The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Smarttrack Ridership Projections

I don't get the whole Eglinton West thing. I mean, is this really an area in need of medium to high frequency heavy urban rail service? It mostly seems like lowish density, single family detached housing, with no major points of interest (other than the airport, which the line wouldn't be going to). And why make the eastern section so close to the new Bloor extension? Would the huge cost of the underground Bloor extension even be needed?

[caltrane74]

Eglinton West will be LRT (not heavy rail) - Whatever is going on in Scarborough, nobody really understands the stupidity going on there.

[mistercorporate]

Eglinton is congested as hell, and it helps relieve some of the pressure from the Yonge line. Agreed that it's lower density than downtown but what we really need is expanded rapid transit coverage to make commuting in the city region less car oriented. That being said, I really hope there's no heavy rail subway in Scarborough, LRT would do the trick, a subway line going West from Yonge-Queen to the future Smarttrack station on Queen would make more sense.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Eglinton West will be LRT (not heavy rail) - Whatever is going on in Scarborough, nobody really understands the stupidity going on there.

The way SmartTrack is shown on that map doesn't make it look like a transfer would be required though. It makes it seem like a one seat ride all the way from Carlingview Dr to Union.

[caltrane74]

The entire Eglinton section is light rain, the heavy rail splits at Mt. Dennis, you can see the loop/interchange indicator on the map.

A Transfer will be required.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

The entire Eglinton section is light rain, the heavy rail splits at Mt. Dennis, you can see the loop/interchange indicator on the map.

A Transfer will be required.

So, Eglington West is an extension of Crosstown?

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

So, Eglington West is an extension of Crosstown?

Wouldn't make sense any other way.

[Innsertnamehere]

Well, idk where this Eglington place is. The Eglinton West LRT would be a crosstown extension though, yes.

[ssiguy]

Yes, Eglinton will be an extension of the Crosstown.

It will serve Pearson and the Airport Corporate Centre which is one of the largest employment districts in the region. Also it will hook up with the 15km Mississauga Transitway so it will get a lot of traffic from Miss.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Yes, Eglinton will be an extension of the Crosstown.

It will serve Pearson and the Airport Corporate Centre which is one of the largest employment districts in the region. Also it will hook up with the 15km Mississauga Transitway so it will get a lot of traffic from Miss.

Do we have an estimated time that shovels will be put into the ground?

[gunnar777]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

The entire Eglinton section is light rain, the heavy rail splits at Mt. Dennis, you can see the loop/interchange indicator on the map.

A Transfer will be required.

Obviously the engineering feats and frequency limitations make heavy rail through Eglinton West seem unviable, but I just don't think Toronto can handle many more transfer points. There should be a focus on interlining services! Imagine someone at, say King/Bathurst wanting to take the Smarttrack LRT to Pearson. First, they would board the Bathurst streetcar to Bathurst station on Line 2, then they would change at Dundas West to Bloor Station. Then they would change again at the Smarttrack heavy rail to LRT transfer point. Unless you live on Eglinton or Smarttrack, you're looking at a 3 seat ride, minimum.

[Coldrsx]

West LRT please and thank you.

Edmonton mayor wants Ottawa to foot larger bill on infrastructure

ELISE STOLTE, EDMONTON JOURNAL
More from Elise Stolte, Edmonton Journal

Mayor Don Iveson said Edmonton can move quickly on the west section of the LRT, two priority train crossings or upgrades to the Yellowhead Trail if Ottawa comes through with a suggested $1-billion stimulus package.

None of those projects are “shovel ready” but design work could be finished in 2016 and construction could start the following years, said Iveson, reacting to news out of Ottawa Tuesday.

“We could get started on that very, very quickly,” he said. “Sending those signals today helps give certainty to contractors and employers that there will be work in the pipe the next year. Even sending the signal is important from an economic confidence point of view.”

Bloomberg News quoted three unnamed government sources in its report on the suggested stimulus package. Speaking after a cabinet retreat Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would only say: “We’re looking very, very hard at what needs to be done.”

