EGLINTON CROSSTOWN RAPID TRANSIT BENEFITS CASE April 2009 Eglinton Crosstown Rapid Transit Benefits Case Final Report 27 April 2009 Prepared for: Prepared by: Metrolinx Steer Davies Gleave 20 Bay Street, Suite 901 1000 - 355 Burrard Street Toronto ON M5J 2N8 Vancouver, BC V6C 2G8 In Association with: Economic Development Research Group Metropolitan Knowledge International Eglinton-Crosstown Rapid Transit Benefits Case CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................. 1 PART A PROJECT RATIONALE ........................................................................... 7 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 7 Purpose of Report ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Report Structure ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Project Rationale ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Context and Need ........................................................................................................................................ 8 Project Objectives ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Project Overview ............................................................................................................................................ 9 PART B OPTIONS .............................................................................................. 13 Project Options ............................................................................................................................................. 13 Base Case ........................................................................................................................................................ 13 Option 1 – Partially segregated LRT ........................................................................................................ 14 Option 2 – LRT Plus .................................................................................................................................... 16 Option 3 – Fully Segregated LRT/ALRT ................................................................................................... 19 Summary of Options ................................................................................................................................... 22 PART C ASSESSMENT ....................................................................................... 23 Evaluation Framework ................................................................................................................................. 23 Transportation User Benefits ..................................................................................................................... 25 Travel Time Savings ................................................................................................................................... 25 Automobile Operating Cost Savings ........................................................................................................ 27 Safety Benefits ........................................................................................................................................... 27 Qualitative Transportation User Benefits .............................................................................................. 27 Summary ...................................................................................................................................................... 28 Financial Account ......................................................................................................................................... 29 Ridership and Revenues ............................................................................................................................ 29 Capital and Operating Costs ..................................................................................................................... 29 Eglinton-Crosstown Rapid Transit Benefits Case Summary ...................................................................................................................................................... 30 Comparing Benefits and Costs ................................................................................................................... 31 Environmental Impacts ................................................................................................................................ 33 Greenhouse Gas Emissions ........................................................................................................................ 33 Other Environmental Issues ...................................................................................................................... 34 Economic Development Impacts ............................................................................................................... 35 Temporary Economic Impacts During Construction.............................................................................. 35 Long-term Economic Impacts ................................................................................................................... 36 Land Value Changes ................................................................................................................................... 36 Summary ...................................................................................................................................................... 42 Social Community Impacts .......................................................................................................................... 43 Land Use Changes....................................................................................................................................... 43 Health........................................................................................................................................................... 44 Accessibility ................................................................................................................................................ 44 Summary ...................................................................................................................................................... 44 Sensitivity Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 45 Direct Line to Malvern Town Centre ....................................................................................................... 45 Shortened Line with Western Terminus at Weston Road .................................................................... 46 Discount Rate .............................................................................................................................................. 47 Summary Results ........................................................................................................................................... 48 FIGURES Figure 1 Transit City Light Rail Network 8 Figure 2 Transit Technologies and Capacities 11 Figure 3 Passenger Volume AM Peak Hour 2031 26 Figure 4 Peak Passenger Load on Bloor Subway 2031 27 TABLES Table 1 Station Locations – Option 1 15 Table 2 Travel Times and Speeds – Option 1 16 Eglinton-Crosstown Rapid Transit Benefits Case Table 3 Station Locations – Option 2 17 Table 4 Travel Times and Speeds – Option 2 18 Table 5 Station Locations – Option 3 20 Table 6 Travel Times and Speeds – Option 3 20 Table 7 Summary of Options 22 Table 8 Incremental Transportation User Benefits 28 Table 9 Capital and Operating Costs 30 Table 10 Incremental Costs and REvenues 30 Table 11 Comparison Benefits and Costs 31 Table 12 Reduction In CO2 Emissions 33 Table 13 Employment And Income Impacts During Construction 35 Table 14 Long-Term Employment and income Impacts 36 Table 15 Transit Influence on Property Values 37 Table 16 Land Value Uplift Option 1 38 Table 17 Land Value Uplift Option 2 40 Table 18 Land Value Uplift Option 3 41 Table 19 Economic Development Impacts 42 Table 20 Social Community Impacts 44 Table 21 Effects of Direct Connection to SRT 45 Table 22 Effects of Route Ending at Weston 46 Table 23 Discount Rate Sensitivity Analysis 47 Table 24 MAE Summary 48 Table 25 Sensitivity Analysis Summary 49 APPENDICES INPUT VARIABLES AND ASSUMPTIONS LAND USE Eglinton-Crosstown Rapid Transit Benefits Case Eglinton-Crosstown Rapid Transit Benefits Case Executive Summary In 2006 the Province of Ontario created the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority, later renamed Metrolinx in December 2007. The primary responsibility of the new organisation is to provide leadership in the planning, financing and development of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area’s (GTHA) multi-modal transportation network and to conform to the objectives and vision set out in the Places to Grow Act, 2005. Part of Metrolinx’ mandate and one of its first deliverables was the development of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), a 25-year plan that presents the road map for the implementation of