[A 6264]

...a problem that was described as "automatic emergency brakes appeared to activate for no reason" and "what appeared to be random emergency braking"? This sounds like some kind of error or bug in the software.

It may help to remember that the phrase, "software bug", is a whimsical reference to something that happened to one of the first computers ever bulit. The computer was making occasional errors, and the developers were looking for something wrong in the software. Then someone examined the circuit board, and found a moth had gotten inside, attracted by the lights of cathode ray tubes, and had burned to death, its gummy remains now fused to the circuit board creating an intermittant electical short. The term "bug" was then used to refer to a problem that could just as easily be a physical short or blockage, as an error in programming. Modern computers have a lot of internal double checking to virtually eliminate processing errors, but if a computer is receiving input from external detectors looking for a problem that requires emergency brakes to activate, there is still a chance that something physical, like a dead bug in the works, could be the cause of random glitches, and might be indistinguishable from a software error. Therefore, in a case like this, there is no such thing as something that "sounds like ... an error or bug in the software". In my opinion.

 

[urbanclient]

Therefore, in a case like this, there is no such thing as something that "sounds like ... an error or bug in the software". In my opinion.

No part of the given quotes seems to suggest that it is desirable or even planned for the emergency braking to be activated every time the streetcar could hit a snowflake.

I agree with both these statements. The GIDS being oversensitive or even literal snowflakes interfering with signals can trigger emergency braking. "If the system is unsure of the train’s exact position, e.g., a balise reader is blocked by debris, then it assumes the worst case scenario and stops the train immediately to prevent a potential collision."

Pure speculation: all that money for a customized Cityflo 650 ATC implementation, plus GIDS, it’s fair to ask whether all of that GIDS budget could’ve gone towards platform screen doors instead, solving the intrusion problem at the source. I don't know 100% if PSDs could've been done with the same budget, but in my earlier post, I linked news going back 2+ years talking about software and signalling problems due to the needlessly over-customized system.

IMO, if they had stuck with off-the-shelf Cityflo 650 instead of reinventing the wheel, and dropped GIDS as redundant, they probably would have had enough money for Platform Screen Doors for the 15 stations. GIDS is not installed at the 10 surface stops. There is precedence with the Seville Metro running low floors with PSDs.

 

[McGillicuddy]

Baffling... I never saw Don Wright or Nick Simone report to the press for Metrolinx.. It's always been Phil Verster or Mike Lindsay...

For any company for that matter... Why is the TTC CEO excused from accountability and the board takes this on?

The TTC chair is directly accountable to city council.

The Metrolinx chair is accountable to the Minister of Transportation, who has historically deployed them as a rage sink in order to protect themselves and Doug Ford from having to own bad-news stories.

Despite their visibility, I don't think anyone whose opinion is worth hearing would describe any of the recent Metrolinx chairs as transparent and accountable in speaking to the press. That's simply not the brief.

 

[CanadianJedi1983]

Doug Ford:
You know, a town with money's a little like the mule with the spinning wheel. No one knows how he got it and danged if he knows how to use it.

Homer:
Heh-heh, mule.

Doug Ford:
The name's Ford, Doug Ford. And I come before you good people tonight with an idea. Probably the greatest—Aw, it's not for you. It's more a Kicthener idea.

Mayor Chow:
Now, wait just a minute. We're twice as smart as the people of Kicthener. Just tell us your idea and we'll vote for it.

Doug Ford:
All right. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll show you my idea. I give you the Eglinton Lightrail!
I've sold Lightrails to Calgary, Ottawa, and North Vancouver, and, by gum, it put them on the map!
Well, sir, there's nothin' on Earth like a genuine bona-fide electrified six-car Lightrail! What'd I say?

Ned Flanders:
Lightrail!

Doug Ford:
What's it called?

Patty and Selma:
Lightrail.

Doug Ford:
That's right!
Lightrail!

Cast:
Lightrail...Lightrail...Lightrail... (continue over the following lyrics)

Miss Hoover:
I hear those things are awfully loud.

