[W. K. Lis]

Metrolinx CEO video quashed​

Last fall, Metrolinx had planned to give the public a closer look at the construction, including a specific update focused on Eglinton station. According to a draft communications plan from September viewed by the Star, Metrolinx intended to produce a video with Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster, TTC CEO Rick Leary and Crosslinx CEO Bill Gifford “offering project construction and operational updates to create a ‘visual’ status update.”

The portion of the video featuring Verster was filmed — but it never saw the light of day.

On Sept. 9, Mike DeRuyter, assistant director of strategic communications for the Ministry of Transportation, circulated the draft communications plan with ministry staff. One week later, Mulroney’s then-issues director Jordanna Colwill wrote to DeRuyter: “Can we confirm with Metrolinx that they haven’t made any movement on the proposed video update yet? Just want to ensure the plan is (Premier’s office) approved before they start any co-ordination on that front.” According to a response from DeRuyter, Metrolinx confirmed the video of Verster had been filmed.

On Sept. 22, Colwill wrote to Steven Hobbs, Metrolinx’s chief of staff: “I understand you spoke with Mike Beaton (Mulroney’s chief of staff) about a potential new approach for Metrolinx (Eglinton Crosstown LRT) comms. Here is the new statement, which we propose comes from Phil (Verster).” What followed was the statement that Metrolinx ended up posting on its blog the next day.

That statement had been workshopped the day before by staff at the Ministry of Transportation and the Premier’s office, according to internal emails.

The first version of the proposed statement shared by Colwill included the line: “We have made significant progress; however it is taking longer than expected to finalize testing and operational readiness for the project.”

Doug Ford’s office weighs in on LRT messaging​

Ivana Yelich, then Ford’s executive director of media relations, responded: “This is misleading. Testing and operational readiness is not the reason for delay.”

The next morning, on Sept. 22, Yelich sent the final statement, which blamed Crosslinx for the delay. “Unfortunately, while progress has been made, Crosslinx Transit Solutions have fallen behind schedule, are unable to finalize construction and testing, and therefore the system will not be operational on this timeline,” part of the statement read.

The 124-word statement that was posted on Metrolinx’s blog on Sept. 23 is the last the public has heard from the agency about the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

In the days after, reporters asked Metrolinx repeatedly for more information, but documents suggest the direction from the province was to say nothing more.

On Sept. 26, Metrolinx communications manager Lyndsay Miller emailed Ministry of Transportation staff looking for direction on how to respond to media requests from CP24 and CBC’s “Metro Morning.”

 

[Parkdalian]

Amherst hated indigenous people and attempted to commit genocide.

Dundas's crime? Proposing the addition of a "sunset clause" into the bill that ended the slave trade in the British Empire. His action ensured the abolition bill was passed in the House of commons, (it had previously been soundly defeated when no sunset clause).

Democratic negotiation, historic facts, intent and nuance don't matter when the red guard is out to purge the culture of enemies (real or imagined) ...

Place names change. It's always been this way. I don't know why people get lathered up about names changing. Look at the history of London - most place names have changed many times in the last 1,000 years. It's part of the fun of history!

 

[felix123]

‘Something really stinks here’: Why you still don’t know when the Eglinton LRT will start running​

Documents obtained by the Star show how Doug Ford’s government keeps a tight rein on what the public is allowed to know about the troubled transit project.​

From link.

The Ontario line also has two interchanges underneath line 1, one of them under a station as old as Eglinton. The Ford government needs to be put in its place and to stop muzzling communication from a public entity, or else we may very well end up having déjà vu in 2030, 2031, 2032... 2036, and so on.

 

[ARG1]

The Ontario line also has two interchanges underneath line 1, one of them under a station as old as Eglinton. The Ford government needs to be put in its place and to stop muzzling communication from a public entity, or else we may very well end up having déjà vu in 2030, 2031, 2032... 2036, and so on.

I guess you're not following the developments on the Ontario Line huh


Part of the problem with the transfer stations on Eglinton is the process of underpinning the existing Line 1 stations, so that the new station can be built underneath them. The "solution" that the Ontario Line came up with is building the stations so deep that this wouldn't be something they'd have to deal with during construction (which leads us to those infamous diagrams where there are a ton of escalators from Queen Line 1 to OL). They've definitely learned their lesson, although I'm not sure they drew the right conclusions.

 

[rbt]

They've definitely learned their lesson, although I'm not sure they drew the right conclusions.

I was hoping the lesson learned would be to add an extra year to the schedule to account for this type of unknown.

Ford likes to say subways last for centuries: These are terrible transfer points that great-great grandkids will be stuck using. It's damn hard to realign a tunnel even if you're willing to rebuild the station.

