Jason Paris unleashed a firestorm in raising the now-decades old DRL theme for discussion here, and among other comments was the issue of subway alignment, as there are now several to evaluate for the DRL. So what influences alignment for new subways to be constructed?

Historically, while alignments would generally follow streets, as often as possible they tried to avoid going directly under the street, as service relocations and temporary decking for existing streetcar services, not to mention road replacement when the decking was removed, were huge hassles that came at great cost.  Expropriating properties was far cheaper, easier, and timely.  This was why the Yonge subway was not built beneath Yonge between Alexander (just north of College) and, I believe, Orchard View (just north of Eglinton), except for the part where it crosses to the other side of Yonge around Glen Elm (just north of St. Clair).  Apart from the portion between Church and Sherbourne bored directly beneath Bloor St., the Prince Edward Viaduct, and Sherbourne station, the Bloor-Danforth subway was kept entirely north of Bloor and Danforth proper (excluding the extension to Kipling).

However, attitudes of both property owners and those of and towards labourers changed, which in turn impacted what subway construction methods became acceptable.

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Map by C. Livett and adapted from Network 2011 DRL plan.

The Downtown Relief Line (DRL) continually falls somewhere between long-term planning and long-term lore when it comes to heavy rail infrastructure ideas for Toronto.  While the idea lay dormant for a generation, we now seem to be back in an era when it has come out of its fabled state and into some vision of long-term reality.  While it might not be something on the average Torontonian’s radar yet, it is once again being seriously discussed, not only on transit blogs and forums, but also in some halls of power.

The DRL was first studied in the mid-1980s as part of the Network 2011 transit plan for what was then Metro Toronto. The line was envisioned to connect Union Station with Pape and Dundas West Stations by running large portions of the line at grade via mostly existing railway right-of-ways which would also help to significantly reduce the cost of such a major investment.  The DRL would, in effect, have created a second, wider subway ‘U’ for Toronto, and thereby taken enormous pressure off the existing system.  For instance, if one were coming from the east, one would have the option of switching lines at Pape instead of Yonge-Bloor Station for a quick ride downtown.  The DRL could also be thought of as a heavy rail version of the King streetcar, but following a wider route and playing a more regional role.

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