Click the buttons above to filter the points in the network. The colouring of the dots represent the number of people living near each point on the map. Red dots indicate areas with higher populations, while teal dots represent areas with lower populations. The colour scale is based on ranking the data from the lowest to highest values and dividing it into 10 groups. In other words, the red dots correspond to some of the most populated areas along the rail network, whereas the teal dots correspond to the least populated areas.
Sometimes when I open Google Maps, I get distracted by the extensive network of rail tracks that run through Toronto. Every time this happens, I find myself thinking, “How nice would it be to have a station here… and here… and here…” (and another 20 minutes of this). I’ve also heard many people say that the rail line running through midtown Toronto would be ideal for an east–west rail service in Toronto. Given new transit lines are time consuming and expensive to build, is there a way for the GTA to leverage existing railway infrastructure to increase transit capacity? That question led me to explore: How many people live within 1 km of our existing rail tracks in the Greater Toronto Area? The findings suggest that there are many locations with great potential for adding new stations. Even in areas with lower residential populations, nearby industrial lands could attract a significant number of workers who might benefit from having a station in the area (this is my best guess, since I don’t have access to spatial employment data across the GTA). One caveat, however, is that I’m not a transportation expert—there are many other factors that need to be considered when assessing the feasibility of a station location. In my mind, these trains don’t have to be long. They could be something like Montreal’s REM or Vancouver’s skyTrain, serving at medium-capacity, automated, and frequent. The existing GO trains could then function as express services, similar to the express trains we see on the Lakeshore West Line today.
The dots are generated along existing rail lines at 500-metre intervals. The population for each dot represents the number of people living within 1 kilometre of that point. The passenger lines follow the existing Metrolinx passenger rail service routes, as well as the proposed ones. This map also includes rail lines that currently do not have passenger service, such as freight rail lines. The extent of the rail network shown is limited to the boundaries of the Greater Toronto Area.