The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[The Chemist]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

What's the longest a TTC subway train can be? just the # of cars which could be attached together, not worrying about platform lengths.

I'd imagine if you disregarded platform length then you'd probably be looking at length restrictions based on the power supply. How long that would be, I don't know, but I know that Shanghai uses up to 8 car trains and I think New York has as many as 10 cars in a train.

[manny_santos]

The TTC Yonge-University line was a disaster this morning, and I was in the middle of it. Here's what happened along with approximate times:

7:06 am - a track fire at Davisville Station causes northbound trains to turn back at Bloor-Yonge and southbound at Lawrence.

7:32 am - Regular service resumes on Yonge-University line. Crowds already have built up.

8:15 am - I entered Sheppard-Yonge Station, and the crowds are massive. I didn't make it on the first southbound train due to crowds but three minutes later another one comes and I made it on, barely. The train moves very slowly and frequently stops in the tunnel.

8:46 am - Emergency alarm is activated between Bloor and Wellesley Station southbound. Trains start backing up behind Bloor; by this point I've only made it as far as Summerhill (normally just leaving St. Andrew at that time). Regular service resumes two minutes later.

9:05 am - I arrive at Bloor-Yonge, and in frustration and a need to get to work in time to meet a client, I attempt to get off the train and transfer to Line 2. The crowd is as heavy as the crowds leaving Rogers Centre after the Blue Jays won the AL East, but concentrated in a much smaller area. The crowds don't even move. When I made my way to the other end of the platform, I hear tempers flaring: a woman yells "f*ck you you f*cking bi*ch!" at someone who she thinks hit her in the press of the crowd.

9:10 am - an emergency alarm is activated aboard another southbound train, between Rosedale and Bloor. By now I'm nearing the Line 2 platform; the lineup for the southbound Line 1 is backed up onto the Line 2 platform. I got on a westbound train and made it to St. George quickly.

9:15 am - while at St. George Station there is an announcement that trains are still holding southbound at Bloor-Yonge, as there is an ill passenger - I can only imagine how difficult it was to get him or her off in the massive crowds. Meanwhile at St. George a full southbound train at that station passes by without stopping. A minute later, the delay at Bloor-Yonge clears, and an empty train enters the southbound platform moving in reverse. I get on and proceed as normal to St. Andrew, and walk the rest of the way to work.

9:32 am - Additional passenger alarms are activated - one at Eglinton and one at Lawrence. Regular service resumes at Eglinton one minute later.

9:36 am - I arrive at work, about 40 minutes later than usual.

9:43 am - Regular service resumes at Lawrence.

10:49 am - TTC announces on Twitter that service is back to normal after all the delays.

What a morning.

[OTSkyline]

Wondering why the first phase of high speed rail would be Windsor - Toronto... Wouldn't it make sense to build out and study TO-OTT-MTL first?

[MalcolmTucker]

Easier to build, plus from the Ontario perspective, SW Ontario is economically struggling partly because it is hard to link in with wider economies due to poor transportation links. Also, I remember reading that a corridor in the SW has the possibility of paying for itself as travel patterns change and it becomes like central Japan - commuting at 300 kph, and placing a factory for your business in London instead of Vaughan because it is faster to get to and way cheaper.

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

Easier to build, plus from the Ontario perspective, SW Ontario is economically struggling partly because it is hard to link in with wider economies due to poor transportation links. Also, I remember reading that a corridor in the SW has the possibility of paying for itself as travel patterns change and it becomes like central Japan - commuting at 300 kph, and placing a factory for your business in London instead of Vaughan because it is faster to get to and way cheaper.

Plus connecting to Windsor would connect it to the Metro-Detroit to Chicago highspeed rail corridor.

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

Plus connecting to Windsor would connect it to the Metro-Detroit to Chicago highspeed rail corridor.

That is about the same distance of Tokyo - Hiroshima in Japan, a four hour trip. About the same as flying right now, but you would need to figure out border crossing which would probably make the train slower even if significantly more pleasant.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by niwell

Most of the times I've taken UP it's reasonably used. Not packed but not super empty either. It was actually hard to find a seat when I left for Pearson after work on December 23rd to go to Calgary.

I won't complain if they lower the fare though. Although like many patrons I've only actually paid myself once - the rest were claimed as work expenses.

Well that is Dec 23rd, easily one of the busiest air travel days of the year, if not the busiest.

I take the train a lot, every other week I'd say, and it is often quite empty. I've never once had to share my set of seats and often I would have my own train to myself.

It really is a great service though.

Content removed

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Wondering why the first phase of high speed rail would be Windsor - Toronto... Wouldn't it make sense to build out and study TO-OTT-MTL first?

A Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal line crosses the provincial border and so this enters into the realm of doing it alongside Quebec and/or the federal government. It's not something Ontario can/should do on its own.

Plus a Toronto-Ottawa line would be considerably more expensive than Toronto-Windsor despite a similar distance. And from Toronto to Ottawa the only real population centre on the way is Kingston and it's not very big, so it's main market would be intercity travel for vacations, business trips, that sort of thing, making it more VIA Rail's mandate, and making it less profitable.

By contrast a Toronto-Windsor line has two major population centres along the way (London & Kitchener-Waterloo) in relative proximity meaning it can attract long-distance commuters, and build an entire long-distance commuting economy, making it more GO Transit's mandate, and making it more profitable.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Well that is Dec 23rd, easily one of the busiest air travel days of the year, if not the busiest.

