STAFF REPORT ACTION REQUIRED Improved Transit Service in East/Central Downtown: 514 CHERRY – Streetcar Service on King Street Date: March 23, 2015 To: TTC Board From: Chief Executive Officer Summary This report recommends the introduction of a new 514 CHERRY route, operating between Distillery Loop and Dufferin Gates Loop via Cherry Street, King Street, and Dufferin Street. The new route will:     increase the capacity of streetcar service on the busiest section of King Street, between Dufferin Street and Cherry Street; provide new east-west accessible streetcar service, earlier than originally planned, by advancing the deployment of low-floor streetcars on the central section of King Street; support continued population and employment growth along the King Street corridor; and introduce new service on Cherry Street, south of King Street. The introduction of this service is complementary to other changes to east/central-area bus services, as described in the companion report, “Improved Transit in East/Central Downtown: 72 PAPE and 121 FORT YORK-ESPLANADE Bus Routes”, which is also on today’s agenda. Recommendations It is recommended that the TTC Board: 1. Approve the implementation of streetcar service on Cherry Street, as detailed in this report, effective June 19, 2016; and, Staff report for action on 514 CHERRY – Streetcar Service on King Street 1 2. Forward this report to the City of Toronto Planning Department, Transportation Services, and the affected City Councillors. Financial Summary There would be no change to the TTC’s operating costs as a result of the operation of this new streetcar service. The cost of this service would be completely offset by a reallocation of existing service on the 504 KING streetcar route. The Chief Financial & Administration Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information. Accessibility/Equity Matters The TTC has made significant progress in moving towards providing barrier-free, accessible transit services for all customers. All TTC bus services are operated using accessible, low-floor buses. New accessible low-floor streetcars are currently being put into service, as they become available, in order to make all TTC streetcar routes accessible. So far, new accessible low-floor streetcars have been deployed on the 510 SPADINA and 509 HARBOURFRONT routes. There are presently no east-west accessible transit services between the 94 WELLESLEY bus route and Queens Quay. The service changes recommended in this report, if approved, would introduce accessible low-floor streetcar service on much of King Street, earlier than previously planned, and would provide more opportunities to connect to existing north-south accessible services. This would support the TTC’s and City’s objectives of facilitating more-spontaneous travel for people who need accessible services. Decision History The conceptual design for streetcars operating in their own right-of-way on Cherry Street and Sumach Street to serve the West Don Lands development was approved by the TTC Board at its meeting on December 6, 2007: (https://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Commission _meetings/2007/Dec_6_2007/Other/Streetcars_on_Cherry.pdf). Issue Background In 2007, the TTC Board approved the conceptual design for streetcars operating in their own right-of-way on Cherry Street and Sumach Street. The building of this infrastructure would enable the introduction of streetcar service to serve development in the West Don Lands, located generally in the area south of Eastern Avenue. Development of the West Don Lands neighbourhood was accelerated as part of the investment to support the Staff report for action on 514 CHERRY – Streetcar Service on King Street 2 Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. This was to facilitate the use of the neighbourhood as the Athletes’ Village. Construction of the streetcar track and right-of-way and the Athletes’ Village was completed in early 2015. Buildings constructed as part of the Athletes’ Village are now being converted to residential condominiums, subsidized housing, student housing for George Brown College, and the new Cooper Koo Family YMCA. Corktown Common, a large new public park, is also located in the West Don Lands. Occupancy of the residential component of the development will commence in the spring of 2016. Ultimately, the neighbourhood will include 6,000 new residential units. The 504 KING streetcar carries approximately 65,000 customers each weekday, the busiest surface transit route in the city. Neighbourhoods in the central portion of the King streetcar route have experienced significant growth in population and employment, with a corresponding increase in demand for transit service. Streetcar service on King Street is at capacity, and customers in the central portion of the route are often unable board the streetcars because they are already full. This is illustrated in Figure 1, below, which shows that, in the eastbound direction, for example, capacity is fully used up approaching Bathurst Street. Supplementary capacity is currently provided by buses during peak periods on King Street, between Roncesvalles Avenue and Broadview Avenue. Seventeen buses are used during the morning peak period and nine buses in the afternoon peak period. Figure 1: 504 KING Eastbound, Customer Demand: Busiest Hour – Morning Peak Staff report for action on 514 CHERRY – Streetcar Service on King Street 3 New Streetcar Route: 514 CHERRY The completion and commissioning of the new dedicated streetcar right-of-way on Cherry Street presents an opportunity to introduce a new streetcar route on that street and as a supplement to service currently provided on King Street. This new service would complement other