The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[J.OT13]

Union-Pearson Express: Worst Canadian Livery! My condolences to TO.

[caltrane74]

"GO" to "HELL"

too funny....lol!

[DizzyEdge]

Finally

http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/1114257...ng-real-time-mobile-app-due-in-december/

All Calgary Transit buses now have GPS tracking, real-time mobile app due in December
By Robson Fletcher
Metro

All city buses now have GPS technology installed in them that allows the vehicles’ position to be tracked remotely – information Calgary Transit says is due to be shared with riders via web and mobile app before the end of the year.

“This has been deployed now and tested individually on our buses in our entire fleet of roughly 1,000 buses,” transit manager of strategic planning Chris Jordan said Thursday. “The next step is to test the communication loads on the entire system while it’s in service.”

As part of the testing, Calgary Transit plans to introduce real-time audio and visual announcements on about 200 buses starting Monday, using the same GPS technology.

more here http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/1114257...ng-real-time-mobile-app-due-in-december/

[J.OT13]

Question for Edmontonians and Calgarians; we're having a bit of a debate on the Ottawa Confederation Line thread regarding the performance of LRT in cold climates. Do you guys have a lot of issues with your trains in winter, and if so what type of issues and how common are they?

[lrt's friend]

One thing that Calgary and Edmonton do not normally have to deal with is ice storms. The Ottawa and Montreal areas are prone to them and I am sure this entered into the decision to put the Montreal metro 100% underground. Ice will be more troublesome to LRT than snow or cold. Ice storms will interrupt power, down wires, freeze up track and switches and block track with fallen trees. The 1998 ice storm stopped VIA Rail service. An ice storm in December 1942, completely shut down Ottawa streetcars for a number of days. Streetcars literally froze into the track.

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Union-Pearson Express: Worst Canadian Livery! My condolences to TO.

You'd think that for $30 a pop, the least Toronto would get would be a sleek looking train. Then again, what other city on the planet builds a new rail line to it's airport using diesel trains? I don't know of any city that does and this is a new line no less.

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Question for Edmontonians and Calgarians; we're having a bit of a debate on the Ottawa Confederation Line thread regarding the performance of LRT in cold climates. Do you guys have a lot of issues with your trains in winter, and if so what type of issues and how common are they?

No issues whatsoever in Calgary. The train is far more resilient than the roads in bad weather. Ice storms probably would cause problems but they devastate everything anyway.

I'm sure there's work going on behind the scenes to make it happen, but whatever they do does the job.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

You'd think that for $30 a pop, the least Toronto would get would be a sleek looking train. Then again, what other city on the planet builds a new rail line to it's airport using diesel trains? I don't know of any city that does and this is a new line no less.

You know it's going to be converted right? And the price hasn't been decided.

I'm not a huge fan of the UPX (or rail to the airport in general) but why exactly is diesel terrible? Despite the tourism factor, airports are actually pretty shitty trip generators.

[Aylmer]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Then again, what other city on the planet builds a new rail line to it's airport using diesel trains? I don't know of any city that does and this is a new line no less.

Malmö operates a diesel (but electric in Sweden. Yay incompatible standards!) train to Copenhagen which services the Kastrup Airport. The line was completed in the early 2000s.

Having used the diesel O-Train and Euregiobahn on a regular basis at different times, I don't see it as a noticeable downside for medium-frequency rail. If the Métro was diesel, that would be a little more problematic.

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

You'd think that for $30 a pop, the least Toronto would get would be a sleek looking train. Then again, what other city on the planet builds a new rail line to it's airport using diesel trains? I don't know of any city that does and this is a new line no less.

The top hatch of thr new train has the pantograph components for when the track is converted to electric. The province will have the tracks electtified in under 10 years, the purchase of the diesel /electric emu units were a compromise/stop gap for residents along the line that wanted an electric service, right now. My optimistic forecast is that the UPX line is converted to electric in 5 to 8 years. When the line is converted, new EMU units will not need to be purchased as these units are convertable to full electric operation.

The environmental assessment for the electric substations and wiring is already underway, with public consultations already completed.

[Innsertnamehere]

Given the budget passing last week, the UPX should be electrified by 2017. The EA is completed as of a few weeks ago.

They are certianly ugly trains though, but mind you essentially every FRA compliant vehicle is.

Toronto's only issue with the ice storm last winter was with old braking systems on some streetcars, (not all of them), and the crappy SRT (skystrain) tech.

