[Transportfan]

Is this official? So they’re acknowledging on-street lines are different than fully separated. Then why not include the downtown streetcar network? Why is Finch given a subway number? The 504 carries many times more passengers. So does the 510 Spadina and it’s fully separated, no different than Finch.

No, I just made it by expanding and improving one from Wikimedia Commons. Its based on the old style system maps.

 

[pmacpherson68]

Some things I learned while talking to a Line 5 operator today:

• The main reason for the speed slowdown in the underground section (although not the only reason) is the guideway intrusion detection system. The problem is it used to be hypersensitive, triggering the emergency brakes for things like plastic bags on the tracks. The emergency brakes are no joke and can fling you across the train if you're not holding on. Now they've been recalibrated to only trigger for intrusions human sized or larger. Operator is optimistic that the speed limit could be raised to 80 even before March.
• Unlike line 6, where trains must travel at 25 until the full length of the train is through the intersection, on Line 5 once the head of the train is through, the operator can gun it, which contributes to Line 5 trains passing through faster.
• Over time, operators will learn from experience how to drive the trains optimally to beat the lights. But the lights right now are timed for train speeds of 55, while trains are instructed to run mostly at 45.
• Line 5 control center can remotely lower individual trains' speed limits to prevent bunching.
• Converting to 3 car trains would cause a lot of problems on the overground section because all the light timings would have to be redone to account for the longer length.
• Operator emphasized that the problem with signal priority is not so much the delay from left turns; the problem is getting the light timing right. As an example, the lights at the DVP off ramp used to give trains just 8 seconds to pass through. The city finally increased it to 24 seconds but only after months of lobbying. The city is responsible for fixing the signals not Metrolinx or CTS or TTC.
• The design of Mount Dennis station is problematic. Besides having no heat, it's open air, meaning that snow billows in and piles up on the platform. Also makes it extremely slippery after a big snow.
• A major concern is people crossing the above ground tracks. Operator pointed out the abundant footprints you can see in the snow on the tracks and how that is an ongoing risk. Believes the only way to prevent it is to put up six foot barriers. The existing fences are way too low.
• Operators send in a stack of feedback paperwork every single day and there already have been huge improvements. Had it opened in the state it was in one year ago it would have been a disaster.

My imagination goes into dark places when you say triggered by human sized or larger... lol

 

[pmacpherson68]

I'm quite curious to see how ridership compares with forecasted demand. Metrolinx loves their forecasting model, so now let's see a real world example of wether its actually any good. Somehow, I doubt it.


The colorful tile is nice and I wishmore stations had it. The stations are all very white and sterile. Lots of large walls which feel like they should have something on it, but dont.

Lots of huge white space for mega sized Apple ads... lol

 

[APTA-2048]

This is because of passengers on the platforms intruding on the yellow hazard strips. I learned because a TTC staff told off a passenger that kept triggering it while walking down the platform with their arm crossing the strip (to give you an idea of how sensitive this system is). It seems to work like the VAR system in soccer/football.

Later in the day, I saw a kid with his mittens attached to his jacket. He was swinging the mitts like a propeller and it triggered like a dozen of these announcements at once lol.

This happened a lot when I was on the platform as people looked over the yellow line into the tunnel to see if they train is coming. I admit I did that too until I relaized I was triggering the announcement.

Also the sit down or hold on announcement after every stop seems unnecessary.

Edit:
One more thing: the surface stations have PA announcements. They announce the upcoming arrivals and also broadcast transit control announcements.

 

[hw621]

You can get nice and close to the LRT in the car. Taken by rear seat passenger.

View attachment 713969

Don't get too close lol

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Timed the line. 57 minutes end to end.

Underground portion was very fast even without having the full speed in place. Approximately 22 minutes from Mt Dennis to Laird. Average time between stops underground (including dwell time) were 1:45-2:30 minutes.

The line is basically the St Clair streetcar once you reach the above ground portion. It really suffers at red lights, but the fact that it goes underground at Don Mills is saving it from being a disaster like Finch. It took 35 minutes to travel Laird to Kennedy. The shortest stops took 2 minutes but the longest stops that included dwell time at red lights took 4:30 minutes.

I’ve heard Olivia Chow and various TTC peeps talk about signal priority enhancements coming to the LRTs but if it is not giving the full signal priority at lights, then don’t believe it will help. It has to be actual signal priority or it is not enough. Every delay in this portion of my ride was literally due to red light signals.

It slowing to a crawl through intersections also did not help things.

Okay, I got home and put it into numbers. I hit the stopwatch on my phone at every point the doors opened, so some of the run time includes dwell time at the previous station.

While the above-ground section is suffering from its lack of signal priority, it is still frankly a lot better than the experience on Line 6 and a big improvement on the buses it replaced. I think the saving grace is the underground station at Don Valley, it really helps operations at this junction of the line (and was one of the biggest pain points in the 34 bus).

There are three light phases between Wynford and Sloane stops, and it was the longest time between stops. Even if there is not aggressive absolute signal priority across the system, I think applying it specifically to these three lights could help operations significantly.

Now, just for fun, these were the run-time assumptions back in June 2012 when the line was planned.

