Actually, there's not much to update. The TTC (or is the City who can tell?) still have their Transit City website up and running - but it doesn't look like there's much action.
I you go on the website, the first picture you'll see is one of a streetcar. I think this goes under the category of "severe marketing faux-pas". There are people who are trying to convice us that the plan is more than simply streetcars - but more and more it seems that's all there is.
When I pressed the link to see the latest news, the first story in the Google news search was about the groundbreaking for New York City's project to join the Long Island RR with Grand Central Station. Now New York is a transit city.
OK - let's look at some of the possible lines:
Eglinton
If built to completion, this will be a very long line - 31 km at a price tag of $2.2 billion. A good chunk of this would be underground - and there is a good stretch of corridor available on Eglinton West to run a route at the side of the street.
It would be interesting to know what the proposed train/station length is for this line. The trouble is that the underground stations could end up being too short. If the line is really rapid, the is plenty of pent up demand that could quickly overwhelm underbuilt stations.
Conversely, it's difficult to run 4 or 5 car trains in the middle of streets due to station requirements. It's totally impractical to keep breaking up and bulding trainsets.
Nat's prognosis -
This is the best of the bunch (and the Transit City website poll agrees by a wide margin.)
It would be better to build this as a metro line. Montreal's new Metro extension to Laval (which had to tunnel under the Riviere Des Prairies) cost about $175 million per KM - so the $2.2 billion could build a Metro type line from about Eglinton and Laird to Eglinton and Jane (11.3 km per Google Maps) with $200 change to spare for equipment.
Don Mills
OK the Don Mills bus is pretty busy - but the street is hardly overwhelmed by buses. I've been going to a client at Leslie and Hwy 7 - and avoiding the DVP on some days. On Don Mills, the reserved lane for buses is pretty well adhered - i.e. cars stay out unless turning.
In some sections, there is room for an LRT - others are too narrow. I have no idea what is planned for the connection to the Bloor Danforth line.
There's a marginal case that this line would serve dense employment - although a good deal of the office space along the corridor is off by a jog along Wynford Drive. Most people would need to transfer to a bus from Don Mills. There are some offices on Don Mills directly- and some manufacturing.
Nat's prognosis -
There's plenty of room to expand surface capacity on Don Mills without sinking $700 on a streetcar line. This line would likeky to closer to true LRT than some of the others - but I can't see stop spacing being elongated more than removing every other stop.
Even at that, the extra walk to the stop would be a gig negative for existing passengers (oh yeah them - don't rain on the LRT parade by talking about them!)
The big problem with the line is that is terminates at Bloor Danforth instead of proceding downtown. B-D is already very busy by the time it comes in from the East at Coxwell or so.
Not sure what to make of this one. The best thing for riders would be a Viva type service to enhance the existing bus service that would run in and out of the Eglinton & Laird terminus of the Eglinton Metro. Eglnton East from Laird is pretty well 6-lanes - so there room to hard reserve a lane at key intersections.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Toronto could learn from Montreal
Ok - a few days of assential-only service, a little leaning on by the province - and Montreal's transit system has a tentative deal with its maintenance workers. It will be interesting to see what wage increases have been agreed upon.
I'll bet there less than the ultra-generous (1 - 1.5% OVER inflation each year) that the TTC granted the Amalgamated Transit Union here in Toronto.
Of course, in Toronto, the TTC commissioners are no deep into the union's pockets that they are choking on the lint. Howard Moscoe publicly telegraphed what HE was willing to pay. Well - we got the on-day wildcat strike anwway.
Montreal seems to understand that it's running a transit system for the riders and residents - rather than Toronto which sees the transit system as a gravy train for union members.
I'll bet there less than the ultra-generous (1 - 1.5% OVER inflation each year) that the TTC granted the Amalgamated Transit Union here in Toronto.
Of course, in Toronto, the TTC commissioners are no deep into the union's pockets that they are choking on the lint. Howard Moscoe publicly telegraphed what HE was willing to pay. Well - we got the on-day wildcat strike anwway.
