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The Ontario Line (formerly the Downtown Relief Line (DRL) or Relief Line) is a proposed rapid transit line for the Toronto subway system, intended to provide capacity relief to the Yonge segment of Line 1 and Bloor–Yonge station and extend subway service coverage in the city's east end. The line is currently proposed to start at xxxx, and end at xxx.

Several plans for an east–west downtown subway date back to the early 20th century, most of which ran along Queen Street. Since the early 21st century, studies proposed a line that would run south from Line 2 Bloor–Danforth at a point east of the Don River, before bending westward along Queen Street into Downtown Toronto. These plans included extensions that would be completed in future phases, northward from its Line 2 connection in the east, as well as westward and northward from downtown to form a wide U-shape.

The cost of the first phase of the Ontario Line is estimated at CA$7.22billion. The line has been one of the top transit priorities for Toronto.

Purpose
The original purpose of the Ontario Line is to help reduce current and projected congestion in downtown Toronto. In 2012, it was becoming apparent to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and Metrolinx that even with proposed improvements, Line 1 Yonge–University, and particularly Bloor–Yonge station, were facing significant capacity constraints. In 2011, Line 1 was officially over capacity between and  stations. After fully converting the line's fleet to higher capacity Toronto Rocket trains the section between St. Clair and Bloor–Yonge stations was no longer officially over capacity. However, since 2015, Line 1 still operates 11% over its capacity south of Line 2 during the morning rush hour. The future implementation of automatic train control will help further increase the capacity of Line 1 to 33,000 ppl/hr/dir. Other factors are expected to reduce demand such as the extension of the University portion of Line 1 into Vaughan, and other local transit improvements. However, after factoring in population and employment growth and the proposed extension of Line 1 north into Richmond Hill, Metrolinx projects it will be at 96% of its capacity by 2031 even with committed improvements. The Ontario Line will provide an alternate route for commuters heading downtown by allowing them to bypass the most congested segment of Line 1 and avoid transferring at Bloor–Yonge Station.

Significant growth is also planned adjacent to the downtown core and throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Population and employment in Toronto's downtown core is projected to increase by 83% and 28%, respectively, by 2031. This is expected to increase future transit demand into the downtown core by 55%. On top of the projected congestion on Line 1 and at Bloor–Yonge station (the main interchange with Line 2 Bloor–Danforth), the increase in the downtown population will put pressure on the congested 504 King and 501 Queen streetcars (two of the TTC's busiest surface transit routes). Metrolinx in a separate report projects that with the implementation of GO Transit's Regional Express Rail service, passenger traffic at Union Station will double or triple 2005 volumes by 2031. This could lead to a significant capacity shortfall for Union Station beyond 2031, potentially requiring a modified subway line with connections to auxiliary GO Transit stations to "offload" demand at Union Station.

Route
Toronto city staff are still studying the route of the Relief Line, and this is the proposed route as of April 2017: the line will begin at Pape station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth, heading south under Pape Avenue, then veering west between Riverdale Avenue and Gerrard Street. It will continue south under Carlaw Avenue to south of Queen Street East. The line then will curve westward, running approximately along Eastern Avenue to Sumach Street and King Street East, where the line would veer northwest until about Parliament Street and Queen Street. The line would then continue westward under Queen Street to terminate at University Avenue.

Stations
Stations along the first phase (Relief Line South), from the existing Osgoode station to the existing Pape station, would be:


 * Osgoode station at Queen Street and University Avenue with connection to the University segment of Line 1 Yonge–University.
 * Queen station, an existing station at Queen Street and Yonge Street with connection to the Yonge segment of Line 1 Yonge–University.
 * Sherbourne station at Sherbourne Street and Queen Street East, serving the Regent Park and Moss Park neighbourhoods.
 * Sumach station, at Sumach Street and King Street East, with connections to the 504 King streetcar.
 * Broadview station, at Broadview Avenue and Eastern Avenue, connecting to a proposed East Harbour GO station along the Lakeshore East and Stouffville GO rail corridors.
 * Carlaw station, north side of Queen Street East at Carlaw Avenue, with connection to the 501 Queen streetcar.
 * Gerrard station, north side of Gerrard Street between Pape Avenue and Carlaw Avenue, with connections to the 506 Carlton streetcar and possibly the 505 Dundas streetcar and also to a proposed GO station along the Lakeshore East and Stouffville GO rail corridors.
 * Pape station with connection to Line 2 Bloor–Danforth.

