MEETING DATE: MARCH 24, 2004 SUBJECT: Status Of TTC - GO Station Connections RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that the Commission: 1. Receive this report for information, noting that: • there are excellent connections between GO Rail and TTC subway stations at Union Station and at Kipling Station; the Union Station connection is well used, but the Kipling Station connection is not because it does not provide potential GO users with reasonable access to their desired destinations; • GO Transit plans to improve connections with TTC stations at Leslie/Oriole and Kennedy stations this year; • City Council approved, in principle, the construction of an improved connection between the TTC Dundas West Station and Bloor Station on the Georgetown GO line; this connection is expected to have very low usage under current conditions, and TTC staff do not support the inclusion of funding for this project in the TTC's Capital Budget at this time; • the recently announced Airport Rail Link would operate in the GO Transit Georgetown corridor, and is premised, in part, on an improved connection with TTC at Dundas West subway station; GO Transit has been mandated to accommodate the requirements for the airport rail link within their Georgetown corridor expansion project; • opportunities for additional connections between GO Rail and TTC services are being considered in on-going City and TTC planning activities, notably in the Don Valley Corridor Study, the planning associated with the extensions of the Spadina and Sheppard subways and in planning for the Waterfront; and 1. Forward this report to GO Transit and the Commissioner of Urban Development Services, City of Toronto. FUNDING This report has no effect on the TTC’s current budgets. There are no funds in the TTC's 2004 to 2008 Capital Budget for improvements to connections between TTC subway stations and GO Rail stations. BACKGROUND The Commission, at its meeting of July 18, 2001, when considering a deputation regarding a second exit at Dundas West subway station, requested that TTC and GO Transit staff submit a further report on potential TTC/GO station connections, and that these connections be ranked in accordance to priority; and the aforementioned request concerning TTC/GO connections be co-ordinated as part of the rapid transit expansion plan. City Planning proposed that a connection between Dundas West Subway Station and the GO Rail Bloor Station (Georgetown line) be established by constructing a passenger walkway through the Crossways Mall. Based on the Bloor/Lansdowne Area Avenue Study, prepared by City Planning, City of Toronto Council, at its meeting of November 26, 27, and 28, 2002, supported, in principle, the construction of a more-direct passenger connection between the two stations through the mall. It also directed the TTC, in consultation with GO Transit, Urban Development Services, and Works and Emergency Services, to review the proposed changes at Dundas West Station and requested that the findings of this review be reported to City Council in 2003. In addition, the TTC was requested to give top priority to the connection and include funding for this connection in its five-year Capital Program. This report responds to these requests. DISCUSSION There are five locations in the City where passengers can transfer between TTC subway services and GO Rail services. These are illustrated in Exhibit 1. Union Station There is a direct connection between GO and TTC services at Union Station. Based on the most-recent GO passenger surveys, approximately 63,000 passengers per day, in each direction, use GO Union Station, and approximately 22% of these transfer to and from the subway. Improvements to the pedestrian connection between the GO Rail station and the TTC subway station are planned as part of two current projects. The construction of an additional subway platform and related concourse modifications is a priority project for the TTC and Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation, and the City's plans for the renovation of the Union Rail Station building will also improve passenger connections. Kipling Station An underground passenger walkway provides a direct connection between TTC Kipling Station, on the Bloor-Danforth Subway, and the GO Kipling Station on the Milton line. The physical connection between the lines is excellent from a passenger perspective because the walking distances are short and it is in a fully-enclosed walkway. Approximately 10,800 passengers per day, in each direction, use the GO Milton line, but less than 2% of these passengers, or 175 per day, board GO trains at Kipling Station destined for Union Station. Of these, approximately 15% use the TTC to reach the station. A further 350 passengers per day arrive at Kipling Station by GO train destined for locations other than Union Station. These passengers are destined either to locations close to the station or along the Bloor-Danforth subway line. Approximately 50% of these passengers use TTC services after leaving the GO