Montreal seems to understand that it's running a transit system for the riders and residents - rather than Toronto which sees the transit system as a gravy train for union members.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Buying into TTC P.R.
Actually, this site http://transit.toronto.on.ca/ does more than simply buy into TTC b++l s++t - it actually manufactures it.
Appararently, a streetcar derailment has severly damaged the tracks used by a number of streetcar routes West of Bathurst. One of the routes (511 Bathurst) is now routed to Union Station instead of heading to the Ex. Buses are being used for the Harbourfront LRT west of Bathurst.
It appears that the TTC is keeping this hush-hush. With the recent announcement of the 'Transit City - LRT" boondoggle - er plan - the last thing the TTC wants is everyone seeing how easily the service can be disrupted.
Well - James Bow writes this up as positive - something that was planned:
The planned reconstruction of the tracks on Fleet Street in May will replace the dilapidated trackage with smooth, well-built private right-of-way, and fast moving streetcars once the service is restored.
What c++p! Boys, men, guys and their trains. Maybe Bow's dad never bought him a toy train set. When are people like this going to realise that Toronto isn't their private train layout. PULEASE Jim/James - go into your basement and set up some toy trains - and leave us the h++l alone!
Appararently, a streetcar derailment has severly damaged the tracks used by a number of streetcar routes West of Bathurst. One of the routes (511 Bathurst) is now routed to Union Station instead of heading to the Ex. Buses are being used for the Harbourfront LRT west of Bathurst.
It appears that the TTC is keeping this hush-hush. With the recent announcement of the 'Transit City - LRT" boondoggle - er plan - the last thing the TTC wants is everyone seeing how easily the service can be disrupted.
Well - James Bow writes this up as positive - something that was planned:
The planned reconstruction of the tracks on Fleet Street in May will replace the dilapidated trackage with smooth, well-built private right-of-way, and fast moving streetcars once the service is restored.
What c++p! Boys, men, guys and their trains. Maybe Bow's dad never bought him a toy train set. When are people like this going to realise that Toronto isn't their private train layout. PULEASE Jim/James - go into your basement and set up some toy trains - and leave us the h++l alone!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
To LRT or not to LRT
I've been away from the blogosphere for a while. Regular work has been simply too demanding to make a serious effort here. I'm commuting a long distance by car each day - so little chance to check out what's really happenning on transit.
The big 'news' has been the TTC announcement of its plan to build streetcar lanes on many city streets. These include Finch, Jane, Don Mills and Eglinton (ok - I always mispell this one - no comments from the peanut gallery please!.)
To me, the only route that makes complete sense is the Eglinton line. A large chunk of is planned to be underground - from about Laird in the East to Keele in the West. The total price tag for this line is $2.2 billion. The total price tag (if you believe) projections for the entire scheme is $6.1 billion.
The rest of the lines are likely to end up as street car lines - despite protestations from the TTC and transit narcissists (er I mean transit advocates.) Streetcar lines are completely useless for long distance travel. They're passable for 2-3 km hops in the core - the type of trip that account for most of their ridership today.
I guess I'm not alone. The poll on the Transit City website asks which of the new lines people would ride. 83.6% of respondents selected the Eglinton line!!!!
The Sheppard East line came in 2nd at 5.1%.
I think it would be better to scratch the other lines from the plan. Build a proper subway under Englinton. To build a tunnel for an LRT - and then have to retofit it a few years later for a full subway would mean that citizens would buy into transit - and then have to do without for a numebr of years while the line is rebuilt. Even if the tunnel is initially wide enough for heavy rail subway, the infrastructure would have to be torn out to changeover to the upgraded equipment. Station platforms would need to be lengthened and built up.
The big 'news' has been the TTC announcement of its plan to build streetcar lanes on many city streets. These include Finch, Jane, Don Mills and Eglinton (ok - I always mispell this one - no comments from the peanut gallery please!.)