Potential extensions
While Metrolinx, the TTC and the City have historically considered the Relief Line exist south of Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue, Metrolinx, the City of Toronto, York Region and the TTC also partnered on the Yonge Relief Network Study (YRNS) in 2015. This was a more detailed benefits case analysis that examined three different options for providing relief on Line 1:
 * Option 1: RER Plus Network, providing enhanced service on GO Transit's Richmond Hill and Stouffville lines.
 * Option 2: Relief Line, a fully grade separated subway line
 * Option 2A: Relief Line Short, between Danforth and Downtown
 * Option 2B: Relief Line Long, between Sheppard and Downtown
 * Option 2C: Relief Line U, between Danforth and Bloor, via Downtown
 * Option 3: Surface LRT, between Sheppard and Downtown

The YRNS found that Option 2B (Relief Line Long) would provide the most effective relief on Line 1.

North extension
Originally, The Big Move had called for the DRL to terminate at Danforth Avenue, and for the Don Mills LRT to continue north to Sheppard Avenue and Highway 7. However, planning studies have examined potential extension of the Relief Line northward, serving the former borough of East York, and an eastern portion of North York. From Danforth Avenue, the extension would proceed north on Pape Avenue through Pape Village, across the Don Valley to Leaside; east on Overlea Boulevard through Thorncliffe Park; and north again on Don Mills Road to Sheppard Avenue and Don Mills station. , an environmental assessment of this possible extension is being performed.

1910–1944: The underground streetcar
As opposed to underground trains used in many modern subway systems, early 20th century rapid transit proposals such as the DRL were for underground streetcars as premetros.

On August 25, 1910, the first serious proposal for the Ontario Line was made by Jacobs & Davies, a New York City‐based firm of consulting engineers, with The Report on Transit to the Mayor and Council of the City of Toronto. An underground streetcar formed a rough U-shape from today's Broadview station, along the waterfront to Spadina Avenue, and then following Spadina Avenue, College Street, Dovercourt Road, Bloor Street and Dundas Street to the West Toronto Diamond.

Plans from 1911 and 1944 also called for the Queen streetcar to be underground. When the original Yonge line was built in 1954, Queen station was built with roughed-in infrastructure for the proposed underground streetcar platform. Most of this unfinished portion of the station is inaccessible to the public; it is sometimes referred to as Lower Queen.

In June 1968, one month after Bloor–Danforth extensions to Warden and Islington opened and a few months before construction of the Eglinton to Finch portion of the system was started, the TTC made clear that a Queen subway from Roncesvalles to Donlands station should be the next priority. The Toronto Star reported on June 12, 1968, that the 17-station, 12.5 km line would cost between $150million and $200million. The TTC acquired land for the corridor on the west side of Greenwood Yard and still holds the Oakvale Greenspace. By mid-1969, the line was considered to be ready for construction, but was soon considered a lower priority than the Spadina line at the suburban-dominated Metro Council.

1980s: A new subway line
In the 1980s, the TTC, Metropolitan Toronto and the Government of Ontario did several analyses of forecasted urban growth and alternative transportation scenarios for the downtown to Bloor area. In 1982, the Accelerated Rapid Transit Study considered multiple options for a "radial line", connecting Dundas West and Donlands stations with a U-shape through downtown. This planning continued into 1985, with downtown alignments following King Street, Queen Street, Front Street and the railways to and from Union Station.

The TTC released the Network 2011 plan in 1985, and a Relief Line was one of the three routes proposed. As part of the 2011 Network plan, the Relief Line was proposed to run between Pape station on the Bloor–Danforth line, south to Eastern Avenue, and then west to Union Station, the Rogers Centre (then known as the SkyDome) and Spadina Avenue.

Three possible alignments were considered for the westward extension. The least expensive would follow the railway right-of-way past the Exhibition GO Station and up to the Galt-Weston railway corridor, taking it to Dundas West station. Another alternative would go west of Strachan Avenue along the Oakville Subdivision rail lines to Roncesvalles, where it would turn north to connect to the Bloor line at Dundas West. The third alignment considered ran along an elevated guideway on Parkside Drive at the edge of High Park to Keele station.

