[DonValleyRainbow]

I too don't really mind how the DMUs look. The olive green colouring is fairly similar to the new GO livery, and the units themselves are pretty snappy.

Excited to see them testing soon too.

The gold colour throws it off for me, and the silver makes it look a bit unfinished to me. I would have liked that brushed aluminum look to be some other colour.

As for pictures, would someone consider publishing one under a free licence so it can be used on the Wikipedia? (e.g. Creative Commons, copyleft)

 

[ehlow]

I too don't really mind how the DMUs look. The olive green colouring is fairly similar to the new GO livery, and the units themselves are pretty snappy.

Excited to see them testing soon too.

I agree. They don't look great, but they don't look bad either. If they're fast, frequent & work, and a station is added on Eglinton in 2020, I'm happy.

 

[dowlingm]

I thought the concept livery looked smart.

but then the branding eggheads got to work...

 

[nfitz]

I guess the made it khaki in the hopes it could slip through Weston unnoticed ...

 

[ssiguy2]

Except Metrolinx was stupid enough to have a stop at Weston for all those business people and tourists who come from all corners of the earth to take in lovely and exciting Weston. What a stupid thing to do, as if anybody from Weston is going to pay $25+ to get either downtown or to Pearson when it's only a 20 minute bus ride away.

 

[interchange42]

If few get on or off at Weston, they can cancel the stop there, and if it hasn't already been closed by the tie the Crosstown opens, there's a very good chance it will be closed in favour of the Crosstown interchange then.

Meanwhile, down at Union…

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[smallspy]

Which part of my statement was incorrect? The DMUs are in Oakville, that is a fact. I saw and photographed them myself. When one says presumably that means that they are speculating.

You said that they were in Oakville for testing. They are not. They are still in the process are being delivered.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[nfitz]

You said that they were in Oakville for testing. They are not. They are still in the process are being delivered.

He said they are in Oakville. They are in Oakville. He said he presumed it was for testing.

You simply said he was incorrect. And yet he was mostly correct. I fail to see why you continue to go on about this.

 

[robmausser]

I thought the concept livery looked smart.

but then the branding eggheads got to work...

I work at a branding agency specifically for colour branding, and we all have a good laugh at the chosen colours. They are awful from a branding perspective too.

The last thing you want to do with a diesel train is to make it look retro...

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Except Metrolinx was stupid enough to have a stop at Weston for all those business people and tourists who come from all corners of the earth to take in lovely and exciting Weston. What a stupid thing to do, as if anybody from Weston is going to pay $25+ to get either downtown or to Pearson when it's only a 20 minute bus ride away.

As it exists now, Weston is pretty poor (but fortunately not very violent). I don't think too many current residents are going to directly benefit from the service itself, but the economic spinoffs it generates.

I believe you're correct in that no one will take the UP Express downtown, they will take the GO instead (currently $4.82 w/ Presto). The added bonus with the whole Georgetown South project is you get those GO trains more frequently in both directions.

As for taking the bus to the airport, it's kinda sketchy rolling through Dixon on a TTC bus. I took the Lawrence bus from Weston to the airport a while ago, and while I might be a bad person letting stereotypes prevail, it was fairly intimidating. If I had a choice, I'd have taken the UP Express. I also don't believe it will cost $25 from Weston, I believe Metrolinx will set fare zones like the GO. I'd shell out $10 to get a non-stop comfortable ride to Terminal 1, and have room to place my luggage. I'd guess it would take less than 10 minutes.

Taking all this in, it leads me to these conclusions: a) the ridership at Weston for the UP Express is going to be determined by how much new residential development tailored to frequent flyers occurs here, and b) if a significant amount of that new development occurs, there is a real risk for gentrification on the west side of the tracks.

Maybe Metrolinx's plan all along with the Weston stop was to spur urban renewal. But if so, they need to step up effort with the city to brace for the displacement of poorer tenants here and have a social housing strategy.

 

[interchange42]

Planning for the UPX has zero to do with gentrifying Weston. That station is only there out of political necessity and that's it. If it turns out that it serves little purpose, the trains will no longer stop there.

Characterizing the whole Weston area as poor is a mistake. There are a number of rental towers at the heart of it which don't command the highest rents, there's no doubt of that, but beyond those there are leafy green streets with some substantial homes on both sides of the Humber. There's lots and lots of regular middle class folk too, and everyone of every economic background just wants a nice place to live, and to be able to get around easily. Anyway, who knows what the UPX cost from Union will be, but I'm betting quite a bit more than $10.

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[SaugeenJunction]

You said that they were in Oakville for testing. They are not. They are still in the process are being delivered.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

It is neat having them in Oakville. Saw them being shunted around last night. If GO ALRT had became a reality, Oakville could have had a air-rail link. Now all we get is teased with the UP DMUs.

Daniel from Toronto, Ont., what does the delivery process entail?

 

[smallspy]

Daniel from Toronto, Ont., what does the delivery process entail?

Once they've been delivered by CN, they then will be inspected to ensure that everything is as it should be. Depending on how exacting they want to be, this could take 2 days or 2 months.

After the inspection, they will then power up the units and test various features while standing still. After that checks out, they will then begin the low-speed tests on their own property.

Only after that will they run out on the mainline. As an example, it took 2 weeks for the first MP40 to begin its mainline test runs after it was delivered, and another 4 months before it entered revenue service.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[kotsy]

As cool as it is that Toronto is finally getting a proper rail link to the airport, I'll still take a $3 TTC ride for my international flights. Fingers crossed the Eglinton Crosstown makes it way to the airport some day.

 

[ksun]

As cool as it is that Toronto is finally getting a proper rail link to the airport, I'll still take a $3 TTC ride for my international flights. Fingers crossed the Eglinton Crosstown makes it way to the airport some day.

I was thinking the same.
Taking the subway + bus normally takes 60-70 minutes from downtown, shorter for those who live along the Bloor. The train takes 25, but you have to get to union first. so the real time saved is half an hour max. If the cost of the train is $15, it might be worth the extra cost, but if it is $25-35, which is more likely, I will pass.

I wish the BD line has some express train that doesn't stop every 500 meters (skipping Bay, Christy, Lansdown, High Park, Runnymede, old Mill and Royal York). It is not the distance but rather the frequent stops that slows it down. The existence of Bay station is rather ridiculous. I am pretty happy with the 192 Express, which is fast and frequent.