The excruciatingly high price tags for new transit lines in Toronto remain a hot-button headline-grabber, but one university student thinks he might have a solution for quickly bringing a new line to the TTC network — one that could be built for a relatively low cost.

Khalil Heron, a 20-year-old urban planning student and transit technician, has cooked up a vision to bring a 22-stop LRT line to Etobicoke that would connect Humber College's Lakeshore and North campuses at opposite ends of the city.

Introducing the Etobicoke LRT. By using LRT tech, this line can interline with the finch LRT. It connects both Humber college campuses across Etobicoke. To achieve quick speeds, the line runs mostly in its own ROW, with key intersection grade separated and barriers at others pic.twitter.com/GarT2746Ba

— khalil heron (@HeronKhalil) January 4, 2024

In addition to connecting these key points, the vision includes a potential extension to Pearson International Airport, as well as connections to existing and proposed transit routes/stations.

The line presents offers a fast north south connection across etobicoke which is critically lacking. It connects major transit lines, and destinations in etobicoke, making so many more trips possible on transit
All of Etobicoke existing rail lines are east-west, let’s change that pic.twitter.com/IxDLCsmpyB

— khalil heron (@HeronKhalil) January 4, 2024

But the real magic in this vision is the alignment. Heron's proposed Etobicoke LRT follows an alignment that could theoretically be constructed along existing rail, highway and hydro corridors, running in a dedicated right-of-way that would combine elevated, trenched, and at-grade centre-median routing.

By using different types of existing ROWs this line can be built for cheap. Running over highways, in trenches though hydro corridors, above streets, and on streets, this line is built for speed while being budget conscious budget. pic.twitter.com/5EfMGgv1dK

— khalil heron (@HeronKhalil) January 4, 2024

Recent news that the Eglinton East LRT would run a price tag of $250 million per kilometre — which is still significantly cheaper than heavy-rail subway lines — spurred discussion about the runaway costs of transit construction, especially in regard to expensive tunnelling works and land acquisition.

Toronto could pay a staggering $250 million per kilometre on new LRT line 😳 https://t.co/7JODtvPsuY #Toronto #Cost #Transit #LRT

— blogTO (@blogTO) December 5, 2023

But transit thinkers like Heron see a future where lines can be built at far lower prices by forgoing some of the most costly aspects of planning and construction, taking advantage of underutilized infrastructure to forge a route that balances needs and overall cost.

Heron has already shared a pair of previous visions with blogTO, where he designed similar lines making use of existing highway and rail routes to easily accommodate a dedicated right of way for rapid transit.

The young designer has conjured up some impressive visions of Toronto's transportation possibilities thus far — the type of enthusiasm for getting our city moving that the executives at Metrolinx should take note of.