The Relief Line disappeared from transit plans soon after the province delayed approving Metropolitan Toronto's Network 2011 plan. The provincial government was alarmed over the construction cost and withdrew political support for the new line. There were no serious plans for the Relief Line for the next two decades.

2008–2018: Planning revival
In 2008, Metrolinx published The Big Move, the regional transportation plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. The plan called for a Relief Line extending in a U-shape from Pape, through Queen and Osgoode stations to Dundas West within 25 years. Metrolinx Chair Rob MacIsaac stated in 2008 that the line is unlikely to be brought forward from its projected 2020 start date but deemed it of "regional significance". In 2009, Toronto council expressed support for this plan. By late 2011, there was renewed interest in the proposal among mainstream media and the general populace.

In March 2012, TTC Chief Executive Office (CEO) Andy Byford stated there is great need for additional subway capacity with the increasing population of Toronto, and capacity issues along Line 1 Yonge–University: "The downtown relief line has got to be looked at and has got to be talked about right now." Metrolinx officials stated that capacity issues may allow the DRL to be given higher priority in the regional transportation plan, The Big Move. Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig stressed that the Downtown Relief Line should be prioritized and completed in 15 years, as part of Metrolinx's "next wave" of projects in The Big Move transit expansion plan. In February 2013, the Metrolinx Board approved changes to The Big Move that re-prioritized the eastern segment of the Relief Line to the 15-year plan, and made it one of the 15 top priority projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

The Downtown Rapid Transit Expansion Study (DRTES) was completed by the TTC in 2012, which examined four alternative Relief Line configurations between Pape and St. Andrew, with varying extensions north to Science Centre station (at Don Mills and Eglinton) and west to Dundas West station. The TTC's 2015 DRL study identified four potential corridors, which involved combinations beginning at Line 2 at Broadview or Pape, and going through downtown via King or Queen Streets.

On March 31, 2016, Toronto City Council approved a Relief Line corridor. The line would begin at Pape station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth, heading south under Pape Avenue, then veering west between Riverdale Avenue and Gerrard Street. It would continue south under Carlaw Avenue to south of Queen Street East, before curving westward along Eastern Avenue to Sumach Street and King Street East, where the line would veer northwest until about Parliament Street and Queen Street. The line would then continue westward under Queen Street to terminate at University Avenue. Funding for planning and design of the Relief Line was announced the following June, led by a collaboration between Metrolinx, the TTC and the City, and it was estimated to be operational between 2028 and 2031. In late June of the same year, a Toronto Star article reported the estimated cost of Phase 1 with eight stops to be $6.8billion; the project was unfunded. Environmental planning for the 7.5 km line started in April 2018, and was completed the following October. The project could open by 2029. The cost of this first phase was estimated at CA$7.22billion.

2019: Provincial takeover
On April 10, 2019, the provincial government announced that it would lead to design and construction of the Relief Line, and rename it as the "Ontario Line." The province also announced significant changes aimed at reducing the cost from x to x, and speed up construction to complete the project in 20xx instead of 20xx. The line would use xxx technology instead of the heavy rail technology used on Toronto subway Lines 1, 2 and 4. It would also

West extension
The Big Move has called for the Relief Line to continue west of and connect with Line 2 in the west. From downtown, this extension would proceed west on Queen Street West and north on Roncesvalles Avenue and Dundas Street to Dundas West station.

Name
"Downtown Relief Line" was a name used in planning discussions about the line since at least 1985, and this generated debate about use of the name. While it initial phases were proposed to be geographically located to serve downtown, local transit observers have pointed out the line will have benefits for transit riders located in the outer suburbs of Toronto. Given political sensitivity over transit planning in Scarborough during the tenure of former mayor Rob Ford, using the word "downtown" in a future subway line's name was perceived to be negative. In early 2013, TTC Chair Karen Stintz said, "There is a general view that that line needs to get renamed".

Planning being undertaken by the City of Toronto referred to the proposed line simply as the "Relief Line". According to the 2018–2022 TTC Corporate Plan, the Relief Line is being tentatively designated as Line 3 and coloured blue, matching the existing line number and colouring of Line 3 Scarborough, as the latter is planned to be replaced with an extension of Line 2 by the time the Relief Line is complete. In 2019, the provincial government unveiled the name Ontario Line.