“We’ve always said that being fiscally responsible while creating growth is at the heart of what the Liberal Party is, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” said Trudeau.

Infrastructure and Communities Minister Amarjeet Sohi said the Liberals will consider paying more than their one-third share for infrastructure projects they deem worthwhile.

Iveson said that’s critical. “There are real concerns across the country that some provinces may not be in a position to top up, some municipalities as well,” he said, adding that transit projects that can cost billions.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-ne...wa-to-foot-larger-bill-on-infrastructure

Blue = u/c
Fuchsia = West portion of the Valley Line that is next up

http://mastermaq.s3.amazonaws.com

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

West LRT please and thank you.

Edmonton mayor wants Ottawa to foot larger bill on infrastructure

ELISE STOLTE, EDMONTON JOURNAL
More from Elise Stolte, Edmonton Journal

Mayor Don Iveson said Edmonton can move quickly on the west section of the LRT, two priority train crossings or upgrades to the Yellowhead Trail if Ottawa comes through with a suggested $1-billion stimulus package.

None of those projects are “shovel ready” but design work could be finished in 2016 and construction could start the following years, said Iveson, reacting to news out of Ottawa Tuesday.

“We could get started on that very, very quickly,” he said. “Sending those signals today helps give certainty to contractors and employers that there will be work in the pipe the next year. Even sending the signal is important from an economic confidence point of view.”

Bloomberg News quoted three unnamed government sources in its report on the suggested stimulus package. Speaking after a cabinet retreat Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would only say: “We’re looking very, very hard at what needs to be done.”

“We’ve always said that being fiscally responsible while creating growth is at the heart of what the Liberal Party is, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” said Trudeau.

Infrastructure and Communities Minister Amarjeet Sohi said the Liberals will consider paying more than their one-third share for infrastructure projects they deem worthwhile.

Iveson said that’s critical. “There are real concerns across the country that some provinces may not be in a position to top up, some municipalities as well,” he said, adding that transit projects that can cost billions.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-ne...wa-to-foot-larger-bill-on-infrastructure

Blue = u/c
Fuchsia = West portion of the Valley Line that is next up

http://mastermaq.s3.amazonaws.com

I never could understand why they never connected the LRT to the West Ed mall. They were built within a few years of each other.

[Innsertnamehere]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toro...an-includes-fewer-stops/article28280303/

New proposal for Scarborough subway plan includes fewer stops, New LRT to UTSC

A major revamp of the contentious $3.5-billion Scarborough subway is heading to council, The Globe and Mail has learned.

The plan drafted by city staff would lower the cost of the subway project by having fewer stations – one stop instead of three – by running the train directly from Kennedy station to Scarborough Town Centre and then stopping. According to a high level source who has been briefed on the proposal, the savings could be ploughed into extending the Eglinton Crosstown LRT to the University of Toronto campus in the east end.

Combined with other changes related to Mayor John Tory’s SmartTrack plan, the idea offers the prospect of an LRT eventually running from Pearson International Airport in the west to the U of T Scarborough campus in the east.

Sources said that shortening the subway and eliminating two stations would shave $1-billion off the cost of roughly $3.5-billion. Subway builders would avoid the costly exercise of tunnelling under the 401 highway to Sheppard Avenue, which was to have been the terminus of the subway.

The subway would no longer stop at Lawrence Avenue, but nearby stops on Mayor John Tory’s ‎proposed SmartTrack line would take up some of the ridership slack.

[mistercorporate]

Great pic insertnamehere, finally a plan that makes a bit more sense!

[matt602]

Toronto sure is good at making up plans. Carrying through with them on the other hand...

[hipster duck]

So Toronto wants [mostly other people] to spend $2.5 billion to extend a subway in a 6km long tunnel to Scarborough Town Centre? I mean, why can't they just run a spur off of Smartrack using the existing rapid transit ROW?

I'm not sure what the problem would be. Scarberians get the same one seat ride downtown. John Tory saves face.

Don't tell me that's undoable because the curve is built for ICTS vehicles. For a damn sight less than $2.5 billion you can build a grade-separated curve for just about any vehicle and retrofit the Scarborough Town Centre RT for just about anything.

