Sunnybrook Park stop

Sunnybrook Park is a surface light rail transit stop under construction on Line 5 Eglinton, a future line that will be part of the Toronto subway system.[2] It will be located at the intersection of Leslie Street and Eglinton Avenue. The intersection is largely surrounded by park lands in the valley of the West Branch of the Don River,[3] which includes destinations such as E.T. Seton Park, Serena Gundy Park, Wilket Creek Park, Sunnybrook Park and Edwards Gardens. This will be the westernmost at-grade surface stop.[2] The station is scheduled to open in 2022.[1]

Sunnybrook Park
Looking east from Leslie St along Eglinton Ave East at the site of the future light rail station platforms
LocationEglinton Ave at Leslie St
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°43′02″N 79°20′58″W
PlatformsSide platform
Tracks2
Connections TTC buses
Construction
Structure typeAt grade
Other information
StatusUnder construction
History
Opening2022 (2022)[1]
Services
Preceding station   TTC   Following station
toward Mount Dennis
 Eglinton
(opens 2022)
toward Kennedy

The stop is located on the east side of the intersection of Leslie Street and Eglinton Avenue East. The stop has parallel side platforms. Access to the platforms is via the pedestrian crossing on the east side of the signalized street intersection.[2]

During the planning stages for Line 5 Eglinton, the stop was given the working name "Leslie", which is identical to the pre-existing Leslie station on Line 4 Sheppard. On November 23, 2015, a report to the TTC Board recommended giving a unique name to each station in the subway system (including Line 5 Eglinton). Thus, the LRT stop was renamed "Sunnybrook Park".[4]

Location of tracks

The environmental assessment was for the line to run in the middle of Eglinton Avenue through the valley at Leslie Street. However, in late 2012 and early 2013, there were proposals to locate the tracks elsewhere.

In 2012, Metrolinx discovered that there would be minimal cost differential between tunnelling under the West Don River at Leslie Street versus laying the track on the surface. Also, tunnelling here would have provided "significant improvements to construction staging, schedule and traffic impacts", according to Jamie Robinson at Metrolinx.[5][6] Thus, in December 2012, Metrolinx proposed continuing the LRT tunnel from Laird station to Science Centre station and eliminating the planned surface stop at Sunnybrook Park (Leslie Street). It did not want to build an underground station at that location as it would cost $80 to $100 million (as compared to about $3 million for a surface stop). Metrolinx considered the cost of an underground station to be unjustified given its low projected ridership (650 passengers at the busiest hour). Local residents objected to the elimination of their stop,[7] and by mid-2013, Metrolinx had relented and the surface stop was restored.[5][8]

Members of the public asked Metrolinx why it was proposing a centre-of-road alignment instead of running the tracks on the south side of Eglinton Avenue through the valley at Leslie Street. The latter would have avoided going through the signaled intersection at Leslie Street. Jamie Robinson at Metrolinx explained that the latter "was more expensive and required an EA amendment. Due to project implementation timelines the project is proceeding with the EA option". He also stated, "It is very difficult (if not impossible) to relocate the portal from the centre of Eglinton (as proposed in the current design) and shift it to the south side of the right-of-way and continue to use the existing bridge." As for building a viaduct across the valley as suggested by some members of the public, Robinson said a viaduct "was more expensive and required an EA amendment".[9]

Surface connections
Main article: List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes

The following routes would serve this stop according to the report presented at the board meeting on February 25, 2016:[10]

Route Name Additional Information
34 Eglinton Westbound to Mount Dennis station and eastbound to Science Centre station
51 Leslie Northbound to Steeles Avenue via Leslie station and southbound to Donlands station

References
  1. Spurr, Ben (February 17, 2020). "Eglinton Crosstown faces another setback, delayed until 2022 | The Star". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  2. "Leslie Stop". The Crosstown.ca. January 14, 2017. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  3. Munro, Steve (June 17, 2013). "Metrolinx Announces Design Changes and Public Meetings on Eglinton LRT (Update 8)". Steve Munro. Archived from the original on March 4, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  4. "Line 5 Eglinton Station Names" (PDF). Board Presentation. Toronto Transit Commission. November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015. TTC staff evaluated the initial report and the proposed names and provided feedback and recommendations. A primary TTC concern was to avoid replication and redundancy with existing TTC station names. The proposed names are unique and are not likely to be confused with existing station names.
  5. Robinson, Jamie (May 10, 2013). "Metrolinx Announces Design Changes and Public Meetings on Eglinton LRT (Update 8)". Steve Munro. Retrieved November 2, 2017 – via email to Steve Munro. Metrolinx had identified some potential issues with the Brentcliffe Road launch site. ... We believed that our proposals would result in significant improvements to construction staging, schedule and traffic impacts. However, in discussions with the local community and with local community organizations it was clear that there was a strong preference for a stop at Leslie Street ...
  6. Robinson, Jamie (June 17, 2013). "Metrolinx Announces Design Changes and Public Meetings on Eglinton LRT (Update 8)". Steve Munro. Retrieved November 2, 2017 – via email to Steve Munro. [One of the options recommended] included a continuation of the bored tunnel from the west to pass under the West Don River and portal east of the Don Valley Parkway. That option was selected because the cost differential with the at-grade options was minimal, provided that a station at Leslie Street was not required. If a Leslie Station would be required, then one of the at-grade south side options was the preferred option.
  7. Kalinowski, Tess (February 12, 2013). "Eglinton-Crosstown LRT: Leasiders fight to put Leslie stop back on the map". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 11, 2014. The stop is being eliminated as part of a change to the LRT construction plan. Disappointed condo-dwellers at Leslie and Eglinton and, nearby Leaside are vowing to fight the decision by Metrolinx.
  8. Landau, Jack (November 12, 2013). "Metrolinx Awards Contract for Crosstown LRT East Tunnel Section". Urban Toronto. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014. With the winning bid for the eastern tunnel section announced, additional specific details about the Crosstown are now beginning to emerge. A newly released rendering from Metrolinx gives us our first look at the configuration of the future transition from tunneled section to surface track bed between Brentcliffe and Leslie.
  9. Robinson, Jamie (June 17, 2013). "Metrolinx Announces Design Changes and Public Meetings on Eglinton LRT (Update 8)". Steve Munro. Retrieved November 2, 2017 – via email to Steve Munro. [With a south-side alignment,] the LRT would have been in a completely separate right-of-way on a new bridge across the West Don River in order to maintain current vehicle capacity of Eglinton Avenue East (i.e., no conversion of travel lanes to LRT tracks). ... It is very difficult (if not impossible) to relocate the portal from the centre of Eglinton (as proposed in the current design) and shift it to the south side of the right-of-way and continue to use the existing bridge. The “viaduct” option that HMM reviewed, was suggested by the public and was presented during the recent consultations for the changes in the East, was more expensive and required an EA amendment. Due to project implementation timelines the project is proceeding with the EA option.
  10. "Changes to TTC Bus Routes in Eglinton Corridor for Line 5 Rapid Transit Line" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. February 25, 2016.
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