The Great Canadian Transit Thread - Page 148

Innsertnamehere · #**2941** Posted **Oct 2, 2013, 10:24 AM**

Toronto has commuter rail haha.. And it handles upwards of 300,000 daily IIRC

Beedok · #**2942** Posted **Oct 2, 2013, 11:03 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

That's impressive! It will be cool once other cities other than Van, MTL, and TO have suburbs large enough to warrant commuter rail. That won't be for a long time though, I'd imagine!

Technically you could argue Hamilton has commuter rail.

Chadillaccc · #**2943** Posted **Oct 2, 2013, 11:25 AM**

No they couldn't. They could say Hamilton was recently directly connected to Toronto's commuter rail system, and had a tenuous connection at Aldershot for the last couple decades.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Toronto has commuter rail haha.. And it handles upwards of 300,000 daily IIRC

Where in this entire thread did 1 single person attempt to say Toronto doesn't have commuter rail?

Beedok · #**2944** Posted **Oct 2, 2013, 11:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

No they couldn't. They could say Hamilton was recently directly connected to Toronto's commuter rail system, and had a tenuous connection at Aldershot for the last couple decades.

Hamilton's had go trains going downtown for years, it just recently got a second station. Seeing as how there's more than one stop in Burlington and one in Hamilton I'm sure some people take the train to commute within the city's metro area.

Chadillaccc · #**2945** Posted **Oct 2, 2013, 12:01 PM**

Yes, and I suppose the fact that it wouldn't exist without Toronto existing means nothing. Yes, Hamilton has a commuter rail system running through it. How about that?

franktko · #**2946** Posted **Oct 2, 2013, 1:23 PM**

A proposed model from the MTQ for the Champlain bridge with SLR and bus lanes below deck:

(in French: http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/montre...ec-veut-une-structure-a-deux-niveaux.php)

Beedok · #**2947** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 3:02 PM**

I wasn't saying Hamilton had rail because of itself, just that it had it.

Also, I like that bridge project.

Rico Rommheim · #**2948** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 3:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by franktko

A proposed model from the MTQ for the Champlain bridge with SLR and bus lanes below deck:

(in French: http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/montre...ec-veut-une-structure-a-deux-niveaux.php)

Hey that's great! However, I wish they'd put more than 6 car lanes. That bridge is going to get crowded fast. I would have preferred 10 car lanes with more room for more bus lanes and trains on the lower level.

Aylmer · #**2949** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 5:25 PM**

It seems rather useless just floating there

I like the idea, especially since it protects the transit from snow/freezing rain/wind, etc., but I wonder what they'll do about ventilation for the buses.
Also, I wish those bike lanes were more protected from the elements (especially wind) and the noise from the cars. Chickenwire might not cut it.

WhipperSnapper · #**2950** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 5:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beedok

I wasn't saying Hamilton had rail because of itself, just that it had it.

Also, I like that bridge project.

In that sense, Kitchener, Guelph, Barrie, Oshawa have commuter rail too.

Beedok · #**2951** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 5:30 PM**

I think Barrie is the only other metro with more than stop.

Nouvellecosse · #**2952** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 5:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

Hey that's great! However, I wish they'd put more than 6 car lanes. That bridge is going to get crowded fast. I would have preferred 10 car lanes with more room for more bus lanes and trains on the lower level.

I hope they don't put more than 6. With the additional of rail, expressways should be discouraged for auto commuting with capacity mainly reserved for commercial vehicles. Having the road slow and congested - especially during peak times - will make using the LRT much more appealing to commuters.

I just wish rail riders got to enjoy the view - of both the skyline and of all the road vehicles they're whizzing past - but I suppose it does make the most sense to put the LRT underneath since it's electric and doesn't require much ventilation.

Also, I hope they don't actually use traditional LRT and opt for high speed commuter rail instead. Something like the DBAG 425 series used for several S-Bahns would be great as they can go 140km/h while most LRT stock can only reach 90-100km/h.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/DB-Baureihe_425_(1999))

Rico Rommheim · #**2953** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 5:54 PM**

Not sure where to put this, but the Italian cruise ship AIDAbella docked today in Old Montreal. The 69,000 GT , 2,500 passenger ship is the biggest cruise ship ever to dock in Montreal.

by peekay on mtlurb

Chadillaccc · #**2954** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 6:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Something like the DBAG 425 series used for several S-Bahns would be great as they can go 140km/h while most LRT stock can only reach 90-100km/h.

LMAO! The DBAG series? Sounds like a perfect series for this forum

Acajack · #**2955** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 6:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

Not sure where to put this, but the Italian cruise ship AIDAbella docked today in Old Montreal. The 69,000 GT , 2,500 passenger ship is the biggest cruise ship ever to dock in Montreal.

by peekay on mtlurb

The leaf-peepers are in town!

logan5 · #**2956** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 6:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Also, I hope they don't actually use traditional LRT and opt for high speed commuter rail instead. Something like the DBAG 425 series used for several S-Bahns would be great as they can go 140km/h while most LRT stock can only reach 90-100km/h.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/DB-Baureihe_425_(1999)

Do you happen to know what the maximum grade these trains can do? Or generally what can commuter rail trains like these do. Can't seem to find it in the wiki article.

Nouvellecosse · #**2957** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 7:35 PM**

Well the trains are basically high-performance metro trains with slightly extra provisioning for speed and comfort. I see that SF's BART, a similar commuter-metro hybrid system, has a maximum grade climbing ability of 4% but the DBAG 425 series is smaller and lighter stock with an excellent power/weight ratio so it would likely be higher.

logan5 · #**2958** Posted **Oct 3, 2013, 9:15 PM**

Thanx. I hardly ever see maximum grade specs even though it's a pretty important number.

miketoronto · #**2959** Posted **Oct 4, 2013, 1:30 AM**

The German S-Bahn trains are amazing. I just rode them this summer in Heidleburg and Stuttgart. The frequency, speed, and comfort is amazing.

What was funny, was we were talking to German guy on the S-Bahn and he was complaining about how transit is not all great in Europe like outsiders think. As an example he used the local bus route in his small town of 10,000. He said the bus only comes every 30 minutes.

Aylmer · #**2960** Posted **Oct 4, 2013, 1:51 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by miketoronto

The German S-Bahn trains are amazing. I just rode them this summer in Heidleburg and Stuttgart. The frequency, speed, and comfort is amazing.

What was funny, was we were talking to German guy on the S-Bahn and he was complaining about how transit is not all great in Europe like outsiders think. As an example he used the local bus route in his small town of 10,000. He said the bus only comes every 30 minutes.

I lived in Aachen for a couple of months and I just could not get over how easy mobility is there: no matter how you decide to get around (car, foot, bike, transit...), it's easy, convenient and respected.

I would take the RE1 to Cologne (~120km) and, if you travel in a group, it's dirt cheap: at €35, you can get a return trip for five people, or about €3.50 per person per way.

If I could do Ottawa-Montreal return for $10 every 30 minutes from 5am to 1am in under 90 minutes, I wouldn't even think twice about leaving my car at home.