[ShonTron]

Well, presumably you're paying to sit in a car with others who have paid more to sit in that car. Given that there are little-to-no extra frills, you're just paying to avoid people who don't have as much extra cash to spend.

Yeah, it's weird. In Europe, on many short to medium distance trains (ie SNCF's TER service) there's often just first class seating partitioned from the commonfolk that offers little more than slightly more legroom and different coloured seating. I guess I could have sat there both ways between Paris and Chartes, as no one came to check tickets in either direction.

MTR's trains between Kowloon and the Chinese Mainland (when I went, MTR just acquired KCR) have a first class car, which I bought partly as it offers forward/backward seating (I wanted to see outside comfortably) and a quiet ride. The second class cars are packed with metallic cattle seating.

 

[rbt]

Well, presumably you're paying to sit in a car with others who have paid more to sit in that car. Given that there are little-to-no extra frills, you're just paying to avoid people who don't have as much extra cash to spend.

That's it. If there's a sound barrier it's typically enough to avoid screaming kids, crying babies, drunks being drunk at night, etc.

 

[drum118]

That's it. If there's a sound barrier it's typically enough to avoid screaming kids, crying babies, drunks being drunk at night, etc.

Not when the partition is only 3/4 high.

Even with the full height partition, still can hear the noise.

On the 3 ICE trains I have been on, there is a quit section behind the engineer that has 2 doors to it, beside the engineer section.

I had to move to the Quit section for part of my Frankfurt run, as the women behind me never shut up and was loud talking to the people across the aisle from her. It was the only time you could see out the front window, as rest of the time is was cover up. Got 2 videos including one of the controls during a crew change.

 

[rbt]

Not when the partition is only 3/4 high.

Even with the full height partition, still can hear the noise.

Then it's not a sound barrier and I wouldn't buy first class tickets (a second time at least).

 

[k10ery]

Well, presumably you're paying to sit in a car with others who have paid more to sit in that car. Given that there are little-to-no extra frills, you're just paying to avoid people who don't have as much extra cash to spend.

Good answer. But you're also getting fewer people - better chance of a spare seat beside you. If first-class were full, then people would think it was not worth paying for first class and switch, in which case first class becomes less full again. So Paris Metro pricing is automatically self-regulating.

It's the same reason why having a toll lane in the middle of a free expressway is a good way to offer two speeds of service, no matter how heavy the traffic gets.

 

[BMO]

Does anyone know if provisions are being made on the 3km rail-link spur towards the airport, for a connecting access for trains coming in from the west? Or is the spur going to be strictly built for trains coming from the east? I'm thinking if it was built with access from both directions in mind, this could open up a bunch of possibilities for airport shuttles between different centres (i.e. Richmond Hill cntr, Kitchener, London, etc) Meaning the station at the airport won't just be a shuttle to Union, but a regional hub for the GTA and beyond.

 

[Platform 27]

Does anyone know if provisions are being made on the 3km rail-link spur towards the airport, for a connecting access for trains coming in from the west? Or is the spur going to be strictly built for trains coming from the east? I'm thinking if it was built with access from both directions in mind, this could open up a bunch of possibilities for airport shuttles between different centres (i.e. Richmond Hill cntr, Kitchener, London, etc) Meaning the station at the airport won't just be a shuttle to Union, but a regional hub for the GTA and beyond.

The plans for the spur we saw back in the EA showed a one-way turn only, but who knows if it's been structurally proofed so a full wye could be built later.

Realistically, the traffic volumes coming to Pearson from any one of those other places are not going to even vaguely approach those from the southern half of 416 anytime in the next few decades. Unlike Downtown Toronto, you can run a bus between Richmond Hill and Pearson via the 407 without facing traffic problems, and a specialized airport train running at a decent frequency from Richmond Hill would presumably be full enough to make the Sheppard subway look like something out of Tokyo.

