The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[theman23]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

International events are an opportunity to build slick, modern, state of the art infrastructure. Think Montréal metro and Canada Line in Vancouver. The UPX looks like a slow, oversized clunker that's been running with its original paint job for 30+ years.

This is an embarrassment! UPX should have been the first test for HSR in Canada: an awesome, slick, ultra fast link between the countries busiest airport and Canada's financial core.

Bare minimum, they'd better repaint the train Go Transit green.

A reepaint is going to make it slick, fast and ultra modern?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by theman23

A reepaint is going to make it slick, fast and ultra modern?

Bare minimum, still an embarrassment.

[caltrane74]

News Flash : The Pan Am Games are not the Olympics.

Anyways, the majority of the UPX cost was building the "bones" for a true High Speed Line which thankfully will not be going to your town, since you despise it so.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

News Flash : The Pan Am Games are not the Olympics.

Anyways, the majority of the UPX cost was building the "bones" for a true High Speed Line which thankfully will not be going to your town, since you despise it so.

It's Toronto. Go big or go home. Why build the shittiest airport to downtown link possible. Why spend 456 million on something that is expected to be converted in a decade? It's like Ottawa, why build busways if you expect to convert them to rail within 20 years. Do it right the first time.

I get that the Pa Am games are not the Olympics, but an extra half billion (especially in the capital of suburban subway lines) isn't going to break anyone.

I just think Toronto, as the financial capital of Canada, as the face of Canada, deserves much more.

[WhipperSnapper]

Wow. Wonder about people sometimes. Aesthetics of the paint job and the Japanese model train have little to do with the actually function which is far, far from the shittest airport link out there.. I don't think you quite get the electrifiction process considering how foolish the comparison to upgrading a busway to lrt is. Go big or go home is near the opposite of what Toronto is.

Winter Olympics aren't the Olympics either.

[vid]

I actually think it looks great. Olive green with a thin red stripe? Classy!

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by vid

I actually think it looks great. Olive green with a thin red stripe? Classy!

I'm with you - kind of a 1940s (in a good way) vibe.

[ehlow]

Wow you guys are dramatic.

So the trains don't look sleek and the colours aren't amazing (although I think it looks OK personally).

At the end of the day, there will finally be a way to get to the airport by train, something Toronto has been waiting years for, and it's frequent & fast.

This is increasingly important as the highways become more and more congested.

The prices haven't been announced but even if it's 25$ I'd still take it because it's half the cost of a taxi, including TTC fare.

[vid]

Yeah! Except I was being sarcastic.

Do you think it will come with shag carpets and a bob?

[esquire]

At least Toronto is getting some sort of infrastructure improvement out of this Pan Am deal. I don't think there was a single one for the 1999 games in Winnipeg, unless you count tearing down a block's worth of dingy hotels and dive bars on Main Street.

[J.OT13]

The issue isn't just about aesthetics. They should have built HSR between Union and Pearson right off the bat, regardless of the Pan AM games. Metrolinx is already investing billions in Toronto, even on lines that aren't even their jurisdiction (Crosstown). Why could they not spend an extra 500 million to have the best UPX possible?

How can no one else see my point? Not complicated.

And I do get the electrification process. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the trains can be converted to electric power, all they need to do is build the overhead wires. That would still not be HSR. In terms of service, it would be no better than the current diesel UPX.

If/when they build the Toronto-London HSR, it will pretty much require a total rebuild for grade separation and a realignment of a few stretches, which brings me to my BRT/LRT comparison in the next paragraph. That is unless they go with trains that only go 160 km/h, which is again, not HSR. No better than VIA rail.

Brings me to the BRT/LRT comparison. Back in the late 70s, early 80s, the Region had sold us on BRT by coming up with the myth that it was easily convertible to LRT. Truth is, we now have to rebuild the right of way, realign a few stretches and make heavy modifications, if not complete rebuilds of stations. Up until a few months ago, it was the same thing, we were going to spend a few hundred million building BRTs so we could then spend billions re-inventing them as rapid transit.

[ehlow]

The Georgetown corridor work that was done over the last few years was necessary for and will be used by all of the following:

- UPX
- Increased GO service including RER (electrified, two way all day, every 15 min)
- High speed rail proposal to London (if it happens)

[caltrane74]

Union to Pearson HSR modifications are 100% complete. The next step will be Milton, then Kitchner, London is likely off the radar for now, until there is confirmed funding. In the meantime The Toronto/Kitchner area will likely be the first in the country with intercity Express Electrified Service. Its the first tanigble, step towards a real High Speed Service.

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

And I do get the electrification process. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the trains can be converted to electric power, all they need to do is build the overhead wires. That would still not be HSR. In terms of service, it would be no better than the current diesel UPX.

You're wrong. The trains that ended up being purchased are not diesel electrics, but diesel hydraulics. Reason being is they were much cheaper and off the shelf versus a custom solution. They will live on on another line while a new trainset is bought for electric UPX service.

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Union to Pearson HSR modifications are 100% complete. The next step will be Milton, then Kitchner, London is likely off the radar for now, until there is confirmed funding. In the meantime The Toronto/Kitchner area will likely be the first in the country with intercity Express Electrified Service. Its the first tanigble, step towards a real High Speed Service.

I thought the Lakeshore lines were going to be fully electrified before Kitchener?

[Innsertnamehere]

^ nobody knows right now, those details will come in september at the metrolinx board meeting.

The upx will use the same trains once electrified though, at least according to the EA for electrification.

[Chadillaccc]

I've just realized something about Calgary's 8th Avenue Subway...

Both the city and Flames prefer an option for a new stadium on the stampede ground that will have an underground LRT station right into the facility. From that, I can deduce that they may not be going forward with the Subway yet because they haven't worked out a detail with the administration of the Stampede Grounds for the site of the Big Four Building for a new arena. This would lead to the subway going all the way from 10 Street West downtown, all the way to near Erlton-Stampede Station, and the closing of Victoria Park-Stampede Station. With a continuous tunnel of about 3.6 kilometers and four stations.

[dleung]

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

The folks at UPX seem awfully reluctant for people to get a good glimpse of the trains. They need to forget about all the artsy out-of-focus pictures and put up one single decent picture.

They're selling the nostalgia angle since the train looks like it's from 1960.

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by Beedok

I thought the Lakeshore lines were going to be fully electrified before Kitchener?

I don't mind, having two electrified services to both Kitchener and Hamilton. Whichever comes first it's all good with me.


Also, I will go down and check out the new Union Station renovation today, for the second platform. Very excited to see how it's coming together.

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

I don't mind, having two electrified services to both Kitchener and Hamilton. Whichever comes first it's all good with me.

I want both in the end too, I just thought that Hamilton to Toronto would be the first intercity electric line.