I take the train a lot, every other week I'd say, and it is often quite empty. I've never once had to share my set of seats and often I would have my own train to myself.

It really is a great service though.

You mean your own car, I imagine. The entire train would be quite something.

[Beedok]

GO to Niagara would probably be good for Hamilton and Halton too. Making commutes easier to the whole region.

[SteelTown]

Hamilton city council voted in favour this evening to sign the memorandum of agreement with Metrolinx over light-rail transit. The LRT line will run down King Street from McMaster University to the Queenston traffic circle, and from King Street to the waterfront.

[caltrane74]

Rode the UPX last night, its so fast, but its still diesel and you can feel it when it leaves the station. Can't wait for it to be converted to electric power.

[Nouvellecosse]

Feel it in the sense that the vibrations are too disruptive?

[logan5]

OK maybe somebody from Ottawa can help me out here... I'm trying to figure out the average speed of Ottawa's BRT routes in conjunction with station spacing.

I measured out the 95 route from Trim to Barrhaven Centre. That came out 45 km's, which I think is fairly accurate, but what I'm now trying to figure out is the stop spacing.

According to Google Earth there are 31 total stops, which gives an average stop spacing of 1.5 km's, but when I look at the OC Transpo schedule, it shows only 12 stops. Considering it takes (according to the OC Transpo schedule) 82 minutes to go from end to end there almost has to be more than the 12 stops that are shown on the schedule. If somebody could confirm the actual number of stops, that would be appreciated.

[eemy]

The schedule doesn't show all stops on it.

[Taeolas]

News from a small transit system: Fredericton Transit union reaches a deal with the city.

The Union and City have been negotiating for a few months now, and were on a 24-hour strike notice/lockout notice situation since about mid January. Thankfully both sides kept talking and finally reached a deal.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by logan5

OK maybe somebody from Ottawa can help me out here... I'm trying to figure out the average speed of Ottawa's BRT routes in conjunction with station spacing.

I measured out the 95 route from Trim to Barrhaven Centre. That came out 45 km's, which I think is fairly accurate, but what I'm now trying to figure out is the stop spacing.

According to Google Earth there are 31 total stops, which gives an average stop spacing of 1.5 km's, but when I look at the OC Transpo schedule, it shows only 12 stops. Considering it takes (according to the OC Transpo schedule) 82 minutes to go from end to end there almost has to be more than the 12 stops that are shown on the schedule. If somebody could confirm the actual number of stops, that would be appreciated.

Not sure if this helps but average speed for Ottawa Transitway routes is around 50 kmh. In between stations the buses can go as fast as 80 kmh.

[Mister F]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

Easier to build, plus from the Ontario perspective, SW Ontario is economically struggling partly because it is hard to link in with wider economies due to poor transportation links. Also, I remember reading that a corridor in the SW has the possibility of paying for itself as travel patterns change and it becomes like central Japan - commuting at 300 kph, and placing a factory for your business in London instead of Vaughan because it is faster to get to and way cheaper.

The real driver for HSR to southwestern Ontario is the tech sector in Kitchener-Waterloo. Including London was easy to justify because it's a short distance and a new high speed line through the farmland between the two cities is pretty simple. Windsor seems to have been added on later. We don't know the details of the plan yet, and it's possible that Windsor could be in future phases and that it might not be true high speed.

1overcosc outlined why the line to Ottawa and Montreal is more complicated and would have to be a partnership between 3 governments. The line to London is something the province can handle on its own and is much shorter. It's low hanging fruit.

Originally Posted by thomax

Niagara This Week: Niagara smashes through barriers to GO rail expansion

Ironclad business case now just awaiting provincial announcement, says Caslin


By Paul Forsyth | February 9, 2016



That issue was seen by some as a potential deal breaker in the past because of the belief it could require a massively expensive project such as a new bridge or tunnel under the canal. A consultant’s report five years ago pegged the cost of expanding GO rail to Niagara Falls at $1.14 billion, including a canal crossing, rail corridor and train station improvements.

That sounds expensive but it's still a bargain compared to a mid-peninsula highway. If that much is put into the rail line it could eliminate the need for the new highway altogether.

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Plus a Toronto-Ottawa line would be considerably more expensive than Toronto-Windsor despite a similar distance. And from Toronto to Ottawa the only real population centre on the way is Kingston and it's not very big, so it's main market would be intercity travel for vacations, business trips, that sort of thing, making it more VIA Rail's mandate, and making it less profitable.

By contrast a Toronto-Windsor line has two major population centres along the way (London & Kitchener-Waterloo) in relative proximity meaning it can attract long-distance commuters, and build an entire long-distance commuting economy, making it more GO Transit's mandate, and making it more profitable.

Whenever it's been studied it's been shown that the segment to Ottawa and Montreal would be the most profitable and the segment to Windsor would be the least.

[caltrane74]

Use UPX Express as a downtown relief line - Especially the Dundas West Stop

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/metrolinx-wynne-1.3440030

As Metrolinx tries to figure our how to get more people to ride the Union Pearson Express, it should consider using it as a downtown relief line, Premier Kathleen Wynne said.

"While it wasn't designed for that, there are two stops — there's the Dundas West and the Weston stop — so, you know, there is the possibility for it to be used in some partial ways for getting downtown."

Wynne suggested Metrolinx explore that possibility but added that the priority is to get more people riding the train.

The Dundas West stop will have an underground connection to the Dundas West Subway eventually... the province has stated they will expropriate the land required from (under) the apartment building across the street to build the tunnel, if the landlord doesn't co-operate in it's construction.