[innsertnamehere]

The only Downtown Streetcar line I expect to see eliminated is King, if they run the DRL on King. (if it is Richmond or Adelaide or wherever I see it staying) The likes of Queen, Dundas, and College will stay. I expect what will happen is you will see King's streetcar tracks maintained for Queen detours, and have some traffic calming devices installed. (making one Curb Lane a permanent Parking lane and adding some bike lanes)

 

[JayBeeGooner]

The King Streetcar won't be eliminated. The station spacing on the DRL most likely will require a parallel route. TTC made the mistake of tearing out the streetcar tracks on Yonge.

 

[W. K. Lis]

The King Streetcar won't be eliminated. The station spacing on the DRL most likely will require a parallel route. TTC made the mistake of tearing out the streetcar tracks on Yonge.

According to the Environmental Project Report Addendum: Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (see link to download the reports from the website), specifically 3.1.2.2 Bus Service from EPR Addendum - Chapters Five, Six and Seven at this link, there is the following:

34 Eglinton East bus service would be renamed “34 Eglinton”. Service would operate from the proposed Mount Dennis Bus Terminal to Kennedy Station, via Eglinton/Yonge and Eglinton West stations. Peak service would operate every 15 minutes.

Personally, see no need for a parallel bus service. If they do, they should run a parallel bus along Bloor-Danforth. Also, if they do run a 34 Eglinton bus, they should terminate it in the east end at Don Mills, since the surface section east of that has closer stop spacing.

If the TTC would continue to run a parallel service along Eglinton, even with a LRT along the whole route, so the TTC could do the same with the DRL. So should the TTC run a parallel service for the DRL, they might as well leave them as streetcars to keep the tracks in case of emergency diversions, and to help feed the DRL. (15 minute headway service is still good compared with some U.S. cities. For Toronto, 15 minute headway is not.)

 

[innsertnamehere]

I agree on keeping King street tracks, but only as a diversion location for 501 streetcars. Once the DRL is built the Streetcar network will get much less use, no matter the stop spacing however.

 

[calimehtar]

San Francisco's example shows how the DRL could integrate with the existing streetcar network.
http://www.200stran.ru/subway_country205_city13553_item1384.html

Between Van Ness and the Embarcadero, approximately 4 or 5 km, three modes of transit overlap, including streetcars. Station spacing on BART is very wide so that it doesn't really serve downtown SF, it is more a way of getting around the metro area.

I suppose the best comparison is to Washington DC's subway system. Coincidentally they are in the process of adding a streetcar network in Washington DC which will overlap the existing subway and run in mixed traffic.

http://www.dcstreetcar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/FAQ-and-Glossary-Draft-12-19-11.pdf

 

[FNTS]

 

[christiesplits]

http://corktown.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/New-Streetcar-Testing-on-Queen-Street-Notice.png

Anyone up for a UT viewing party?

 

[W. K. Lis]

Deliberately derailing it?

Full speed test and braking test?

Backing test?

Trying to break it?

 

[nfitz]

So how are they going to detour 301/501 north on Broadview, west on Dundas, and south on Parliament, when the west on Queen/north on Broadview switch has been out of commission has been plugged and out of service for a long time.

The also seem to have forgotten that they have to detour the 504, with King between Queen and River currently closed.

I suspect once the TTC tells the TTC about this, they'll move the testing somewhere else.

 

[nfitz]

So how are they going to detour 301/501 north on Broadview, west on Dundas, and south on Parliament, when the west on Queen/north on Broadview switch has been out of commission has been plugged and out of service for a long time

Well, apparently they are going to unplug that switch over the weekend, and put it back in commission. I thought it was plugged because of problems with vehicles derailing ... or perhaps that's a different location.

 

[DSC]

Well, apparently they are going to unplug that switch over the weekend, and put it back in commission. I thought it was plugged because of problems with vehicles derailing ... or perhaps that's a different location.

No, you are right - it was plugged because there were derailments. Maybe they want to test their reaction to a derailment of an LRT car! (Interesting they can unplug it (and maybe repair it?) to test the new streetcars but not to provide decent service with the cars that are actually in service!)

 

[nfitz]

No, you are right - it was plugged because there were derailments. Maybe they want to test their reaction to a derailment of an LRT car! (Interesting they can unplug it (and maybe repair it?) to test the new streetcars but not to provide decent service with the cars that are actually in service!)

My assumption is that if plugged open instead of closed, that the derailment problem wouldn't be there ...

Speaking of switch repairs, part of this weekend's construction effort seems to be fixing the King-Parliament switch. http://www.ttc.ca/Service_Advisories/Route_diversions/504_King_intersection.jsp

 

[drum118]

TTC is removing Front St and Wellington St stops on Bathurst St once the new platforms are ready for Niagara St. The have rebuilt the eastbound Platform of Fleet and doing the westbound at Bathurst St.

 

[JasonParis]

A few things have cemented this for me, one is the realization that building a DRL could mean the end of one of the downtown streetcar lines.

As others have stated, I'm not sure I buy this either. The DRL and the legacy streetcars do two very different things (or at least should). Currently, they are being used for both local traffic and for commuter traffic. However, the DRL would free-up them up to do more of what they should be doing. Also, the DRL in most plans doesn't run under any one streetcar route making the choice of withdrawaing streetcar services a little problematic and a likely de-grading to bus services along that portion quite unpopular.

 

[diminutive]

As others have stated, I'm not sure I buy this either. The DRL and the legacy streetcars do two very different things (or at least should). Currently, they are being used for both local traffic and for commuter traffic. However, the DRL would free-up them up to do more of what they should be doing. Also, the DRL in most plans doesn't run under any one streetcar route making the choice of withdrawaing streetcar services a little problematic and a likely de-grading to bus services along that portion quite unpopular.

If a DRL ran under or near King or Queen from the Don River to wherever it would hook North, I could understand getting rid of whichever route ran above it. The markets they serve wouldn't be THAT different.

In the long run, I'd like a plan to gradually give all of the main downtown streetcars (which don't get replaced by a DRL) some kind of exclusive ROW, more rapid stop spacing and substantial station infrastructure. These streetcars we are buying are so expensive per-unit, the idea of having them stuck in traffic just seems like a waste of resources. If we were just going to have downtown surface transit doddle along at walking speeds, we might as well have just gotten the cheapest vehicles we could (buses).