[jcam]

Not so much "move" the platforms but extending them north 30 metres.

Are they losing a crossover or pocket track (from when Eglinton was the terminal) to extend/move the station north? I imagine this wouldn't be possible if there wasn't already width in the underground structure to accomodate it.

My understand is it will require 40+ weekend closures over a couple of years.

 

[rbt]

Are they losing a crossover or pocket track (from when Eglinton was the terminal) to extend/move the station north? I imagine this wouldn't be possible if there wasn't already width in the underground structure to accomodate it.

Not as far as I know. There is currently a mechanical area at the North end of Eglinton. This will be relocated and that space turned into customer space.

My understand is it will require 40+ weekend closures over a couple of years.

Yes, though the Davisville track rebuild also requires a large number of weekend closures and will occur at the same time. If you assume Davisville is absolutely necessary (which TTC does) then this Eglinton work is free.

 

[barit]

I believe the north pocket tracks were built when the line was extended north to Finch. I also believe said tracks will have to be removed. There is a report from the TTC about this posted back a bit, but I can't find it right now.

 

[someMidTowner]

The eastern TBMs have progressed another block forward:

 

[Steve X]

Seems like they'll be done by late summer not fall at this rate.

 

[Steve X]

If anyone is interested in reading the update for Eg West: http://thecrosstown.ca/news-media/whats-new/cedarvale-station-open-house

 

[Amare]

If anyone is interested in reading the update for Eg West: http://thecrosstown.ca/news-media/whats-new/cedarvale-station-open-house

Wow just reading all that boggles my mind. This is extremely complicated work just to construct one station, let alone the entire line. Now I feel sorry when construction workers have to deal with the public/NIMBYS and their constant whining about construction work.

If they dont want to deal with the noise all the time, they should let the contractors know so they can close Eglinton down 24/7 for cut and cover construction.

 

[Steve X]

Since the public doesn't accept closing down Eglinton for years, they have to carefully plan and stage it so traffic can still flow. It's probably easier for them to build Caledonia Station as it's off to the side instead of being right under the roadway.

 

[BurlOak]

If they dont want to deal with the noise all the time, they should let the contractors know so they can close Eglinton down 24/7 for cut and cover construction.

I am getting more convinced that cut-and-cover is a better way to go when tunneling under roads. Cut-and-cover sound like old technology. Tunneling and using fancy TBM's sound more high tech and modern, but it has its drawbacks. The stations are built using cut-and-cover anyways. Generally, the biggest traffic disruptions from road/lane closures happen at major interchanges - where the stations are. The largest concentration of population that is affected by the noise is at the major intersections.
In order to use tunneling, the bore must be extra deep to ensure no cave in during construction and minimize the load on the tunnel from traffic above. Thus, you see huge depths of stations and the cut-and-cover construction of the station cost and construction duration goes up significantly with station depth. If the whole line was cut-and-cover, the platforms and emergency exists are at a shallower depth since they don't have to be unnecessarily deep.

So tunneling minimizes the disruption mid-block where construction would be the least intrusive and significantly increases it at the intersections, where it is most critical.

I haven't seen the exact profile of the Eglinton line, but I understand that tunneling was used to smooth out the grade. It may be that at some locations, cut-and-cover would have been deeper than desired and a few locations may have had the mid-block cut-and-cover construction with more disruption than others.

 

[crs1026]

The thing about TBM is, you can't be selective about where you use it. It has to run end to end. As you say, cut and cover might be better in spots - but the TBM can't bypass a segment without extraction and reinsertion.

In this politically fickle city, the need to tear up a major street end to end might be enough to doom a project. So I'm happy to see TBMs used.

- Paul

 

[Eug]

The Star: Tunnelling beneath Eglinton Ave. for the Crosstown LRT

The Star took a rare trip Tuesday down into the unfinished Eglinton Crosstown tunnel.

 

[Tulse]

In order to use tunneling, the bore must be extra deep to ensure no cave in during construction and minimize the load on the tunnel from traffic above.

I'm no expert, but I would presume that depth also avoid a lot of reworking/rerouting of water/sewer/power infrastructure that would be disrupted by cut-and-cover.

And as someone who works on Eglinton, I can't imagine what it would be like to deal with cut-and-cover along the length of the street. Disruption to travel and the local businesses has been bad enough with the various traffic rerouting -- if the whole street was torn up, I would imagine that many businesses would be wiped out.

 

[M II A II R II K]

It's too bad they don't open the tunnelled section first before the at grade sections are finished.

 

[robmausser]

It's too bad they don't open the tunnelled section first before the at grade sections are finished.

The at grade sections will actually be completed before the tunneled ones. Thats how long tunneling takes compared to at grade construction. Go look at the ION LRT in kitchener that started work in 2015, and is further along than the tunnelled Eglinton section which started in 2010

 

[johntauren]

The at grade sections will actually be completed before the tunneled ones. Thats how long tunneling takes compared to at grade construction. Go look at the ION LRT in kitchener that started work in 2015, and is further along than the tunnelled Eglinton section which started in 2010

But they haven't even started the at grade sections yet.

It's the stations that take the longest, see the Spadina extension which is still a while from completion but tunneling was done a while ago.