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Given the budget passing last week, the UPX should be electrified by 2017. The EA is completed as of a few weeks ago.

They are certianly ugly trains though, but mind you essentially every FRA compliant vehicle is.

Toronto's only issue with the ice storm last winter was with old braking systems on some streetcars, (not all of them), and the crappy SRT (skystrain) tech.

Electrified in 3 years? Wow!

Even better than my most optimistic prediction. These liberals are moving fast...

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by niwell

You know it's going to be converted right? And the price hasn't been decided.

I'm not a huge fan of the UPX (or rail to the airport in general) but why exactly is diesel terrible? Despite the tourism factor, airports are actually pretty shitty trip generators.

I'm sure he does considering I told him way back last Oct.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=108133212#post108133212

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Question for Edmontonians and Calgarians; we're having a bit of a debate on the Ottawa Confederation Line thread regarding the performance of LRT in cold climates. Do you guys have a lot of issues with your trains in winter, and if so what type of issues and how common are they?

Occasional frozen switch on really cold days is about it I think. I'm curious if ottawa's trains will use buttons to open the train doors (like Calgary), or if they will all open automatically, which would suck in winter.

[1overcosc]

Immunity to weather, including ice storms and temperatures down to -37C (lower than the lowest temperature ever recorded), are being engineered into the Confederation Line, and RTG has assured the city that it will be done. If an ice storm or cold snap puts any sort of disruption in the Confederation Line's operation at any point in time for 30 years after opening--even if its just a small slowdown in speed--RTG has to pay a fine to the City.

[Boris2k7]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

Occasional frozen switch on really cold days is about it I think. I'm curious if ottawa's trains will use buttons to open the train doors (like Calgary), or if they will all open automatically, which would suck in winter.

I will say that it although it's only occasional, getting stuck on a halted train due to this kind of issue, especially during rush hour, is absolutely terrible. You can barely move and may have to hold your position for an extended period of time (because it's so packed) and there's little indication on when, exactly, the line will be back up and running again. Every time it happened to me, it made we want to give up transit entirely.

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I'm sure he does considering I told him way back last Oct.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=108133212#post108133212

I don't understand? Why would ssiguy continue to post the same incorrect information even after you had corrected him? Doesn't make sense.


Hmmmmmm?

[Innsertnamehere]

Cause its ssiguy. Haven't you learned? If its Toronto, its bad.

[ZeDgE]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Question for Edmontonians and Calgarians; we're having a bit of a debate on the Ottawa Confederation Line thread regarding the performance of LRT in cold climates. Do you guys have a lot of issues with your trains in winter, and if so what type of issues and how common are they?

In my two year stint of riding the train downtown it would breakdown or have issues when we had a cold snap. -20 or below. Happened once or twice each winter. It only lasted about and hour or so but it backed up passengers for hours. Standing on the platform in that weather for 2 hours really sucked. lol. Not sure what the actual issue was, a frozen switch or something, no idea.

So no huge issues but like everything stuff can go wrong I suppose.

[ssiguy]

If it's Toronto it's bad?.......hardly, I love Toronto but I have always disliked even the concept of the UPX.

Transit is for the masses and at the price it will be {I've never heard of any figure under $25 one way and this is run by Metrolinx so you will have to pay your TTC fare on top of that} this is not real transit.

The masses are paying for 100% of the cost thru their taxes but for people working at the airport it is of no use. This is a line strictly for people who can use it as a tax write-off and will certainly do absolutely nothing to ease Toronto's congestion problem.

This is why I empathized with the people in Weston. Yes, they were upset with the line being diesel because the number of diesel trains running thru the new Georgetown Corridor is going to soar in the next few years but I think most of it was that they were going to have to put up with a louder and more polluting train corridor and yet won't be able to use it. All the pollution and construction and their commute hasn't been reduced by 10 seconds.

This line has nothing to do with proper transit or urban planning and everything to do with the government wanting some form of rail to Pearson for the Pan-Am games.

It is definitely good news if the line is to be electrified sooner rather than later as electric trains are cleaner, faster, and quieter but again it makes no difference in terms of commuting for the people along the corridor. If Toronto was to simply make it part of the standard TTC system with standard TTC fares it would do wonders for people along the corridor and in the far NorthWest/ Humber area of the city but until such a time {if ever} that happens this line will mean next to nothing for Torontonians and their everyday travel.