Doug Ford:
It glides as softly as a cloud.

Apu:
Is there a chance the track could bend?

Doug Ford:
Not on your life, my Hindu friend.

Barney Gumble:
What about us brain-dead slobs?

Doug Ford:
You'll be given cushy jobs.

Grampa Simpson:
Were you sent here by the devil?

Doug Ford:
No, good sir, I'm on the level.

Chief Wiggum:
The ring came off my pudding can.

Doug Ford:
Take my pen knife, my good man.
I swear, it's Toronto's only choice!
Throw up your hands and raise your voice!

All:
Lightrail...

Doug Ford:
What's it called?
Lightrail...
Once again!
LIGHTRAIL!

Marge:
But Eglinton's still all cracked and broken.

Bart:
Sorry, Mom, the mob has spoken!

All:
Lightrail...
Lightrail!
LIGHTRAIL!
LIGHTRAIL!

Homer:
Light—D'oh!

 

[Bojaxs]

Doug Ford:
You know, a town with money's a little like the mule with the spinning wheel. No one knows how he got it and danged if he knows how to use it.

Homer:
Heh-heh, mule.

Doug Ford:
The name's Ford, Doug Ford. And I come before you good people tonight with an idea. Probably the greatest—Aw, it's not for you. It's more a Kicthener idea.

Mayor Chow:
Now, wait just a minute. We're twice as smart as the people of Kicthener. Just tell us your idea and we'll vote for it.

Doug Ford:
All right. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll show you my idea. I give you the Eglinton Lightrail!
I've sold Lightrails to Calgary, Ottawa, and North Vancouver, and, by gum, it put them on the map!
Well, sir, there's nothin' on Earth like a genuine bona-fide electrified six-car Lightrail! What'd I say?

Ned Flanders:
Lightrail!

Doug Ford:
What's it called?

Patty and Selma:
Lightrail.

Doug Ford:
That's right!
Lightrail!

Cast:
Lightrail...Lightrail...Lightrail... (continue over the following lyrics)

Miss Hoover:
I hear those things are awfully loud.

Doug Ford:
It glides as softly as a cloud.

Apu:
Is there a chance the track could bend?

Doug Ford:
Not on your life, my Hindu friend.

Barney Gumble:
What about us brain-dead slobs?

Doug Ford:
You'll be given cushy jobs.

Grampa Simpson:
Were you sent here by the devil?

Doug Ford:
No, good sir, I'm on the level.

Chief Wiggum:
The ring came off my pudding can.

Doug Ford:
Take my pen knife, my good man.
I swear, it's Toronto's only choice!
Throw up your hands and raise your voice!

All:
Lightrail...

Doug Ford:
What's it called?
Lightrail...
Once again!
LIGHTRAIL!

Marge:
But Eglinton's still all cracked and broken.

Bart:
Sorry, Mom, the mob has spoken!

All:
Lightrail...
Lightrail!
LIGHTRAIL!
LIGHTRAIL!

Homer:
Light—D'oh!

Replace Doug Ford's name with David Miller and then your joke will make more sense.

 

[max]

Or just sing the original Simpsons lyrics for Doug: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-envisions-highly-developed-waterfront-1.1030848

 

[urbanclient]

Replace Doug Ford's name with David Miller and then your joke will make more sense.

[...]

As much as we all hate or at least dislike Doug Ford's politics, I think it's apt to point out what "Ontario government of the day" means here:

"A Globe investigation found that the Ontario government of the day had ignored warnings that its plan to strip control of the construction from the TTC and hand it to its then-new Metrolinx agency and run it as a massive public-private partnership would result in delays, higher costs and legal wrangling."
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-eglinton-lrt-opening-emergency-brake-ttc-metrolinx/ ; https://archive.ph/pD6ec

Hint: it wasn't Doug Ford's government.

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

Replace Doug Ford's name with David Miller and then your joke will make more sense.

David Miller:
You know, a town with money's a little like the mule with the spinning wheel. No one knows how he got it and danged if he knows how to use it.

