Winnipeg | Transit | Rapid Transit

[Mr Tall Forehead]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

^Good point, it's true that the old streetcars seemed to function in Winnipeg's snowy weather. I haven't heard of any snow related issues for Toronto's streetcars either.

Check out this video of a Winnipeg streetcar switchman who kept the tracks free of ice and snow back in the day. I wonder how a modern system would work?

https://www.nfb.ca/film/paul_tomkowicz_street_railway_switchman/

That's a cool flick. Paul Tomkowicz is the man! Six hardboiled eggs and a bunch of wieners is one hell of a breakfast too.

[neutroniks]

Originally Posted by bon_vivant

We need another study! Then study the study. Then debate the study. And then conclude, yet again, that busses are the only solution. But let's study why that is! /s

Don't forget to have a Plebiscite during the next election!

[Authentic_City]

Originally Posted by Mr Tall Forehead

That's a cool flick. Paul Tomkowicz is the man! Six hardboiled eggs and a bunch of wieners is one hell of a breakfast too.

Hahaha. And half a loaf of rye bread!

[cllew]

Originally Posted by neutroniks

Aren't there still some tracks found under the asphalt out and around downtown? Good thing we didn't take them out fully. Saves us the trouble of re-installing them

Have to pull them up and lay new ties under them, and we should be good for another 100 years.

[Luisito]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

I'd love to see light rail in Winnipeg, but I'm wondering about how it might work with the weather here, given all the problems with snow for Ottawa's LRT system. I don't know much about it, but my friends in Ottawa say it's been terrible so far. The LRT can't seem to operate properly in the snowy weather. According to this article, Toronto and Montreal are also having snow related issues. What is going on? These are winter cities. Can LRT be designed to operate better in the snow? I haven't heard of these issues in Calgary, but the weather is a bit different in southern Alberta.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-montreal-ottawa-lrt-winter-snow-9.7047495

The problem with Ottawas LRT is that is a low floor LRT that is run like a metro. Overcowding is a problem on the trains which is basically a street. It appears the recently opened Finch LRT in Toronto(same cars as Ottawas lrt) also is having some issues.

If Winnipeg were to ever have an LRT we should use high floor lrts, similar to what see in Calgarys and Edmontons original LRT lines (not the new lines). High floors are of higher capacity, more sturdy and easier for maintenance and repairs. We shoud avoid low floor street cars at all costs. Winnipeg needs to think 30,40 years down the road and avoid all the mistakes other candian cities are making with low floor lrts.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by Luisito

The problem with Ottawas LRT is that is a low floor LRT that is run like a metro. Overcowding is a problem on the trains which is basically a street. It appears the recently opened Finch LRT in Toronto(same cars as Ottawas lrt) also is having some issues.

If Winnipeg were to ever have an LRT we should use high floor lrts, similar to what see in Calgarys and Edmontons original LRT lines (not the new lines). High floors are of higher capacity, more sturdy and easier for maintenance and repairs. We shoud avoid low floor street cars at all costs. Winnipeg needs to think 30,40 years down the road and avoid all the mistakes other candian cities are making with low floor lrts.

Are new high floor LRT cars legal now under universal accessibility provisions of the human rights laws?

[Winnipeg Grump]

Since we're talking LRT's. I follow one of Gillingham's chief policy advisors online. The other day, as he was replying to a post about LRT's, he swung into a bit of a discussion about Winnipeg, rapid transit, and LRT's and made a couple of interesting comments.

- anyone complaining about the switchover in one breathe and then complaining that Winnipeg doesn't have LRT's? Give your head a shake - the new route is set up to enable LRT's down the road. You couldn't do it under the old route model.

- he mentioned that ride count determines whether or not LRT is viable (taking the CapEx piece to get up and running out of the discussion - purely from OpEx) BUT that two of the main routes were actually near the requisite ride counts.

Thought that last one was interesting. Now, if we can just get a couple billion in infrastructure funding from PMMC and the Wabber, we're set!

[Biff]

Originally Posted by cllew

Are new high floor LRT cars legal now under universal accessibility provisions of the human rights laws?

Wouldn't you just need to have access via a platform.

[bomberjet]

En francais. But is an example.

https://exo.quebec/Media/Default/pdf/section2/depliant-accessibilite-ligne-mascouche.pdf
https://exo.quebec/en/accessibility/mascouche-line

[EdwardTH]

Originally Posted by Winnipeg Grump

- he mentioned that ride count determines whether or not LRT is viable (taking the CapEx piece to get up and running out of the discussion - purely from OpEx) BUT that two of the main routes were actually near the requisite ride counts.

