The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[Innsertnamehere]

IIRC the GO recovery ratio has dropped in recent years with the increased off-peak service. Its more like 70% now I believe.

[caltrane74]

I have to assume the party for raising the Tunnel Boring Machines for the Eglinton Line is getting closer.

I think early next week they will raise the planks.

[swimmer_spe]

Why do we use transit?

More specifically, what is the purpose of transit?

For larger cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, transit is for everyone.

In small places that have transit, it is usually used by the poor; those that cannot afford to drive.

Driving by some GO train stations with the huge parking garages I begin to ask if we are doing transit right. Millions use GO, and other commuter transit services, but, I wonder, what would need to happen for people to not drive to the station? What is not being done locally that makes parking in those large garages a good idea? Maybe the parking rate is too low. Maybe local transit sucks in the 'burbs.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Why do we use transit?

More specifically, what is the purpose of transit?

For larger cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, transit is for everyone.

In small places that have transit, it is usually used by the poor; those that cannot afford to drive.

Driving by some GO train stations with the huge parking garages I begin to ask if we are doing transit right. Millions use GO, and other commuter transit services, but, I wonder, what would need to happen for people to not drive to the station? What is not being done locally that makes parking in those large garages a good idea? Maybe the parking rate is too low. Maybe local transit sucks in the 'burbs.

Go Transit was developed totally independently from local transit. It was also originally developed with limited service. When that is the case, if you use local transit and it falls off schedule, you are sunk when you reach the Go station. You may have a very long wait for the next train or it might have been the last train. So most passengers wanted to drive to the station to make sure they catch the desired train. This will only change with frequent train service and proper integration with local transit. It will take a long time to change the passenger mindset.

[caltrane74]

Each one of the suburbs that GO Transit serves in land area is the size of Metro Toronto, with only 1/4 to 1/5 of the population. Sorry to say this, but you need a car in Brampton or Mississauga. They are massive suburbs by land area.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Each one of the suburbs that GO Transit serves in land area is the size of Metro Toronto, with only 1/4 to 1/5 of the population. Sorry to say this, but you need a car in Brampton or Mississauga. They are massive suburbs by land area.

This was not about getting rid of the car, it is more about leaving the car in the garage when you go to work in the big city.

[caltrane74]

Well Brampton and Mississauga are close to getting the LRT sorted out. And it has been already funded.

When completed the LRT line will link up all the RER stations for some pretty frequent and relatively convenient transit options.

By the way I think Brampton finally got its act together for the vote on LRT alignment.

[lrt's friend]

Most Go users in Brampton will not be using the Hurontario LRT line to reach the Go station. They will continue to need to drive to the station. It is all about overall connectivity but will local bus routes feed into Go Transit stations?

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Most Go users in Brampton will not be using the Hurontario LRT line to reach the Go station. They will continue to need to drive to the station. It is all about overall connectivity but will local bus routes feed into Go Transit stations?

My bad.

But at least those that choose to take transit have better options. By the time the LRT is up and running, the RER should be operational.

[p_xavier]

The transformation of public transportation continues in Montreal. The STM will now be building condos on its metro stations and lands. It's akin to what private asian transit companies do to finance their subway extensions and make money.

http://affaires.lapresse.ca/economie/imm...nce-dans-le-developpement-immobilier.php

[MalcolmTucker]

^ baby steps. Replacing parking is great.

[caltrane74]

TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) Extraction beginning on Monday Night more pictures from Tulse at UT





You can see the planks in the foreground of the first picture.

The planks extend all the way through the street and then to the sidewalk as well as into the nearby side road.

this will be crazy.

Follow update here

http://www.thecrosstown.ca/news-media/wh...s-eglinton-avenue-closure-yonge-st-to-du

[caltrane74]

From the Crosstown Twitter



A look into the extraction shaft.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

From the Crosstown Twitter



A look into the extraction shaft.

Are they done tunneling the line?

