[pmacpherson68]

from TTC's page

Which in a way is good as it will be in the warmer months.

... now if only we can get The HARP to finally open.... those who know, know ... .lol

 

[WB62]

door sensor failures that keep doors open between cars that I have seen enough on Lakeshore West to be worthy of mentioning.

I haven’t come across this enough to label it as a common or problematic occurrence.
Obviously I don’t want to speak for what you’ve seen, but I assume this is just a case of the door switch being left in the open or neutral position.

The doors on the Bi-Levels are easy to open once you know how to do it! The pads are not buttons, they’re touch sensitive. Poke it lightly with the tip of your finger and it’ll work every time.

 

[6ixGod]

We are taking a different approach to the opening of Line 5. With LRT service beginning immediately, our priority is ensuring a smooth and reliable start for customers and staff. While we hosted a public celebration for Line 6 due to the nature and timing of that launch, the circumstances surrounding the opening of Line 5 are different, and our focus is on operational readiness.
That said, we are excited to welcome riders onto the new line and will continue to highlight the benefits of Line 5 through ongoing communications and customer focused activities''.

Translation: Nobody wanted to come for the ceremony because they know what’s about to happen. Looks like the public perception of LRTs has been cemented.

 

[jordanmkasla2009]

https://www.reddit.com/r/TTC/comments/1qvq4az/new_attraction_at_mount_dennis_station

the fire suppression sprinklers burst this morning I suspect due to the temperature shifts we've been experiencing lately. Mount Dennis Station does have a significant exposure to the outside air so I suspect Metrolinx and Crosslinx are now working on a permanent remedy to prevent this from happening again.

Yes you're right to correct me there. I subjectively do not agree with how these (what I believe to be) overly-large entrances were built. For example, I don't think this Chaplin entrance can support much weight of even a mid-rise. The "future-proofing" I was thinking of, was to have smaller entrances that can be isolated, such that they interfere less with future TOD construction (I say that with the benefit of hindsight).
View attachment 712840
[snip]

This one was designed specifically to not be overbuilt because of the City's desire to keep the parkette

Also, I don't understand the reason for the 60 km/h cap in the tunnelled section. Trains have been testing underground for probably 5 years now. How much longer of a "testing" period is needed?

We could easily reach March and the TTC doesn't raise the tunnel cap because of "safety" issues.

The TTC was okay with running Line 3 with virtually no track inspections/maintenance for decades, and now they suddenly overcorrect too hard by putting RSZs on Line 1/2 because tracks are millimetres out of spec...

It's because they are working through a non-critical signaling software glitch that was interfering with the trains being able to consistently and reliably operate at 80km/h in the tunnels. They have done 80+ km/h through the tunnels during testing but the glitch would cause the occasional hiccup . Obviously the fix has been identified and they are going to release an update for the software in the trains around March. It's just that the software fix wasn't ready for release before Sunday. As a developer I understand that, on safety critical systems like this there's a very rigorous code review process that absolutely MUST be followed.

Millimetres out of spec in track gauge can literally be the difference between the wheel flange grinding against the rail through curves, or riding up the rail from the increased friction and derailing the train.

 

[nfitz]

Truth is low floors may be somewhat less reliable, partly because they're more costly to maintain, but that's no excuse for them capping speeds at 60 kph.

Other systems have been operating the same cars faster than 60. I don't see there's any reason to think they'll be capped at 60 km/hr when this phase it fully opens.

It's kinda sad that there wont be any fanfare or launch for Line 5, given that folks in this area have waited so long for it. At the end of the day it is a win for Toronto... Im pretty hopped up in anticipation,

I have no doubt there'll be fanfare when they fully open it. This is a lesson learned from the disastrous Finch opening, where they knew that service was not yet where it should be, that improvements were coming, and then hyped it to death anyhow.

