The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by someone123

It's worth doing as a tourist. But it's never going to attract a lot of passengers when it costs the same or more as a flight that takes maybe 1/15 of the time. Unfortunately, in addition to the rail lines not being able to support high speeds they have to contend with freight trains and the route is indirect.

Halifax-Moncton and the commuter rail plan could both be competitive with driving in terms of travel time (or better? maybe there could one day be trains going 150 km/h or more). The train arrives in downtown Halifax so visitors can easily get by without a car. Another nice fact about that line is it has few at-grade crossings. I don't remember what it's like as you go farther along but the suburban Halifax crossings are all cuts/tunnels or bridges.

Eventually, there could be passenger trains doing the Halifax-Moncton-Saint-John route and then buses feeding in to that. Not long ago (up until 1990 or so) there were passenger trains to many smaller areas like the Annapolis Valley. One day I could also imagine a streetcar system in Halifax that ties in with the commuter rail station, and/or a rail extension from the South Street terminal closer into downtown.

Ok, evidently you've been smoking. This is Canada. The new, neo-Liberal Canada. We're no longer Citizens, we're Taxpayers, and as Taxpayers, we don't support these commie schemes! (Or so we're told)

There's not going to be any HSR anywhere soon, never mind the Maritimes. Trams in Hali? Spark another one.

Be happy that Via will try for a daily clunker to Moncton and back and don't expect much more.. in your lifetime. Been following this shit for far too long only to be disappointed almost every time.

And honestly, when you take into consideration the clusterfuck that air travel has become, you're not losing much time taking the train from MTL to Hali, and you'll arrive relaxed, after seeing much more of the country and meeting many more of your fellow citizens.

[Innsertnamehere]

A train to Saint John would be nice. The key is going to make sure speeds are competitive.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

It wouldn't have been world class today but we would have developed dozens of new designs since then. You don't develop one aircraft then say "There it is, that's it!".

Though the end result fits in much better with the Canadian narrative "The USA may have sent a man to the moon but a lot of those NASA guys were Canadian" NASA North!

After all, were known around the world as "Hollywood North" or haven't you heard?

Check out Brooklyn North Pizza. I hear it's good.

Uhhhh I am actually pretty familiar with the aerospace industry in Canada... This is even a case study we looked at during school well over a decade ago. There are areas where Canada is cutting edge (not that you'd understand) but developing an interceptor was never one of them. Looking at the arc of British aerospace industry at the time is an interesting comparison in context - particularly keeping in mind they were a larger country than us with far more institutional knowledge in the area. And given the pace of technological increase at the time designs often *were* once and done. This is why I explicitly said in my post I agree with what the poster above said about the engine program.


I don't see why you bother with the hamfisted jabs at Toronto every time you get drunk in the middle of the night and decide to post.

[Aylmer]

Well-written post, but that last bit is unproductive. We can keep it civil.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by Aylmer

Well-written post, but that last bit is unproductive. We can keep it civil.

He called rousseau a piece of shit in another thread so I don't really see the point.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

That's a typically Canadian, branch plant, loser mentality response.

Immediately after cancelling the Arrow we bought the useless Bomarc missle system and the already near-obsolete F-100 Voodoos and F-104 Starfighters which were retired from service by the USAF around the advent of the Viet Nam war yet kept in service by the RCAF until the advent of the Hornet in the early '80s. There were also license-built F-5 Freedom Fighters but they were disposable- the Yanks left 100's of them in Viet Nam when they left.

Regardless of how good the Arrow was or wasn't, it would have spurred further innovation, but more importantly-our entire aerospace industry was gutted overnight. The people working on the project had no choice other than to head South to work for NASA, Boeing, Lockheed, etc., and we've been left begging for scraps ever since.

Is it any wonder that Bombardier, in a country so full of 'happy to be mediocre's', faces so much domestic criticism?

How dare they be world leaders! So un-Canadian!

Typical reactionary misunderstanding.


I grew up around a few engineers that worked on the Arrow. They didn't high tail it to the US and went on to do even greater things in Canada. These were my parent's friend so when I started my own life I lost contact. Still, most of those last discussion I witnessed in the mid 1990s was about the rapid decline in mechanical engineering in Canada(Ontario). The recession sped up the process but , the writing was on the wall. I wonder now if it was because we thought we could actually compete with the giants rather than specialize in something that compliments what they are doing. I wonder if we have now taken that direction and things have improved.

[SteelTown]

Announcement coming Thursday on LRT and Hamilton transit

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/7097668-announcement-coming-thursday-on-lrt-and-hamilton-transit/

Local politicians are expecting news about the fate of the Hamilton's James Street A-line spur when Ontario's transportation minister comes to town Thursday.

Minister Steven Del Duca and top Metrolinx officials are slated to make an unspecified announcement about "improving public transit" at the Hunter Street GO station at 9 a.m.

