Talk:SmartTrack

Markham
Contributer Special:Contributions/2607:FEA8:A29F:FDEE:71C7:C130:A976:5596 says that a CP24 article shows that "the Markham section has been restored". The CP24 article makes no mention of new SmartTrack stations north of Milliken GO Station. For example, there is no mention of a new SmartTrack station at "14th Avenue west of Kennedy Road" in York Region being recommended. A map in a recent Toronto Star article shows that SmartTrack service will terminate at Milliken.TheTrolleyPole (talk) 19:40, 25 June 2016 (UTC)

Unionville
Contributer Special:Contributions/99.255.143.109, using out-of-date maps, claims that Unionville is still a proposed SmartTrack station. However, a Toronto Star article shows that SmartTrack service will terminate at Milliken.

The out-of-date maps in Special:Contributions/99.255.143.109's references include Ellesmere and 14th Avenue stations which have since been cancelled. (To be fair to Special:Contributions/99.255.143.109, the maps vaguely allude to Unionville being an RER stop. Unionville is to become a RER station but not a SmartTrack station, which REF's other than the Star do not make clear.) The Star article has the most up-to-date map. The references with out-of-date maps are:


 * The Truth About SmartTrack
 * SmartTrack (City of Toronto)
 * SmartTrack Current Work
 * Developing Toronto’s Transit Network Plan to 2031

---

If you look at a current SmartTrack map: http://smarttrack.to/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SmTk-NewOption.png?x64185

There is an up arrow where the Miliken GO station is meaning that the SmartTrack would continue up to.

Also, in there: https://www1.toronto.ca/City%20Of%20Toronto/City%20Planning/Transportation%20Planning/May%20PIC%202016/Presentation/2016-06-21%20Transit%20Network%20Report%20for%20EXEC%20draftv3.pdf , the Unionville GO station is part of the SmartTrack proposal.

So there is no proof that the SmartTrack would terminate at Miliken. Also the 14th Avenue station is not in the plan. 2607:FEA8:A29F:FDEE:592B:5D66:F665:799E (talk) 22:38, 30 October 2016 (UTC)

---

Thank you, for your response. I will concede that there is conflict or ambiguity in sources. The Toronto Star article from June 21, 2016 contains a map showing SmartTrack running only between Mount Dennis and Milliken. The Metrolinx PDF mentions Unionville in the section Recommended SmartTrack/ GO RER integration as an existing GO station "outside jurisdiction" (term unexplained in PDF). Hopefully, there will be further clarification on SmartTrack in the coming months. I will suspend the matter until that time.TheTrolleyPole (talk) 00:51, 31 October 2016 (UTC)


 * It would be better if the SmartTrack would be built up to Markham because at the Unionville GO is the new Downtown Markham and the city has a population of 350000 people. 2607:FEA8:A29F:FDEE:592B:5D66:F665:799E (talk) 01:24, 31 October 2016 (UTC)

---

In addition to the [Toronto Star article, here is more evidence that Unionville will no longer be part of SmartTrack:TheTrolleyPole (talk) 03:13, 13 November 2016 (UTC)

I asked Steve Munro about whether SmartTrack would serve Unionville. His October 30 reply was "The important thing to remember is that SmartTrack is now nothing more than a few extra GO stations within the 416. It is not a physically separate service. The service levels on various parts of the GO network have been published before (the map for the Stouffville and Weston corridors is in the Metrolinx document at page 8). What is not yet absolutely certain is what proportion of the GO RER service will make all local stops and which trains will skip them. This is a timing problem because the expresses can catch up to the locals. Unionville isn’t part of “SmartTrack”. It was part of the original scheme for the “big U” that Tory’s advisors sold him during the election campaign, but that has morphed almost beyond recognition." TheTrolleyPole (talk) 03:13, 13 November 2016 (UTC)

In a November 7 article on TIF, Steve Munro wrote: "Many of the stations are existing or planned GO stops that will see added service without any SmartTrack investment, and ST adds nothing to them (Milliken, Agincourt, Kennedy, Main, Union, Bloor, Mount Dennis). The map also shows a station at Spadina that will not be part of the upgrades planned for the ST corridor. Although many zones are shown, most of them will not be affected by SmartTrack as it is now proposed, merely the addition of six stations to the GO Transit map: Finch East, Lawrence East, Gerrard, East Harbour (Lever), Liberty Village and St. Clair." TheTrolleyPole (talk) 03:13, 13 November 2016 (UTC)

On November 7, I received an unsigned email from the City's SmartTrack site answering an inquiry of mine about the arrow on the map. It said: "There are no SmartTrack stations north of Milliken. The arrow that is pointing up indicates the existing Stoufville GO corridor. Metrolinx is currently working to electrify core areas of the GO Transit network." TheTrolleyPole (talk) 03:13, 13 November 2016 (UTC)

October 2017
The City has issued a new set of maps for SmartTrack in October 2017. Page 4 of the media briefing clearly shows that the SmartTrack corridor goes no further north than Milliken. A Toronto Star article has a reformatted copy of the map showing the same info. Unfortunately, another SmartTrack map still incorrectly shows the SmartTrack corridor going north of Milliken. See explanation from City staff in the last paragraph of the previous section. None of the maps show Unionville as a SmartTrack station. TheTrolleyPole (talk) 13:12, 12 October 2017 (UTC)

Scarborough GO station
Scarborough GO station is an intended SmartTrack station; however, the Metrolinx page shows that RER trains for the Stouffville line will not stop at Scarborough GO station. RER trains on Lakeshore East would serve the station. TheTrolleyPole (talk) 13:49, 12 October 2017 (UTC)