 

[T3G]

"The beauty of the Skoda 15T is that, unlike most other 100% low-floor models, it has (almost) fully rotating trucks with off-centre bearings under the first and last segment and a standard, Jacobs truck under each articulation point. To put things in perspective, pivoting on the Skoda 15T bogie is limited to about 25 degrees compared to almost about 40 degrees on our conventional CLRV/ALRV fleet (but still a hell of a lot better than about 3-4 degrees which is the most our Flexities are capable of). No matter how Bombardier sugar-coats it, not having (freely) rotating bogies is a major compromise. Instead of the bogie rotating, the entire vehicle module must be turned. Damping systems are needed to straighten the vehicle body and absorb shocks from these movements. This inevitably changes running characteristics for the worse." https://stevemunro.ca/2014/09/05/flexities-debut-on-spadina/comment-page-3/

The grass isn't always greener. The 15 T uses an "electronic differential" that is supposed to fulfill the equivalent purpose of an axle, i.e. allowing each side of the truck to operate at its own appropriate speed and eliminate wheel deformities, but it was not well implemented and there was one point at which 1/3rd of the fleet was out of service because of problems with it. They've dealt with the problem to some degree since then, but they're still a long way from the ideal state, and that's why for their newest generation of tram cars, Prague went instead for a completely new design in the form of the 52 T. It will be those, and Brno's new 45 Ts, that we should watch instead. And while the 15 T design might handle curves better, the lack of a traditional axle means there's no stabilizing effect on straightaway sections of track.

I wouldn't, I never liked that elongated octagon design, like what even is this. LIRR & MNRR EMUs have the right idea, too bad we can't have the same thing.

So you'd be perfectly okay with perfectly useful rolling stock that still has decades of life in front of it being replaced because you don't like its shape?

Congratulations, I think you just found the world's most hollow argument.

 

[81-717]

So you'd be perfectly okay with perfectly useful rolling stock that still has decades of life in front of it being replaced because you don't like its shape?

Many of them have been in use for like half a century anyway? It's unfortunate they kept making more of the same thing even in the present day so we're stuck with them for at least half a century more.

As a side note, despite what I think of the T1s, I do acknowledge that their shape is absolutely perfect (obviously the Hawkers had the exact same shape).

the fire suppression sprinklers burst this morning I suspect due to the temperature shifts we've been experiencing lately. Mount Dennis Station does have a significant exposure to the outside air so I suspect Metrolinx and Crosslinx are now working on a permanent remedy to prevent this from happening again.

Reminds me of NYC subway floodings. The real subway lines also have stations that are partly exposed to outside (VP, Cedarvale, etc) yet this never happened there.

 

[urbanclient]

Well, common sense would dictate anticipating a problem before it happens and trying to deal with it right away. It has been known for more than 20 years that, all else being equal, a low floor tram can't handle turns as well as a high floor one, and other cities have adopted exactly such solutions to deal with the problem. But considering that the we didn't even bother to look at best LRT practices from KW, never mind anywhere from Europe....

You still see this kind of exceptionalist thinking on this forum. Every time someone suggests a solution from Europe, and is called a Europhile, the person doing the calling is just creating more of the culture that they are trying to avoid having.

The term europhile was thrown around by others because of pervasive hand-waving "do it like Europe" without any careful consideration of what exactly makes European trams successful. Put simply, these LRTs we have so far in Ontario are only superficially similar to some lines in Europe, in that they use low floor trams. That's about it.

I think you're getting it backwards. It's the critical thinkers that point out the vast differences between European trams and 'LRTs' here. It's the hand-wavers with no substantive argument that tend to repeat the Europe mantra. I don't discount there are those that bash trams and Europe just because they feel like it. But don't mistake that small minority with people pointing out demonstrable differences in environment and execution. The point being that the people here saying Europe, Europe, rarely dive into the details of what makes trams work there, the exact same mistake that transit authorities made with the 4 LRT lines in Ontario.

Simply saying copy+paste Europe is a false equivalency, as it's not possible to copy them to begin with in many cases (e.g. public ROW width), and not feasible to make changes when we're this far along for Ottawa, Finch, Eglinton, Hurontario, soon to be Hamilton, which I hope can avoid the same mistakes.

Speaking of mistakes:

While fixing photos shot in 2012, I fill in missing info and streaming tags with two things jump out at me for them. All LRT tracks I have seen in Europe Have a groove rail system something TTC had until there was no supplier in NA who produce them. TTC gets special ones for switches from X.

Alstom Citadis is their main platform for LRV's with over 8,000's built so far in various styles and setup. The Citadis Spirit are only used in NA with Ottawa and the Finch line that has them in service at this time.

The profile of Europe rail head is slight different than NA rails. I don't know if the Ottawa Lines, the Finch Line and the Hurontario Line are using NA rails or Europe rails.