 

[H4F33Z]

Honestly, my only gripe today was that the stations were COLD. The platform level and the concourses. Like am I unreasonable for expecting enclosed underground transit stations to be heated/temperature controlled? A big advantage of subways and underground transit is that it’s warm and comfortable to wait for.

I was freezing today unless I was actually in the train (and even then, the doors opening on the surface section made it cold again).

 

[TwoWheelPoli]

I rode the Eglinton Crosstown LRT earlier today from Kennedy to Mount Dennis (and then back to Eglinton). Took 58 1/2 minutes end to end which is decent all things considered. Even the surface portion ran better than the Finch West LRT, though they seriously need to scrap the Hakimi Lebovic stop! I wrote some more detailed thoughts on my blog, but will include a few photos here.

Welcome Eglinton Crosstown LRT!

A blog about cycling and political advocacy based in Toronto, Canada. (#BikeTO)

www.twowheeledpolitics.ca

Can anyone confirm that Freedom Mobile doesn't work in the tunnel? Thanks!

I use Freedom and can confirm this unfortunately.

 

[Westey]

Not to go too crazy here but subways should use numbers (Line 1, 2, 3) and light rail, including streetcars should use letters (Line A, B, C, D, E…).

Eglinton is kind of a Frankenstein because it’s really both. History will tell whether it’s a good idea to run tunnel/grade separated on the same line with road transit intersecting with car traffic.

If not, it’ll be a fairly easy solution in the future to end Line 5 at Laird and continue it as Line E. Finch gets Line F, Spadina Line S, King Line K, Queen Line Q, College Line C, Dundas Line D, Bathurst Line B — there are letters for everyone!

1. Grade separated transit gets letters: Line Y, B, S, O. (should have been E).
2. GO lines get 2 letters. LE, LW, MI, KI, BO, BA, RH, ST.
3. Dedicated ROW streetcars 50x. where there is 50F (Finch), 50E (Eglinton), 50S (Spadina), 50C (st. Clair), 50X (waterfront east Exhibition), 50W (waterfront W).
4. Mixed traffic streetcars, 5xx (historic continuity).
5. BRT (full or partial) 2 letter. "60x" (one level lower than the streetcars). Don't have any yet, but "60P" for Pearson, going along 427, "60E" for Ellesmere, "60K" for Kingston Rd.

I don't think I fully thought this through, but it builds on my thought that subways should be letters and not numbers, and then stations are numbers so station B12 is the 12th station on the Bloor line (and I might start numbering at 11 to allow for future expansion in the backwards (west, south) direction.

 

[rbt]

Aga Khan is like the Museum Station. A low ridership station on a busy line.

Line 5 ridership at Aga Khan is up at least 1000% since last week.

I say we give it a year to get some official stats.

 

[Amare]

One thing i've noticed throughout the videos i've seen are that the doors close much faster on the Flexity Freedoms, compared to the Flexity Outlooks.

Thankfully this side of TTC's idiotic SOPs havent worked their way onto the Eglinton Line....for now.

 

[CapitalSeven]

They need to shut down the Leslie intersection to cars. Only let them turn west off of Leslie and come from the east to Leslie. Or build another ramp like the Celestica Lands have. Then there is zero interference until Don Valley station.

Like this: I made this crude knock-up 12 years ago and I believe it's posted somewhere in this endless thread. I was not listened to as usual

 

[LNahid2000]

Line 5 ridership at Aga Khan is up at least 1000% since last week. I say we give it a year to get some official stats.

#DIV/0! error

 

[ThenWhat]

Do people not realize, in order to have "zero interference" between the portal and Don Mills, you'll have to fence the whole ROW off.

Similar to how the Rosedale Valley bridge took its' current form over time.

Say you eliminate the intersection at Leslie, you'll still have the TTC slowing down operations because a pedestrian might cross the ROW, or an errant motorist heading south on Leslie may ram into an LRV.

This is exactly the BS I mentioned in my post yesterday.

The only solution to the Leslie conundrum at this point is either building a flyover as @Voltz said, or closing the Sunnybrook Park stop altogether, and have the LRT cross over the intersection.

From the bottom of my heart, to all those who say the intersection needs to be closed - "Go Screw Yourselves".

Kindest regards,
- 20+ year North of Sheppard, 151 linear transfer-impacted Leslie resident.

Ps. Most of the traffic on Leslie is from pople who don't actually live on Leslie.

The main problem with that intersection, as far as Line 5 goes, are the two left turns that cross the LRT track. Both those left turns may be eliminated and replaced by "Michigan turns". There is already space for U-turns on Eglinton in both directions, half way to Brentcliffe and half way to Don Mills. No need for flyovers or any other road building works.

There would still have to be one pedestrian crossing across Eglinton, on the east side, because pedestrians want to cross the road and board the train, or take the stairs to/from the park. But that would not interfere with aggressive signal priority, as long as the trains don't arrive every 30 seconds.

 

[McGillicuddy]

Not to go too crazy here but subways should use numbers (Line 1, 2, 3) and light rail, including streetcars should use letters (Line A, B, C, D, E…).

It's a good idea, but Metrolinx has scooped you: over the next several cycles of maps and signage, the GO train lines will all adopt letters, so this may be confusing in practice.

One compromise would be to reserve the "T Series" for Toronto and have T1, T2, T3, etc. for streetcar services.