To me, the only route that makes complete sense is the Eglinton line. A large chunk of is planned to be underground - from about Laird in the East to Keele in the West. The total price tag for this line is $2.2 billion. The total price tag (if you believe) projections for the entire scheme is $6.1 billion.
The rest of the lines are likely to end up as street car lines - despite protestations from the TTC and transit narcissists (er I mean transit advocates.) Streetcar lines are completely useless for long distance travel. They're passable for 2-3 km hops in the core - the type of trip that account for most of their ridership today.
I guess I'm not alone. The poll on the Transit City website asks which of the new lines people would ride. 83.6% of respondents selected the Eglinton line!!!!
The Sheppard East line came in 2nd at 5.1%.
I think it would be better to scratch the other lines from the plan. Build a proper subway under Englinton. To build a tunnel for an LRT - and then have to retofit it a few years later for a full subway would mean that citizens would buy into transit - and then have to do without for a numebr of years while the line is rebuilt. Even if the tunnel is initially wide enough for heavy rail subway, the infrastructure would have to be torn out to changeover to the upgraded equipment. Station platforms would need to be lengthened and built up.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
New streetcars for the TTC?
New TTC Chair Adam Giambrone has commented per the following report:
Canadian Press - Dec 28 2006 - TTC looking at new approach
that the TTC may revisit the current plan to refurbish at least half of the current CLRV fleet. (The CLRVs are the shorter streetcars.) Per the rather short article:
Last summer, the plant was the lone bidder on a $110-million contract to refurbish 96 older streetcars and then-TTC chairman Howard Moscoe predicted the contract would be awarded by the fall.
However, new TTC chairman Adam Giambrone said yesterday the commission is now looking at replacing the entire 195-streetcar fleet.
Refurbishing the fleet would carry an estimated cost of $245 million compared to more than double that to replace it, at the going rate of $3 million per car.
Well who knows what will happen. My crystal ball is telling me that the $3 million / car is not realistic. While there are small vehicles available on the market, they won't run on the TTC existing track/overhead power network.
The Skoda-Inekon in use in Portland, Oregon (see this link) have a price tag of about $3 million (CAD). However, these would need major redesign to run here:
Turning radius
The Skoda cars have a minumum turning radius of 60 ft - whereas the existing network in Toronto requires vehicles to handle a 36' radius turn.
Gauge
The Portland cars run on standard gauge (4' 8 1/2" in North America) - where TTC track is 4' 10 7/8"
Power supply
The Portland cars use 750 Vdc power - whereas the power supply in Toronto is 600 Vdc.
Canadian Press - Dec 28 2006 - TTC looking at new approach
that the TTC may revisit the current plan to refurbish at least half of the current CLRV fleet. (The CLRVs are the shorter streetcars.) Per the rather short article:
Last summer, the plant was the lone bidder on a $110-million contract to refurbish 96 older streetcars and then-TTC chairman Howard Moscoe predicted the contract would be awarded by the fall.
However, new TTC chairman Adam Giambrone said yesterday the commission is now looking at replacing the entire 195-streetcar fleet.
Refurbishing the fleet would carry an estimated cost of $245 million compared to more than double that to replace it, at the going rate of $3 million per car.
Well who knows what will happen. My crystal ball is telling me that the $3 million / car is not realistic. While there are small vehicles available on the market, they won't run on the TTC existing track/overhead power network.
The Skoda-Inekon in use in Portland, Oregon (see this link) have a price tag of about $3 million (CAD). However, these would need major redesign to run here:
Turning radius
The Skoda cars have a minumum turning radius of 60 ft - whereas the existing network in Toronto requires vehicles to handle a 36' radius turn.
Gauge
The Portland cars run on standard gauge (4' 8 1/2" in North America) - where TTC track is 4' 10 7/8"
Power supply
The Portland cars use 750 Vdc power - whereas the power supply in Toronto is 600 Vdc.
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