Since Alstom is sticking to the Citadis platform for the bogies for NA, the bogies will have an issue with NA rails without grooves for straight tacks as well curves that don't have groove rail encased in the road or ROW. One reason why al lot of the Hurontario line is been ripped up and rebuilt to meet Alstom bogies requirements. I haven't seen any non encase rails in Europe for any streetcar/tram/LRV system.

Nice France 2012

No overhead area In The Place Masséna (1844)

Lignes d'Azur 23 Alstom Citadis 302 35m (2006) LRV/Tram On Nice Tramway In The Place Masséna (1844) With Pantograph Down. Takes 10 seconds at each stations to change power source.

It's because they are working through a non-critical signaling software glitch that was interfering with the trains being able to consistently and reliably operate at 80km/h in the tunnels. They have done 80+ km/h through the tunnels during testing but the glitch would cause the occasional hiccup .

What sort of "hiccup", and what sort of interference?

 

[drum118]

The point being that the people here saying Europe, Europe, Europe rarely dive into the details of what makes trams work there, the exact same mistake that transit authorities made with the 4 LRT lines in Ontario. Ottawa, Finch, Eglinton, Hurontario, soon to be Hamilton, which I hope can avoid the same mistakes. Speaking of which:

Why is it that Ontario has a problem with LRT Lines while the rest of NA doesn't?? There are systems in the US that make no sense why they exist in the first place. Norfolk VA, Buffalo, Washington DC and Cincinnati come to mind. Washington DC is shutting down this year.

 

[urbanclient]

Why is it that Ontario has a problem with LRT Lines while the rest of NA doesn't??

That's like asking what makes Metrolinx/TTC/City Transportation Services incompetent and behind the times? IMO, the answer to both of our questions is the same.

This is a lesson learned from the disastrous Finch opening, where they knew that service was not yet where it should be, that improvements were coming, and then hyped it to death anyhow.

I've been highly critical of Finch West, and yet I can still admit that they've noticeably improved the speed & travel time compared to opening. Overhype does noone favours. I'll be very happy if Eglinton can run without service outages for the first month (unlike Finch West). I expect slow speeds to start.

 

[hawc]

Used AI to figure out how much I've personally contributed through my tax dollars towards this mega project over the last 15 years.

It says that the average Ontario resident has paid $90 over 15 years. I've paid $425.

Good to know.

 

[Kelson]

Used AI to figure out how much I've personally contributed through my tax dollars towards this mega project over the last 15 years.

It says that the average Ontario resident has paid $90 over 15 years. I've paid $425.

Good to know.

What imputes did you put into the ai calculation to get the $425 tax figure? Your personal tax rate over the past 15 years? Your provincial residence? Just curious how you calculated that. I would happily pay $90, or $425 in 2026 dollars for using this line for the next 20 years

 

[Admiral Beez]

Matlow: Can you explain why the LRT is not opening with full aggressive transit signal priority on the surface? And can you confirm that it will be fully aggressive transit signal priority?

Lali: We will have a fully operational, functioning phase rotation TSP system before the end of Q2. That's across both lines.

Why aren't they opening Line 5 with signal priority from the get go?

 

[crs1026]

Used AI to figure out how much I've personally contributed through my tax dollars towards this mega project over the last 15 years.

It says that the average Ontario resident has paid $90 over 15 years. I've paid $425.

Good to know.

I'm surprised your figure is that low. AI tells me the spend to date is over $9B and the 30-year build plus operating cost will approach $14B.

On a population of 16 million in Ontario, that's roughly $900 per person, ignoring those who die before 30 years pass, and those born during the 30 years. I won't complicate that number with amortisation or npv.

And that begs the question of who should pay....Thunder Bay residents might ask for a discount. We certainly won't see Fredericton or Red Deer taxpayers chipping in. Arguably GTA residents derive the most benefit.

I'm not arguing it's a bad investment, or that I want my share refunded, but it certainly is a bite out of what I and my family have available to put in a TFSA. And certainly I have not received accountability or transparency commensurate with what I would hve received by buying shares in a publicly traded company.

- Paul

 

[hawc]

And that begs the question of who should pay....Thunder Bay residents might ask for a discount. We certainly won't see Fredericton or Red Deer taxpayers chipping in. Arguably GTA residents derive the most benefit.

Thunder Bay is getting all the jobs building the rolling stock aren't they?

But your point stands, maybe use Sudbury as the example.