[salsa]

Not the slightest bit suspicious - it's being presented as a fait accompli. The project should be submitted to neutral third party for verification.

AoD

If Dobson owned any properties along the route then I would say something fishy is going on. Other than than I see nothing wrong.

I hope so. I bring this up because I'm slightly concerned about the neutrality of the consultants, given that sole sourced contracts are being awarded to the architects of Smart Track itself, to people with possible ties to developers, and people who have publicly praised Smart Track during the campaign. Strategic Regional Research Associates also happens to be the author of a spectacularly incompetent report published last year called The Business Case for the Regional Relief Line, whose hare-brained advice became the inspiration and talking points for Smart Track. I will reserve my judgement until the latest studies come out, but I really hope they will not turn out to be another one of those feel-good political posturing, fudged numbers, and grandiose success promises that have we've seen with many pet-projects in the past.

 

[mdrejhon]

I am REALLY interested in what train capacity they ultimately decide to use for SmartTrack. The use of shorter UPX-length trains would look woefully undersized at the 300 meter GO platforms, so they should go to a compromise that resembles subway lengths.

Metrolinx CEO said to Toronto Star, "We really see SmartTrack as an element of the RER program that was announced by the government and we’re moving forward with our planning right now,". GO RER plans a diversified fleet (see page 3).

If they're still looking at tiny UPX-sized trains, it is theoretically possible the province could withhold their funding share until SmartTrack satisfies the province. Decisions will be made in the coming few months, I would bet. A six or eight car version of the UPX style trainset would be better (with room to expand longer), or a different electric trainset. Boarding would be far more efficient at the GOTrain stations.

 

[ehlow]

UPX trains seem far too small though. I think one of the reasons they priced UPX so highly even when not going to the airport (Dundas West to Union) is because they don't want regular commuters overloading the trains.

I would think SmartTrack would need trains with the same capacity as the subway trains, but of course it also depends on frequency.

Tory already met with Harper to talk SmartTrack. Even those of you who hate Tory (most of you?) have to admit he works pretty fast and is motivated, at least so far.

 

[aquateam]

UPX trains seem far too small though. I think one of the reasons they priced UPX so highly even when not going to the airport (Dundas West to Union) is because they don't want regular commuters overloading the trains.

That definitely isn't going to be an issue, given the pricing and the design of the service.

Tory already met with Harper to talk SmartTrack. Even those of you who hate Tory (most of you?) have to admit he works pretty fast and is motivated, at least so far.

Interesting that Stephen Harper meets with John Tory within 2 days of JT's election, but has not met with Wynne in over a year, despite her many attempts at scheduling a meeting.

 

[mdrejhon]

Tory already met with Harper to talk SmartTrack. Even those of you who hate Tory (most of you?) have to admit he works pretty fast and is motivated, at least so far.

Regardless of red or blue, he's a breath of fresh air from US-style political polarization.
Who else would both polar opposite Harper and Wynne simultaneously be enthusastic to meet? It's almost a miracle!

For now, I'm content to let him be peacemaker right there on transit issues, Toronto is still a transit nightmare, get the shovels moving faster.

 

[nfitz]

Tory already met with Harper to talk SmartTrack. Even those of you who hate Tory (most of you?) have to admit he works pretty fast and is motivated, at least so far.

Keep in mind, that Tory is a long time federal Progessive Conservative operative, and knows where bodies are buried. He's close to both Bill Davis and Brian Mulroney (among others), and Harper doesn't want to be on their bad side heading into a federal election.

Of course Harper would meet Tory.

 

[44 North]

So will SmartTrack be using the same vehicles and be built to the same standards as what’s planned for an electrified GO Lakeshore East and West? Or alternately, is Lakeshore East and West being studied as the same RER as what’s planned for SmartTrack?

I figure it would only make sense to allow for vehicle sharing and to use one uniform standard for all our future electric commuter rail.