Homer:
Heh-heh, mule.

David Miller:
The name's Miller, David Miller. And I come before you good people tonight with an idea. Probably the greatest—Aw, it's not for you. It's more a west coast idea.

Dalton McGuinty:
Now, wait just a minute. We're twice as smart as the people of the west coast. Just tell us your idea and we'll vote for it.

David Miller:
All right. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll show you my idea. I give you Transit City and the Eglinton Crosstown LRT!
Audience: *HUH!*
I've help sell Light Rail Transit to Calgary, Edmonton and North Vancouver, and, by gum, it put them on the map!
Well, sir, there's nothin' on Earth like a genuine bona-fide electrified six-car Light Rail Transit car! What'd I say?

Ned Flanders:
Lightrail!

David Miller:
What's it called?

Patty and Selma:
Lightrail.

David Miller:
That's right!
Lightrail!

Cast:
Lightrail...Lightrail...Lightrail... (continue over the following lyrics)

Miss Hoover:
I hear those things are awfully loud.

David Miller:
It glides as softly as a cloud.

Apu:
Is there a chance the track could bend?

David Miller:
Not on your life, my Hindu friend.

Barney Gumble:
What about us brain-dead slobs?

David Miller:
You'll be given cushy jobs.

Grampa Simpson:
Were you sent here by the devil?

David Miller:
No, good sir, I'm on the level.

Chief Wiggum:
The ring came off my pudding can.

David Miller:
Take my pen knife, my good man.
I swear, it's Toronto's only choice!
Throw up your hands and raise your voice!

All:
Lightrail...

David Miller:
What's it called?
Lightrail...
Once again!
LIGHTRAIL!

Marge:
But Eglinton's still all cracked and broken.

Bart:
Sorry, Mom, the mob has spoken!

All:
Lightrail...
Lightrail!
LIGHTRAIL!
LIGHTRAIL!

Homer:
Light—D'oh!

 

[Northern Light]

Star article out with something of chronology (err, Autopsy) of the Crosstown from its early days to today.

Off the rails: The inside story of how the Eglinton Crosstown LRT went from transit dream to cautionary tale

Over the past decade and a half, the Crosstown has cast a shadow on a swath of Toronto and becoming, to many, a symbol of the city’s inability to fulfil its potential.

www.thestar.com

Its too lengthy to usefully except from....and contains little UTers wouldn't know. But its a solid, well written synopsis.

Notable is the non-participation of Phil Verster, Michael Lindsay and any Transportation Minister post Wynne.

Omitted is the story about the radios in the cabs, which is one of the dumber things you'll ever seen in a project that doesn't require much explanation.

If we sum up key points:

Metrolinx didn't know what they were doing

Phil Verster was a complete and utter jerk who took real problems he inherited and made them worse.

McGuinty, then Wynne, then Ford all kept the Mx Board stuffed with do-nothing toadies and trained seals who provided little or no useful oversight.

P3s in general don't work in this province; this one especially so as the contract was far too large, design was insufficiently advanced for tender, and we somehow managed to simultaneously have too many cooks in the kitchen, while also excluding critical organizations from the decision making process at key times.

If Verster was a jerk, the consortium failed to grasp the entire point of a P3, which was the transfer of risk to them. The whining and finger pointing was unreasonable. If they needed to be bailed out, they needed to give the government equity in their businesse in exchange.

Finally, secrecy is the enemy of integrity and competence.

 

[6ixGod]

TTC, Metrolinx and UrbanToronto LRT Gaslighters right now…..