 

[nfitz]

The "solution" that the Ontario Line came up with is building the stations so deep that this wouldn't be something they'd have to deal with during construction (which leads us to those infamous diagrams where there are a ton of escalators from Queen Line 1 to OL). They've definitely learned their lesson, although I'm not sure they drew the right conclusions.

On the bright side, there's plenty of vertical space left to build an express subway up Yonge street under the existing tunnel!

Metrolinx do like their deep tunnels. The transfers at Pape are going to be interesting as well. And Lawrence East is a joke.

 

[Rainforest]

There’s also the small obstacle of having to have emergency exits lighting and ventilation and first responder access for all of the line - including Eglinton-Yonge. Can’t just drive thru hoping that there will not be an incident in that stretch.

Besides, any part of the line that is opened means the contractor gets paid for tht segment. Do we want the contractor to get 90%+ of their pay while the most important segment is unfinished ? Better leverage if the contractor has to get everything done to get paid.

- Paul

Maybe, the could at least open the section between Mt Dennis and Eg West Stn / Allen Road. All emergency exists would be in place, and the yard connection is there. The payment for that section won't be big enough to make the contractor too complacent.

 

[toronto647]

KEY QUOTE FROM TORONTO STAR ARTICLE

"At a Metrolinx board meeting in February, Andrew Hope said Crosslinx has some work to finish, “most notably at Yonge and Eglinton, which is the flagship station of the line, where there is very good progress happening at the station, but still some utility and road restoration work to happen in that location which we expect to be finished later this year.”"

In essence this line isn't opening until 2024 at the earliest

 

[TossYourJacket]

I was hoping the lesson learned would be to add an extra year to the schedule to account for this type of unknown.

Ford likes to say subways last for centuries: These are terrible transfer points that great-great grandkids will be stuck using. It's damn hard to realign a tunnel even if you're willing to rebuild the station.

To be fair, a shallower tunnel for the OL would have been so expensive that the public never would have accepted it. Because Queen St also has PATH tunnels, tower foundations, etc, that aren't generally the same issue on Eglinton. Ideally we would have just spent the money, but this is Ontario after all.

 

[smallspy]

To be fair, a shallower tunnel for the OL would have been so expensive that the public never would have accepted it. Because Queen St also has PATH tunnels, tower foundations, etc, that aren't generally the same issue on Eglinton. Ideally we would have just spent the money, but this is Ontario after all.

I don't think that anyone is realistically suggesting that cut-and-cover be used in the core.

But even with TBMs, there was no reason why they couldn't have dug the tunnels shallower and closer to the bottom of the existing Queen (and Osgoode) station(s). They would have still avoided all of those utilities, and would have made the transfers much easier.

Dan

 

[W. K. Lis]

I don't think that anyone is realistically suggesting that cut-and-cover be used in the core.

But even with TBMs, there was no reason why they couldn't have dug the tunnels shallower and closer to the bottom of the existing Queen (and Osgoode) station(s). They would have still avoided all of those utilities, and would have made the transfers much easier.

Dan

Montréal's Metro has its ups and downs, being totally underground. They built the tunnels to use gravity to help accelerate and decelerate at the stations. The tunnels go UP as they approach a station, and go DOWN as they leave a station.

In Toronto, they have used regenerative braking on their subway trains and streetcars for years (and soon light rail vehicles and whatever the Ontario Line trains will be called), by generating electricity as they brake. Same regenerative braking for hybrid buses and automobiles and electric buses and automobiles.

 

[TossYourJacket]

I don't think that anyone is realistically suggesting that cut-and-cover be used in the core.

But even with TBMs, there was no reason why they couldn't have dug the tunnels shallower and closer to the bottom of the existing Queen (and Osgoode) station(s). They would have still avoided all of those utilities, and would have made the transfers much easier.

Dan

Even with TBMs, the reason why the tunnels are where they are is to put them in the bedrock. Which eliminates the need to underpin the existing stations. Putting them shallower would have cost more as they would have been in looser soil, which would have had a greater impact on the structures above. As I said, we could have done it, but it would have been much more expensive, and Metrolinx is trying to cut costs everywhere they can unfortunately.

I'd much rather we had spent that money, personally.

 

[youngblood]

Water pooling on uneven payment

 

[EnviroTO]

Water pooling on uneven payment

I wish this was surprising but it has been clear in many places that grading and surfacing was being rushed. Some of the bike lanes are nowhere near flat, there are odd slopes towards the curbs on sidewalks in places, some entrances are completely level with the surroundings (which isn't great for rain and snow melt). I'm just glad that they are validating the build quality before signing off.

 

[Bojaxs]

The most painful thing about watching this entire Englinton LRT boondoggle unfold, is the fact that we had started construction on a subway for Eglinton, and cancelled it. That's what's killing me the most watching all this. I don't even enjoy following this project anymore.