Advancing Waterfront East Light Rail Transit

The WELRT is a substantial and critical project within the City's broader 2018 Waterfront Transit Network Plan ( EX30.1 ). City staff last reported to City Council in 2022 under EX33.2 - Advancing City Priority Transit Expansion Projects - Eglinton East Light Rail Transit and Waterfront East Light Rail Transit and received direction to undertake a constructability review of the WELRT; report back on a recommended alignment and scope; and to provide an updated cost estimate along with a funding, financing and implementation strategy, including a phasing plan. City staff, in partnership with Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and Waterfront Toronto (WT) staff, have advanced the project to 30% design and completed a preliminary design business case, constructability assessment, phasing plan and cost estimate. As part of the design process and the constructability review, City staff are working to coordinate construction planning with adjacent civil work, including, but not limited to: - GO Expansion; - Ontario Line; - Inner Harbour West Tunnel; - Villiers Island development; - Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard East Reconfiguration; and - Quayside Infrastructure and Public Realm. Balancing the City's current financial pressures with City Council's direction to expedite WELRT construction, the recommendations in this report provide an approach to advance the project while reducing immediate costs by phasing segments. To achieve this, City staff in consultation with the TTC and WT are recommending advancing design to 60% for the Queens Quay, Chery Street and Villiers Island segments of the alignment, as well as the Yonge Street Infill and Queens Quay East Extension early works. This report is also seeking authority to advance additional work, including a traffic management study, and design and scope coordination with other major infrastructure projects in the vicinity of the WELRT.

3. City Council approve the completion of the following activities: a. Secure environmental approvals for all project components consistent with the current alignment; b. Undertake a Traffic Management Plan to address the construction schedule interface between the WELRT and other major infrastructure projects in the area; and c. Design and coordinate scope between the WELRT and the Lake Shore Boulevard East re-alignment and reconfiguration of the Cherry Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East intersection; the WELRT and the Inner Harbour West Tunnel Project in the vicinity of Queens Quay and Jarvis intersection; and the segment between the WELRT Cherry Street portal and the Union Station Rail Corridor (USRC) Hydro One Networks, Inc (HONI) Relocation project. 4. City Council authorize an increase to the Transit Expansion Division's 2023-2032 Capital Budget and Plan for $63.6 million ($21.1 million in 2024, $31.7 million in 2025 and $10.8 million in 2026), with $44.7 million funded by the Roads and Related Development Charge Reserve Fund (XR2110), $10.2 million funded by the Transit Development Charge Reserve Fund (XR2109) and $8.7 million funded by the City Building Fund (XR1730). 5. City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Division, in consultation with the TTC and Waterfront Toronto, to report back to City Council in 2024 with: a. An update on the progress made on the design and coordination work identified in Recommendations 2 and 3, along with a broader update on advances to the WELRT project.