[caltrane74]

A city that was built on efficiency and spendthrift puritanical values has come to this...

[J.OT13]

Confederation Line Update.

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Construction Update
Week of January 18

---

Pouring the L-wall in Lyon Station Cavern

Lyon Station

Crews complete rebar installation and pour concrete for the L-walls.

---

Preparation for rock excavation at Lyon Station west entrance

Lyon Station West and East Entrance

West Entrance: line drilling continues in preparation for rock excavation. Work on the HVAC shaft is ongoing, including asphalt removal and initial work to relocate a watermain.

East Entrance: concrete pouring takes place, along with mechanical and electrical relocations.

---

Mining the bench in Parliament Station cavern

Parliament Station Cavern

Chewrocka mines the north drift bench and centre pillar. Initial support activities will follow

---

Final work on the winter enclosure at Parliament Station west entrance

Parliament Station West and East Entrance

West Entrance: final works on the winter enclosure are completed.

East Entrance: concrete work continues on the parking levels, including column reinforcement, formwork and pours.

Traffic restrictions on Queen and O’Connor streets are in effect.

---

Excavating Rideau Station cavern

Rideau Station

Crocodile rouge continues mining the bench and tunnel support activities are ongoing.

---

Excavating Rideau Station east entrance

Rideau Station West and East Entrance

West Entrance: micro-pile installation is completed, and soft ground excavation begins.

East Entrance: crews complete line drilling and continue reinforcements. Blasting is anticipated to begin by the end of the week.

Traffic restrictions on Rideau Street remain in effect.

---

Pouring walls at Tremblay Station

Hurdman, Tremblay, St-Laurent, Cyrville and Blair Stations

At Hurdman Station, backfilling continues and crews mobilize onsite to begin plumbing work.

At Tremblay Station, crews continue working on the station footings and foundation walls. Rebar and forming occur over the next few weeks.

At St-Laurent Station, crews continue pouring columns for the station, which will be followed by backfilling. Crews also begin excavating duct banks.

At Cyrville Station, backfilling occurs for the operator’s building and crews continue forming the stairwell walls.

At Blair Station, foundation walls are being finalized. Waterproofing and backfilling also occur.

---

Guideway– Booth Street Bridge, Lees, Hurdman and Tremblay Stations

Work resumes at the Booth Street Bridge with girder installations.

Work continues at the south abutment of the Rideau River Transitway Bridge, including excavation.

At the D-Ring road next to VIA Rail, crews will return in early February to continue deck work.

Installation of duct banks and OCS foundations are ongoing west of St-Laurent Station. Watermain relocation continues along the guideway, west of St-Laurent Station to Tremblay Station.

Trackwork, including ballast and tamping, is anticipated to continue west of St-Laurent Station as early as the end of winter.

---

Installing OCS poles at Belfast Yard

Belfast Yard Site and Connector Works

In the yard, crews begin installing OCS poles and cables. Preparations begin for delivery of Traction Power Sub Station. In the connector, drilling of the dowels is finalized and crews begin preliminary work to pour the track slab.

---

Upcoming Construction Activities

In the coming weeks, the following construction activities are scheduled to occur:

• Pimisi Station construction.
• Work on CPR overpass.
• Lyon Station west entrance excavation including blasting.
• Hurdman Station permanent bus loop construction.
• Deck work at the Hurdman Station elevated guideway.
• Deck work at the Tremblay Station guideway.
• Watermain work near St-Laurent Station.

In the coming months:

• Tunney’s Pasture Station preliminary works.
• Transitway service adjustment from Lees to Campus stations.
• uOttawa Station construction.
• Lees Station construction.

http://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/construction/construction-update-56/

[1overcosc]

Wow, that's a very good rethink for Toronto.

Brings actual rapid transit into Scarborough itself, connects the Eglinton LRT with the GO station there--a really useful connection--and ensures a set of services that work well together without being redundant.

It's also a very useful political compromise. Both the subway and LRT camps on Toronto City Council can get behind this.