Thought that last one was interesting. Now, if we can just get a couple billion in infrastructure funding from PMMC and the Wabber, we're set!

I believe it, the Blue line buses are already packed to the gills, I was thinking last week it seems like LRT would already be viable there.

[Mr Tall Forehead]

Originally Posted by Winnipeg Grump

Since we're talking LRT's. I follow one of Gillingham's chief policy advisors online. The other day, as he was replying to a post about LRT's, he swung into a bit of a discussion about Winnipeg, rapid transit, and LRT's and made a couple of interesting comments.

- anyone complaining about the switchover in one breathe and then complaining that Winnipeg doesn't have LRT's? Give your head a shake - the new route is set up to enable LRT's down the road. You couldn't do it under the old route model.

- he mentioned that ride count determines whether or not LRT is viable (taking the CapEx piece to get up and running out of the discussion - purely from OpEx) BUT that two of the main routes were actually near the requisite ride counts.

Thought that last one was interesting. Now, if we can just get a couple billion in infrastructure funding from PMMC and the Wabber, we're set!

That's interesting considering we only have one BRT route at this point (Blue line). I wonder which of the other regular surface transit routes would already be close to the numbers for LRT viability...Main?...Portage?

[bomberjet]

Everything is being pumped to the blue line (and other spine routes). So by design those routes are going to see higher usage. Which is the whole point of the new primary network.

[lbnevs]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Everything is being pumped to the blue line (and other spine routes). So by design those routes are going to see higher usage. Which is the whole point of the new primary network.

Well, they struck the task force in 2004, broke ground on the Blue line in 2009, and finished it (to the extent it is finished) in 2020, so what, 16 years?

If they start planning an LRT conversion today, I might get to take it to my retirement party!

[reallycoolguy]

would definitely already be viable, should probably get that level of service to the rest of the city before building the LRT though. If possible

[bomberjet]

I'll have to check the dates on some of the drawings and/or agreements. But the southwest transitway has been planned in official fashion since at least 1968.

So by the time stage 1 opened in 2012, that's 44 years! Stage 2 opening in 2020, that's 54 years. And the future downtown corridors will still utilize agreements with the railways regarding lands originating in 1968!! Lmao

[Luisito]

Originally Posted by cllew

Are new high floor LRT cars legal now under universal accessibility provisions of the human rights laws?

If the the proper infrastructure is built, I am not sure why they wouldn't be? High floor LRT are used everywhere.

[Kresimir]

Originally Posted by Biff

Wouldn't you just need to have access via a platform.

Nothing wrong with high floor LRT cars as long as you have level boarding. High platforms are more expensive can can be somewhat disruptive in a very urban, tram-like ROW, but for something like the blue line it would be the best option.

You'd probably want to grade separate more of it though, including into the university and at least the downtown parts of portage ave. Maybe elevated ala the old monorail proposal? Portage is wide enough.

[bomberjet]

Most likely no grade separation along Portage or Main. Just the highline part through union station and over York Ave.

[cllew]

Interesting article online from the Free Press/Narwhal about the problem that the Transit GPS failure is causing Transit in figuring out how to fix the route issues.

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breaki...y-gps-data-transit-plan-lacked-direction

[pegster]

Two relevant transit things today:

Probe Research, on behalf of the Downtown BIZ, released the results of a survey concerning the effects of the transit changes on downtown: https://downtownwinnipegbiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/TransitReport_WEB_FEB2026.pdf

The survey had a large sample size (n=1,395), and while not a random sample (it was voluntary, I was one of the survey respondents), the results are pretty damning:

84 per cent of downtown transit riders report being unhappy with the new system, of those 67 per cent say they are very unhappy;

Commute times downtown have increased an average of 22 minutes, rising from 29 to 51 minutes. One-third of respondents say their commute now takes over an hour;

About one-half of respondents say they often find other ways to get downtown like driving or Uber-ing, instead of the bus;

About 70 per cent of respondents say they are visiting downtown a lot less now for leisure activities like shopping, running errands or going to events; and

Downtown riders who tend to be the most frustrated with the new system include many groups who face barriers – low-income people, seniors, and those with disabilities.

Another important news item (and perhaps not unrelated to the one above): Transit is proposing some significant changes this spring, including adding more busses on many routes, splitting up the D16 into two routes, and rerouting the D19 in downtown to get closer to certain locations, like the Winnipeg Clinic: https://www.winnipeg.ca/news/2026-02-25-...ng-downtown-focused-route-changes-summer