 

[urbanclient]

Another day, another Metrostinx story, apparently if GIDs is disabled to prevent unnecessary emergency braking "triggered by leaves and plastic bags ... on windy days", then the tunnel section and/or platform will be restricted to 15 km/h. Yesterday, TTC Chair Myers said 'the issue has been resolved':

Yikes

Metrolinx enhances platform safety on Eglinton Crosstown LRT

Story on rider safety when designing and constructing the Crosstown LRT.

www.metrolinx.com

 

[JSF-1]

Another day, another Metrostinx story, apparently if GIDs is disabled to prevent unnecessary emergency braking "triggered by leaves and plastic bags ... on windy days", then the tunnel section and/or platform will be restricted to 15 km/h. Yesterday, TTC Chair Myers said 'the issue has been resolved':
View attachment 712071

Yikes

Metrolinx enhances platform safety on Eglinton Crosstown LRT

Story on rider safety when designing and constructing the Crosstown LRT.

www.metrolinx.com

I recall the SRT having similar issues with "track intrusions" being caused by the use of axle counters. Basically in the fall and winter falling leaves and snow could "fool" the counter into thinking a train was in the area when it wasn't causing the Emergency Brakes to engage. I am almost certain I experienced this once when I was commuting daily on the SRT about 10 year ago. As far as I know this isn't an issue on Line 1 since it uses transponders mounted between the rails which I believe is how most ATC and adjacent systems work.

 

[eglinton1661]

I respectfully disagree that there is little new here for UTers. Even if UTers "know" aspects of this story, the article provides a lot of valuable testimony and evidence for those claims. A really solid reporting job by Andy Takagi, IMO.

Some other findings worth highlighting:

The TTC didn't know for sure until November 2023 that it would be the operator of Line 5!

It wasn’t until Mayor Olivia Chow and Ford reached a “new deal” in November 2023 that the TTC was confirmed as the operator of the line.

The degree to which Phil Verster's management style single-handedly poisoned Metrolinx and destroyed the working relationship with Crosslinx:

In one claims meeting with senior Crosslinx attorneys, the source said, Verster sat at the table with his head down in his BlackBerry. Even as attorneys attempted to start the meeting, the CEO of Metrolinx kept his head buried in his phone. Tense silence ensued, until Verster was finally called out by a senior lawyer.
At the end of the meeting, Verster told a Crosslinx executive that he never wanted to see that lawyer again.
“That’s the kind of guy that Phil Verster is,” the source said. “Like ‘I know I’m being rude, and I’m doing it to assert my dominance over you.’”

“The way that Metrolinx did business,” the source added, “was very heavily influenced by Verster’s attitude and approach, character, personality — all those things.”

The source, in his discussions about negotiations between Crosslinx and Metrolinx, said, “With Metrolinx (and Verster), you think that either they have to say yes or they have to say no. But there’s always a third option, which is ‘f—- you.’”

The reason why P3s don't work well in this province — namely, that stakeholders are reluctant to intervene even when they should because proactively doing anything would get blood on their hands:

Once construction was underway, the Crosslinx source told the Star that the province was “very, very reluctant to direct Metrolinx to do anything ... If they do that, they will shift responsibility and blame to themselves.”

 

[urbanclient]

I recall the SRT having similar issues with "track intrusions" being caused by the use of axle counters. Basically in the fall and winter falling leaves and snow could "fool" the counter into thinking a train was in the area when it wasn't causing the Emergency Brakes to engage. I am almost certain I experienced this once when I was commuting daily on the SRT about 10 year ago. As far as I know this isn't an issue on Line 1 since it uses transponders mounted between the rails which I believe is how most ATC and adjacent systems work.

I think the issue is Line 5 Eglinton has FIVE portals.... over not that long of distance. Especially the Science Centre/ Don Valley tunnel section. The leaves flying in is completely unsurprising to me. Six portals if you count the entry into the covered Mount Dennis station. All GIDS "protected". Line 1 has four portals, but is over twice the length.

 

[Northern Light]

I respectfully disagree that there is little new here for UTers. Even if UTers "know" aspects of this story, the article provides a lot of valuable testimony and evidence for those claims. A really solid reporting job by Andy Takagi, IMO.

I wasn't dissing Andy at all.

He did a fine job.

But I think you'd find the things you highlight have all been brought up in this thread previously, many several years ago., often, but not always, by yours truly.

UT'ers are generally givena pretty inside look at a lot of things, long before anyone else.

But, in fairness, you have to be in threads pretty regularly to catch it all.