[caltrane74]

Yes the tunnel is done. (Still need stations to be built and track laid)

They are beginning work now on the new Yonge-Eglinton station which looks like it will become the biggest purely underground subway in Toronto when complete. Maybe Yonge -Sheppard will still be bigger.

[Innsertnamehere]

I took the UPx yesterday to meet a friend at the airport and the first steel framing for th maintenance building was up for the eglinton LRT.

I believe the construction will really ramp up this year on station buildings, and surface construction begins next year.

[caltrane74]

I saw over on UT things are getting down to the nitty gritty with the alignment for the downtown relief line (DRL) environmental planning as well as determing elevations to get over and under sewers on the proposed routes.

[niwell]

Yeah despite the relative lack of publicity the DRL remains a priority for city planning and they are further along in the process than ever before. I do think it's being done under the radar somewhat intentionally to try and avoid political interference.

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Why do we use transit?

For larger cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, transit is for everyone.

. . . the huge parking garages I begin to ask if we are doing transit right. Millions use GO, and other commuter transit services, but, I wonder, what would need to happen for people to not drive to the station? What is not being done locally that makes parking in those large garages a good idea? Maybe the parking rate is too low. Maybe local transit sucks in the 'burbs.

Those parking garages are indicative of success to most big city dwellers. They mean that there are three transportation zones for all those commuters. 1) personal car to travel to the myriad places (shopping and services) between work and home (short to mid-range distances - cars needed), 2) rapid transit from home neighbourhood to work/school (long distance - cars not wanted or needed), and 3) walk/transit in central city (short distances - car not needed/wanted). People see this as a good balance in which cars are used where needed and otherwise not.

This certainly does not apply to all commuters. Many take slow transit to the rapid transit, but generally this is not their favoured choice. Regardless, the parking shows that you can get people out of their cars if the service they move to is actually better to them. As our cities develop more transit density, like in other parts of the world, the need for these giant parking structures will be reduced.

[SteelTown]

Hamilton LRT design, environmental report goes public ahead of crucial vote

Hamilton Spectator
By Matthew Van Dongen
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/718745...eport-goes-public-ahead-of-crucial-vote/

The final design and environmental report on Hamilton's LRT is ready to roll — so long as council is willing to sign off in a crucial vote.

The city's LRT team is recommending council sign off on an updated environmental assessment — all 1,200 pages or so — for the $1-billion light rail transit project and submit it for provincial approval.

The report went public today online in advance of a special LRT meeting March 28.

That council vote is a critical milestone because the environmental assessment needs provincial approval before project manager Metrolinx can solicit requests for proposals to design, build, operate and maintain an LRT line proposed to run from McMaster University to the Queenston traffic circle.

A council thumbs up would kick-start a 30-day formal review period allowing the public to send feedback or objections to the Ministry of Environment. Minister Glen Murray would then have 35 days to consider any objections before announcing whether the project can go ahead, or needs more work.

The report provides details on the changes to the LRT plan since Hamilton originally pitched the project in 2011.

The major changes include:

•a shortening of the route that now ends in the east at Queenston traffic circle, rather than Eastgate Square. (A proposal for an A-line spur was recently replaced with a new, separate express bus proposal from the harbour to the airport.)

•running dedicated LRT tracks primarily down the centre lanes of King and Main streets, rather than along the side and using mostly centre-island platforms;

•Building a maintenance and storage facility off Chatham and Frid streets, east of Longwood Road. That plan requires a long-planned extension of Frid Street.

•An underpass to allow LRT cars to travel under a CP rail spur in the east end;

The report also gives a nitty-gritty look at possible post-LRT changes to bus service and predicted traffic snarls that need to be addressed.

Unlike the city's 2011 EA submission, the latest version doesn't publicize estimated costs for various elements of the project.

That's because Metrolinx is embarking on the procurement process and doesn't want to tip its hand to prospective bidders, said city LRT point person Paul Johnson.