But Mayor Fred Eisenberger acknowledged last month the provincial transit agency was rethinking the part of Hamilton's $1-billion LRT plan that would see light rail cars traveling up a James Street spur to the new GO station in favour of a more "bus-oriented" approach.

Other sources told The Spectator some sort of express bus or dedicated bus rapid transit (BRT) service was being contemplated for the entire James Street-Upper James corridor, perhaps as far south as Rymal Road or the airport.

Coun. Sam Merulla said he understood the announcement to be a response to his motion last year calling on Metrolinx to incorporate more transit improvements to the A-line in tandem with the light rail transit project along the east-west B-line.

"I'm encouraged that they're responding with a project amendment that will better incorporate the Mountain and its residents, as well as improve the sustainability of our entire transit system," he said.

It's also possible there is other transit news on the horizon, however.

CN and Metrolinx have been working to extend another railroad track from Aldershot to the West Harbour GO station with the eventual goal of upping infrequent GO Train service to the city. A new bridge to allow for that track was added across the Desjardins Canal in December.

Metrolinx wouldn't provide a timeline for that construction Thursday, other than to say it is "working closely with CN to finalize construction plans" for the new track.

The agency plans to extend more frequent train service to Hamilton within 10 years, but it remains unclear when the new West Harbour station can expect to see more than two Toronto-bound trains leaving each morning.

The Hunter Street station, which is on a CPR-owned line, sees four trains each morning.

[SteelTown]

Province is moving ahead with funding A-Line, which will be BRT. This is an addition to moving forward with B-Line LRT, which was officially announced that RFP is going out today with Infrastructure Ontario.


https://twitter.com/SamCraggsCBC

[TorontoDrew]

I still think they should call the new LRT line the Tesla Line instead of some stupid roadway. It makes way more sense.

[WhipperSnapper]

Those Avro Arrow guys I knew growing up would be ecstatic by how much of a mainstream idol Tesla has become.

[SteelTown]

Way back in the day, in the 80's the origin of the B-Line came from when HSR introduced the Beeline Express. It was literally a B with a bumblebee (matches with Hamilton Black and Yellow colours). Some 20 years later the name got switched to simply the B-Line.


http://www.hamilton-today.com/hsr/keep-the-b-line-in-line/

[OTSkyline]

Would the B-line be completely grade-seperated like Ottawa's transitway system now? If not, I think this is a total fail...

I get they are trying to maximize the return but it's better to do it right the first time then to do it 2-3 times over and over again.

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Would the B-line be completely grade-seperated like Ottawa's transitway system now? If not, I think this is a total fail...

I get they are trying to maximize the return but it's better to do it right the first time then to do it 2-3 times over and over again.

It's running along James St., so the most it will end up is probably akin to Ottawa's Baseline BRT scheme. (Unless they plan to tear up one of the city's main north west streets...)

[FFX-ME]

That's not really BRT then, it's just a crappy, over-marketed, express bus line.

[SteelTown]

It'll probably be a mixture, inner city will probably be mixed traffic while on the mountain it'll probably be dedicated bus lanes (from Fennell to the Airport) as there is more space and suburban.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by FFX-ME

That's not really BRT then, it's just a crappy, over-marketed, express bus line.

lets keep away from definitions here, this thread is plagued by it.

It will be in median bus lanes most likely, similar to baseline or York Region VIVAways..

[FFX-ME]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

lets keep away from definitions here, this thread is plagued by it.

It will be in median bus lanes most likely, similar to baseline or York Region VIVAways..

Transit: the carrying of people, goods, or materials from one place to another.
Skyscraper: a very tall building of many stories.
City: a large town.

[SteelTown]

Almost done the rail bridge, this should help to bring more GO Train service to Hamilton. Hopefully all day GO Train eventually.

Originally Posted by davidcappi

The new rail bridge over the canal is nearing completion, save for some work on the slope down to the water/rails. Work is also commencing on the new 403 bridge over the canal.

[/url]
17-511238 by =https://www.flickr.com/photos/drum118/]drum118, on Flickr

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Hamilton Photo: New HWY 403 Bridge At Desjardins Canal by =https://www.flickr.com/photos/drum118/]drum118, on Flickr



17-511236 by drum118, on Flickr

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

A train to Saint John would be nice. The key is going to make sure speeds are competitive.

Speed, pricing, frequency.. Driving to Moncton takes roughly between 1hr15 and 1hr35. Train stations in each downtown help in making trains more feasible between the two but it's still far too easy to drive and park in either. There isn't much of a train culture here to speak of simply because SJ hasn't had trains in 20+ years now. The more the downtowns grow and become more difficult for drivers/cars the more feasible a train service between the two becomes.

In saying that, returning train service to SJ would merely be replacing services that left 20/30 years ago.

[MalcolmTucker]

At least the route is direct:



from: https://rac.jmaponline.net/canadianrailatlas/

I have to wonder what maintenance standards they have kept it to as a branch-esque line: can it handle 100 kph?