branch to Leslie Street. That study included the East Bayfront. A WTR report dated November 13, 2017, stated that:
In January 2019, the Waterfront BIA estimates a $1.2billion loss of productivity and a $20billion loss of federal, provincial and local tax revenue if the opening of the East Bayfront LRT were delayed from 2025 to 2045. The BIA hopes that the line will open by 2025 which according to the BIA would stimulate commercial and residential development providing 135,000 new jobs and housing 67,000 residents along the proposed line.

Bus alternative

A bus service running in the former streetcar's dedicated right of way has been considered as an alternate service. The challenge for such a service to the eastern waterfront is the connection at Union Station for transferring passengers. There is limited sidewalk space for both pedestrians and transit stops along Bay Street. Buses would have to compete with other traffic through the Bay Street underpass and the mixed traffic south to Queens Quay.

History

On April 5, 2006, the first Public Forum for the Environmental Assessment for the Eastern Waterfront transit proposals was held.
In February 2012, Emily Jackson of the Toronto Star reported that budget over-runs on the Queens Quay West line had not left enough funds to start the Queens Quay East line.
On August 29, 2014, The Globe and Mail reported that senior City of Toronto officials had gone over the head of City Council, and made an appeal for funding for the line right to more senior levels of government. TTC General Manager Andy Byford and City Manager Joe Pennachetti had made their proposal to their opposite numbers in the Provincial bureaucracy. According to The Globe and Mail, they had not yet approached provincial and federal politicians.
In September 2015, the TTC Budget Committee passed the following motion regarding the Capital Budget:
In May 2016, condominium developers expressed concern about a lack of activity on the East Bayfront LRT project. Sam Crignano, president of Cityzen, a developer with three projects along the eastern waterfront, said that having two or three bus lines in the area won't be enough to handle the future influx of new residents and employees. Niall Haggart, executive vice-president of the Daniels Corp., urged action on the LRT project. Daniels has started a $700-million mixed-use development which will add about 7,300 people to the area by day and 2,500 at night. The Toronto Star reported that the project had been stalled because of a lack of funding and piecemeal transportation planning.
A report about the Waterfront Transit Reset project dated November 13, 2017, stated that: "The City, Waterfront Toronto, and the TTC would carry out the approved plans for a new streetcar line along Queens Quay East in the East Bayfront area."
Since the provincial election of June 2018, when there was a change in government, the province has made no promise to fund the Easy Bayfront LRT. In January 2019, the provincial Ministry of Transportation said it had not received a formal request for funding from the City; thus, the province remains uncommitted.
In June 2019, Sidewalk Labs offered $100 million in "credit support" to build a portion of the East Bayfront LRT between Cherry Street and Broadview Avenue, which would pass through its proposed development in Toronto's Portland area. The estimated cost of that portion of the line was $406 million and would be in addition to the $700 million estimated cost to build the line from Union Station to Small Street.
On June 17, 2020, the TTC Board approved spending $15,000,000 over three years on design work for the expansion of streetcar platforms at and stations as well for a new tunnel and portal for the East Bayfront line. The TTC is also considering connecting the line to Distillery Loop.

Future expansion

At the eastern end of the East Bayfront line, just east of Parliament Street, there would be a temporary streetcar loop. In 2012, the intent was to replace this loop with an easterly extension along Commissioners Street into the Port Lands area and north along Cherry Street into the Lower Don Lands. Thus, there would eventually be a connection between the East Bayfront line and the Cherry Street streetcar line. To reach Commissioners Street, a new Cherry Street would be built roughly in line with the existing Cherry Street north of Lake Shore Boulevard to allow streetcars to cross the Keating Channel on a new bridge and run south via New Cherry Street to the Ship Channel.
In a November 13, 2017, report about the Waterfront Transit Reset project, the City, Waterfront Toronto, and the TTC reported they would continue planning for new streetcar lines in the Portlands area, east of Parliament Street and south of Lake Shore Boulevard. However, east of Leslie Street, projected demand is too low to justify streetcar service. The report made no mention of connecting the East Bayfront line to the Cherry Street streetcar line.