 

[Palma]

Keep in mind, that Tory is a long time federal Progessive Conservative operative, and knows where bodies are buried. He's close to both Bill Davis and Brian Mulroney (among others), and Harper doesn't want to be on their bad side heading into a federal election.

Of course Harper would meet Tory.

Give me a break. You are implying that Tory would blackmail Harper. You clearly never listened to him when he had his show. I swear the more I read these posts, people are just making things up as they go along

 

[TheTigerMaster]

So will SmartTrack be using the same vehicles and be built to the same standards as what’s planned for an electrified GO Lakeshore East and West? Or alternately, is Lakeshore East and West being studied as the same RER as what’s planned for SmartTrack?

I figure it would only make sense to allow for vehicle sharing and to use one uniform standard for all our future electric commuter rail.

Nobody knows.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Give me a break. You are implying that Tory would blackmail Harper. You clearly never listened to him when he had his show. I swear the more I read these posts, people are just making things up as they go along

What are you referencing from his show?

 

[ehlow]

Nobody knows.

You're right, but I think it does make sense for SmartTrack to have the same vehicles as the rest of the GO RER corridors. Why not use the same vehicles on all GO RER lines?

 

[nfitz]

Give me a break. You are implying that Tory would blackmail Harper. You clearly never listened to him when he had his show. I swear the more I read these posts, people are just making things up as they go along

Politicians play games. You see Harper doing it a lot recently.

Of course it's not blackmail. It's all very subtle. It's common courtesy and favours. Tory can pull various political strings for Harper, and with them both being right-wing, it's only natural that they scratch each other's backs. Not sure how that gets to blackmail. Toss in Tory's history in the party at the federal level, and those he is close with, and it wouldn't even cross Harper's mind to refuse a meeting. Or in this case, for Harper to request the meeting - which also serves to make a point to Wynne.

Why would I ever listen to his radio show? Who the heck has the time to spend their day listening to talk radio? And what does the character he played on radio have anything to do with anything?

 

[Rainforest]

Who else would both polar opposite Harper and Wynne simultaneously be enthusiastic to meet? It's almost a miracle!

Yes, it is remarkable that Tory can easily talk to both Wynne and Harper, while Wynne and Harper cannot talk to each other.

Let's see how Tory capitalizes on that, but he certainly has an early advantage.

 

[georgevicbell]

You're right, but I think it does make sense for SmartTrack to have the same vehicles as the rest of the GO RER corridors. Why not use the same vehicles on all GO RER lines?

Having read the documents from Metrolinx from their latest meeting, it seems like they are essentially treating all of their tracks as needing to be upgraded...some more than others...

From a staging perspective something like smarttrack is going to take a large number of upgrades to two specific lines...some of those upgrades need to happen before others (for example grade separation and bridge building needs to happen before laying extra tracks, which has to happen before building new stations, which has to happen before running electricity)...all of these tracks are currently in use, so the staging will have to happen much like it has for the UPX...

On lines that are further along (Lakeshore) it is clear that they are intending to stage construction on them to increase capacity as well, so it's likely that we will see 15 minute service sooner on lakeshore than smart track being complete (to the 15 minute mark)...but a smart-track service at 30 minutes in 7 years (maybe with the tunnelled portion coming 5 years later) would be essentially just a matter of some bridge and track laying which there is a great deal of experience with (having done it recently on lakeshore and for UPX).

What smart track does in my opinion is give an end-goal for the lines which currently are not really far along this process, and maybe speeds up their construction (in much the same way that UPX essentially gave them a reason to re-make the UPX corridor).

Whether this is a better strategy than the current iterative extend a bit, add a car, add a third track for a few km, increase frequency by a few minutes is hard to say...

 

[44 North]

Why is this a Toronto project? Everything about SmartTrack seems to make it a GO/Metrolinx project - and thereby Prov. With some Fed aspects mixed in. I get why Tory wants to push this, and it is great for Toronto and the region. But it seems to me that it shouldn't be a Toronto project... particularly if what ends up being built is part of the upgraded/electrified GO system.