Train. Relatively few current and potential new GO passengers use the connection because there are few destinations accessible through the connection that are not better served by other transit or travel options. Main Street/Danforth Passengers who wish to transfer between the TTC Main Street Station, on the Bloor- Danforth subway, and the GO Danforth Station on the Lakeshore East line, walk approximately 400 metres along Main Street between the two stations. Based on the most-recent GO passenger surveys, approximately 400 passengers per day, in each direction, use the GO Danforth Station, split relatively equally between passengers travelling to and from Union Station and those arriving by GO train from other destinations and travelling to locations in the area. Because of the physical separation involved, there is little practical opportunity to improve the physical integration of these two stations. Leslie/Oriole Currently, the GO Oriole Station, on the Richmond Hill line, can be reached by walking approximately 1,000 metres south from the bus terminal at the TTC Leslie Station on the Sheppard Subway. Based on the most-recent GO passenger surveys, approximately 325 passengers per day, in each direction, use the GO Oriole Station, virtually all of whom are destined for Union Station. This represents 15% of the 3,200 total daily passenger- trips on the Richmond Hill line. Very few of these passengers transfer between TTC and GO services at this location. GO Transit has committed to relocate the existing GO Oriole Station platform from the existing location, south of Highway 401, approximately 200 metres north to a location just north of Highway 401. A 200-metre walkway will also be constructed to connect the north end of the new GO platform, via the TTC Leslie Station commuter parking lot, to the automatic entrance at the TTC Leslie Station bus terminal. GO Transit staff indicate this project was scheduled to begin in April 2004, but has been delayed due to current labour relations issues between GO Transit and CN rail. Dundas West/Bloor In order to transfer between the TTC Dundas West Station on the Bloor-Danforth Subway and the GO Bloor Station on the Georgetown line, customers walk approximately 350 metres along Bloor Street, between the two stations. Based on the most-recent GO passenger surveys, approximately 100 passengers per day, in each direction, use the GO Bloor Station, which represents less than 2% of the 6,900 total daily inbound passengers on the Georgetown line. Very few of these passengers currently transfer between TTC and GO services at this location. The City’s Official Plan identifies both Bloor Street and Dundas Street West, in the vicinity of the station, as "Avenues", which are planning zones for revitalisation and improved transit service. As part of the implementation of the "Avenues" concept in the area, the City has proposed, in their Bloor/Lansdowne Area Avenue Study, that a more- direct underground connection be constructed between the two station platforms through the Crossways Mall. TTC staff have met with City and GO staff several times over the past two years regarding the proposal to improve the connection, which includes options to locate the TTC fare collection area within the parking levels of the Crossways’ development. Detailed engineering design work for this proposal has not been undertaken. Due to the significant structural engineering effort required, a cost estimate in excess of $15 million is possible. Based on a comparison with the existing Kipling Station connection, which has low passenger usage even with an excellent physical integration of the two stations, it is expected that less than 100 additional passengers-trips per day would be attracted to the TTC if the proposed Dundas West/Bloor connection were constructed. With this very low projected use of such a connection, the TTC cannot justify an expenditure of this magnitude. For this reason, TTC staff do not recommend that this project be included in the TTC Capital Program. The proposed rail link between downtown Toronto and Pearson Airport, recently announced by the Federal government, would operate in the current GO Transit Georgetown corridor, and is premised, in part, on an improved connection with TTC at Dundas West Station. Although neither the TTC nor GO Transit can justify the expenditure needed to build the connection under current conditions, GO Transit has been mandated to conduct a preliminary study of the improvements required, and to accommodate the airport rail link in conjunction with their concurrent Georgetown corridor expansion project. GO Transit staff are meeting with TTC and City of Toronto staff, and other involved parties and stakeholders, to gather information and determine the constraints, issues, and recommendations for the proposed tunnel link. New Kennedy GO Station GO Transit plans to construct a new GO Kennedy Station on the Stouffville line, which will enable customers to transfer to the TTC’s Kennedy Station on the Bloor-Danforth subway and Scarborough RT.