Getting traffic from Kitchener and Brampton in cleanly to the airport by train would be nice, though, especially in a hypothetical future with high speed rail. GO has a bus connection from Bramalea to Pearson already that could be kicked up a notch for that sort of traveller in the short term, and this is also where the extended Finch LRT running through Malton or a Woodbine station might come in handy.

 

[Markster]

I was flying into Pearson today, and got a really nice approach over the city. I took some pictures of some of the construction underway.

Weston area grade separations:

Humber bridge:

 

[EnviroTO]

Excellent shots. This was a commercial flight? I'm surprised the pictures turned out that well through those airliner windows.

 

[Markster]

Just a regular WestJet flight. I give all credit for the quality of the photos to my new camera. A small point-and-shoot, 14MP, with the godliest of features: automatic white balance.

Side note: 14MP is huge! I downscaled the photo to 25% on each dimension to get them that size. I think tinypic downscaled the second one even more. When I get home from work, I think I'll post up full resolution cropped shots of where the action is in each photo. You can really start to see some detail on those pile-drivers.

 

[ShonTron]

Don't you hate it when they strictly enforce no electronic use at all upon take-off and landing?

Nice shots. Good thing you didn't get caught engaging in activity that supposedly intereferes with aircraft operations

 

[CDL.TO]

The airlines justification for no electronics on takeoff and landing is that they don't want passengers distracted during the period when most incidents occur. If the attendants need to quickly alert people to brace themselves or that they will need to evacuate upon landing, they don't want people missing instructions because they were busy playing with their iPod.

The only electronic device that I am familiar with airlines forbidding use of due to interference with aircraft operations is cell phones. Since many times when I've been in a car and the radio crackled, beeped, and buzzed when a cell call came in, I can certainly understand why they don't want the same interference affecting their radios.

 

[yyzhyd]

Don't you hate it when they strictly enforce no electronic use at all upon take-off and landing?

Nice shots. Good thing you didn't get caught engaging in activity that supposedly intereferes with aircraft operations

Very very few airlines stop pax from using cameras onboard regardless of whether it's take-off, cruising, landing, or even taxiing.

However, taking cabin shots that is a no-no with several US-based carriers like AA.


Beautiful shots BTW! Thanks for sharing Markster.

 

[rbt]

The airlines justification for no electronics on takeoff and landing is that they don't want passengers distracted during the period when most incidents occur. If the attendants need to quickly alert people to brace themselves or that they will need to evacuate upon landing, they don't want people missing instructions because they were busy playing with their iPod.

That, and anything in a persons hands during an unexpected crash landing becomes a projectile in the cabin. An unconcious person is difficult to get off a smoke filled aircraft.

I've been asked to put away a book more on more than one airline during heavy turbulance. I assume the same thought process is there during landing/takeoff.

 

[Hipster Duck]

Yeah, it's weird. In Europe, on many short to medium distance trains (ie SNCF's TER service) there's often just first class seating partitioned from the commonfolk that offers little more than slightly more legroom and different coloured seating. I guess I could have sat there both ways between Paris and Chartes, as no one came to check tickets in either direction.

MTR's trains between Kowloon and the Chinese Mainland (when I went, MTR just acquired KCR) have a first class car, which I bought partly as it offers forward/backward seating (I wanted to see outside comfortably) and a quiet ride. The second class cars are packed with metallic cattle seating.

The first class compartment on a European regional rail train is a tiny portion of the overall consist. For example, a German regional train of 10 cars might have half of one car reserved for first class seating, which is basically the same as the 2nd class seat with better padding and a bit more expensive clientele. I think the main reason for keeping 1st class in regional trains is because a first class intercity or long distance train ticket is also honoured for connecting, regional services. So, while it's a relatively small market, there are people who would travel first class on an ICE or TGV who would then continue on to their final destination on first class in a regional train. It's the same as having those 4 or 6 business class seats on a regional jet for the hypothetical Vale executive who flies Sao Paulo - Toronto and then connects to Sudbury.