Commuters on Finch Ave. could have a new busway in less than three years and shovels could be in the ground on the Eglinton LRT and Sheppard subway by 2014.

A new transit proposal from TTC chair Karen Stintz that would kick-start construction on three new transit lines using already-committed provincial dollars was gaining support Tuesday among councillors, particularly those in the increasingly powerful political middle.

“If we can come to a resolution on this we can proceed quite quickly,” said Stintz, councillor for Eglinton-Lawrence.

The plan would provide transit to tens of thousands more TTC riders than the existing understanding between Queen’s Park and Mayor Rob Ford.

Instead of allocating $8.2 billion in provincial funds to tunnel the entire length of the Eglinton light rail line, the transit would run above-ground east of Laird Dr., freeing up between $1.5 billion and $2 billion for other projects.

The savings could then be applied to bus rapid transit on Finch, where it would improve service to the city’s underserved northwest until funding could be found to install light rail there.

It could also jump-start Mayor Rob Ford’s plan for a Sheppard subway extension by paying for a new stop at Victoria Park. That would cost about $1 billion, including station construction, according to one TTC source.

Ford could then use whatever private funding he raises to push the subway east to the Scarborough Civic Centre and west to Downsview station, as originally hoped.

Stintz believes she has a majority of councillors on-side if the proposal goes to a vote in February or March. If the province were agreeable, work on all three lines could begin immediately, she said.

Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig said Monday that the province is awaiting a clear statement from the mayor or council on which projects the city wants to pursue.

Stintz’s plan resembles a slimmed-down version of the old Transit City plan, but no one’s using that name for fear of antagonizing the mayor.

“I think this compromise plan will help get Sheppard built, which is a priority for the mayor,” she said. “As soon as the tunnel borers are done at the Yonge-University-Spadina (subway extension) we can move them over to Sheppard. I expect that could happen as early as late next year.”

Ford has been silent on transit since Stintz began commenting Monday that it makes more sense to run light rail above-ground in the east end, where there’s less traffic.

The mayor has been steadfast in his commitment to keep all transit off Toronto roads. His first act of office was to declare the Transit City surface LRT plan dead. But the latest proposal offers the prospect of tunneling machines pointing east on Sheppard before the end of his term.

Ford wants to extend the Sheppard subway from the current Don Mills terminus to the Scarborough Civic Centre. But under the existing agreement with the province, the city would be responsible for raising the entire cost, estimated at about $4.7 billion.

Praising Stintz, St. Paul’s Councillor Josh Matlow called the proposal “a win-win-win for the city, the province and transit users.”

Councillor Josh Colle, a leader of city council’s centre, confirmed that support.

“That idea has always been out there and it’s got legs right now,” Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence) said Tuesday.

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“Many people never thought that all of the Eglinton line would be buried. It just makes no financial sense. For me, on the west end of the line, I want to make sure Oakwood station gets built and it’s concerning if all of the money gets spent (burying a line) in the east.”

Since the election, councillors whose wards include Eglinton Ave. have been discussing how that line will get built and whether some of it should run on the surface. “The biggest election issue is getting something built,” he said.

Colle, while cautioning that his ward doesn’t include Finch, said a busway there probably makes sense, given its population densities.

“It’s not as sexy as an LRT, but I think a BRT makes a lot of sense along that route and, once the infrastructure is built, it can be converted to an LRT,” he said.

Councillor Maria Augimeri (York Centre), a TTC commissioner who has advocated vigorously for Finch riders, said she was struggling to support the plan to put a busway in at a cost of $400 million, rather than light rail.

“I don’t want the concession of the BRT to wipe out the hopes of having an LRT in the next decade. I’d rather forgo a BRT if it means no LRT,” she said. “It’s really important to have a guarantee of electrification, not only for transit, but for economic development reasons.”

Stintz acknowledged that a busway represents a compromise for the 42,000 TTC riders who pack Finch buses every day.

“I think the BRT is the right compromise because it takes transit on Finch sooner. By 2014 we could bring that service to Finch,” she said.

Last year, a TTC report suggested that articulated buses running on separate lanes could relieve crowding and speed up the trip along that corridor. The lanes could be built down the middle of the road, or curb lanes could be converted into bus lanes, the report said.

One left-wing councillor, Joe Mihevc, cautioned that the idea of a busway on Finch needs more study, or the route should remain devoted to an LRT.

“We cannot be making these decisions politically. We can’t be doing horse-trading, running between councillors’ offices. We know what we want on Eglinton, that’s been studied. We know what we want on Sheppard; that can be thoughtfully presented and put out. Finch requires more work,” he said.

“The agreement has to be around maximimizing public transit dollars,” said Mihevc. “Then staff has to settle on what the options might be … to yield the best benefits for the network.”

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