changes to east/central-area bus services, as described in the companion report, “Improved Transit in East/Central Downtown: 72 PAPE and 121 FORT YORK-ESPLANADE Bus Routes”. The attached map illustrates the 514 CHERRY route, as well as related bus network changes. The new 514 CHERRY streetcar route would operate from the new Distillery Loop (at Cherry Street, north of the Union Station Rail Corridor) along new track on Cherry Street, via King Street and Dufferin Street, to Dufferin Gates Loop. It would provide new streetcar service to Cherry Street and Dufferin Street, south of King Street but, more importantly, would increase the capacity of streetcar service in the busiest central section of King Street. The new route would operate all day, every day, with a peak-period service frequency of every 8 to 9 minutes. Off-peak service would operate every 15 minutes or better. It would be overlaid on top of the existing 504 KING service along the busiest section of the route, between Dufferin Street and Cherry Street. This would provide more streetcar capacity for the fast-growing areas of Liberty Village and Garrison Common, King West/Entertainment District, St. Lawrence, and Corktown. Approximately 40,000 customers per weekday in this central area would benefit from this improvement in streetcar service. Service on 504 KING would continue to operate every 10 minutes or better, all day, every day, with peak period service operating every 4 to 5 minutes. During some periods of the day, there would be slightly longer waits for the 504 KING streetcar, west of Dufferin Street and east of Cherry Street. The improved streetcar service on King Street provided by the 514 CHERRY route is projected to attract approximately 51,000 new customers to the TTC on an annualized basis. 514 CHERRY Will Use Accessible Low-Floor Streetcars The new 514 CHERRY streetcar route would be operated using accessible, low-floor, higher-capacity streetcars, as they are delivered and become available. This would provide several benefits, including:  More passenger capacity on the busiest section of King Street. The proposed 514 CHERRY service would be overlaid on top of the existing 504 KING service on the busiest section of the route and to areas of the city experiencing rapid growth. The new low-floor streetcars have 40% more capacity Staff report for action on 514 CHERRY – Streetcar Service on King Street 4 than a standard CLRV streetcar on a per-car basis. This means that, based on the planned service levels, streetcar capacity on King Street, between Dufferin Street and Cherry Street, would increase by 15%, as illustrated in Figure 2, below. Because the streetcars on the new 514 CHERRY route would have relatively-few customers on board when they turn onto King Street, from Dufferin Street or Cherry Street, the actual increase in available capacity, in the central area, would be even higher. Figure 2: Increased Capacity on King Street  New east-west accessible transit service through downtown Toronto. Currently, there is almost no accessible transit services which travel east-west across Yonge Street, south of the 94 WELLESLEY bus. The 514 CHERRY streetcar route would provide regularly-scheduled accessible low-floor streetcar service on King Street between Dufferin Street and Cherry Street, at least one year earlier than initially planned, with connections to other existing accessible north-south transit routes, including 29 DUFFERIN, 63 OSSINGTON, 510 SPADINA, 1 YONGEUNIVERSITY at St Andrew Station, 6 BAY, 75 SHERBOURNE, and 65 PARLIAMENT.  Reduction in peak-period bus requirements on King Street. The added capacity provided by this new streetcar service would make it possible to reduce the supplementary bus service currently being operated on King Street during peak periods. This would reduce vehicle requirements and operating costs, allowing re-allocation of resources elsewhere. Staff report for action on 514 CHERRY – Streetcar Service on King Street 5 Following the deployment of low-floor streetcars on 510 SPADINA and 509 HARBOURFRONT in mid-June 2016, the next new streetcars to arrive in Toronto would be allocated to 514 CHERRY. Full deployment of low-floor streetcars on the 514 CHERRY route would be completed by mid-September 2016, after which the next new streetcars would be assigned to the 511 BATHURST route. This revised streetcar deployment would delay the allocation of new low-floor streetcars to 511 BATHURST by approximately three months, assuming that the current delivery schedule is achieved. Conclusion The implementation of the 514 CHERRY streetcar route would improve streetcar service for approximately 40,000 customers each weekday on the busiest section of King Street. In addition, it would introduce transit service to the West Don Lands neighbourhood as new development in that area begins occupancy through the spring and summer of 2016, supporting the “transit-first” principles of Toronto’s Official Plan. If approved, the service changes would be implemented starting on June 19, 2016. The route would be operated with new low-floor streetcars as they become available for service through the summer and fall of 2016. Legacy streetcars would continue to be operated until there are enough new streetcars to provide the service. Contact Mitch Stambler Head of Strategy and Service Planning 416-393-4460 mitch.stambler@ttc.ca Attachment: Map: Revised Services in Central Toronto Staff report for action on 514 CHERRY – Streetcar Service on King Street 6 Staff report for action on 514 CHERRY Streetcar Service on King Street Revised Services in Central Toronto Bloor St Dul erin Dssington Christie College St E3 Bathurst .. Spadina 2n1l',? 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