[steveintoronto]

NYTimes features this on their opening page tonight:

What’s Next for the New York Subway? Toronto Already Knows
By EMMA G. FITZSIMMONSAUG. 22, 2016

Photo

Riders on a so-called open gangway train in Toronto this month. The spacious cars were introduced nearly five years ago. Credit J. Adam Huggins for The New York Times
TORONTO — Step on board, and the subway car immediately feels different.

With a clear view down the length of the train, commuters walk from car to car searching for a less crowded spot to stand. Others gather in the accordion-style passageway between cars, an area once separated by doors.

Nearly five years after Canada’s largest city introduced the spacious new cars, subway riders here — usually quick to find fault with the transit system — have given the trains a ringing endorsement.

“You can fit more people, especially during rush hour,” said Louis Molnar, 43, an accountant who stood in the shifting connector between two cars on a recent evening. “In the past, sometimes you’d have to wait for the next car, and this makes it so much better.”

Now, officials in New York City are embracing the car design to create more breathing room for subway riders as the system struggles with booming ridership and increasingly overstuffed trains.

The new subway trains, which could start to appear in New York by 2020 or earlier, do not have doors between cars, creating up to 10 percent more space. These so-called open gangway trains are common in cities like London and Shanghai, but subway systems in the United States have not adopted them.

Not far from New York on the other side of Lake Ontario, the trains have become popular in Toronto, a city that is also grappling with a growing population and an overtaxed transit system. Some riders even enjoy standing in the bouncing connector, comparing it to surfing or skateboarding.

“It’s just kind of fun,” Chantal Wall, 33, a stylist, said as she balanced on a connector in heels. “It makes it a little bit more interesting. I feel like I get a little bit of a workout.”
[...]

Continue reading the main story

 

[salsa]

Trudeau will give $500 M for TTC state of good repair projects, including AODA funding. Details:

https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2016/08/23/ttc-gets-500m-boost-from-ottawa.html

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Ironic the Feds are paying for the unsexy stuff while the two other levels of government go OD on new builds - with one going as far as cutting op budget to pay for it.

AoD

 

[BurlOak]

Trudeau will give $500 M for TTC state of good repair projects, including AODA funding. Details:

https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2016/08/23/ttc-gets-500m-boost-from-ottawa.html

Didn't the Liberals announce a few months ago that they were giving about this amount for operation, etc? Is this another $500M, or is it a re-announcement?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Didn't the Liberals announce a few months ago that they were giving about this amount for operation, etc? Is this another $500M, or is it a re-announcement?

Reannouncement - as part of the 800 or so.

AoD

 

[Northern Light]

Reannouncement - as part of the 800 or so.

AoD

We all know politicians have long wanted to take credit for everything they do, that's any good, at least twice, when they start it (sod turning) and when they finish it, (ribbon cutting).

This relatively new phenomenon of taking credit for something a minimum of five times, no less than three prior to starting work, at least one more prior to being done..............needs a name....

I humbly put foward the new verb DelDuca'ing.

To Delduca: To act in a manner consistent with Steven Del Duca, specifically to announce an intention to announce something, followed by actually announcing it, then announcing that you have announced it; usually followed by an announcement that you are doing what you announced; and completed by an announcement that you did what you announced.

* may include some additional announcements.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

We all know politicians have long wanted to take credit for everything they do, that's any good, at least twice, when they start it (sod turning) and when they finish it, (ribbon cutting).

This relatively new phenomenon of taking credit for something a minimum of five times, no less than three prior to starting work, at least one more prior to being done..............needs a name....

I humbly put foward the new verb DelDuca'ing.

To Delduca: To act in a manner consistent with Steven Del Duca, specifically to announce an intention to announce something, followed by actually announcing it, then announcing that you have announced it; usually followed by an announcement that you are doing what you announced; and completed by an announcement that you did what you announced.

* may include some additional announcements.

To be honest, it went before his time - just think how many times the funding for TYSSE was announced and re-announced (and best of all, nothing was done during the time when they were doing the announcing).

AoD

 

[Northern Light]

To be honest, it went before his time - just think how many times the funding for TYSSE was announced and re-announced (and best of all, nothing was done during the time when they were doing the announcing).

AoD

It may well not be an entirely new thing.........

But I must admit, I don't remember a transport minister whose ever had this many pressers, so many, for remarkably small things.

 

[DKsan]

Here's a list of specifically where money is going. TTC gets the bulk of it, with Ottawa second, and then Sudbury, Barrie, and Waterloo Region sharing the rest.

 

[Northern Light]

Here's a list of specifically where money is going. TTC gets the bulk of it, with Ottawa second, and then Sudbury, Barrie, and Waterloo Region sharing the rest.

Ty DK, great post.

I've skimmed the list............some really good stuff in here that can populate several threads.

Bikeshare, further expansion to 50 TTC stations.

Several major cycling projects, the East Don Trail extension, bike lanes for a segment of Eglinton Avenue East; dedicated trail/cycle track for Dufferin North and Midland, amongst several others.

Pedestrians get funds for missing sidewalk links, right-hand turn channel removals, streetscape along Eglinton (Eglinton Connects)

The Railpath expansion is in there.

TTC I only see funds for one or two elevator projects.......but I might have missed something

Transit planning gets funds to plan the Eglinton East and West LRTs; as well as the DRL; also money showing up to begin work on the Finch West LRT.

GO's Davenport project gets a modest contribution as well.

And much more.

 

[Miscreant]

Here's a list of specifically where money is going. TTC gets the bulk of it, with Ottawa second, and then Sudbury, Barrie, and Waterloo Region sharing the rest.

That list is amazing. It's a feast. Pretty exciting.

 

[crs1026]

Looking at the list of projects, it's clear that a huge proportion of the funding will go to SOGR for the TTC.

I don't know if that's a good thing, or a bad thing. (I know, I'm kind of looking the gift horse in the mouth, but.....)

I can buy this approach if it evolves into a more formulaic and ongoing support from Ottawa to local transit. In that case, I'm sure that Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, and a lot of other cities will look for parity. As their systems age, the need to reinvest will emerge there also.

On the other hand, if this is just a political moment of opportunity, it rewards those at Queens Park and Toronto City Hall who have not owned up to the need to keep our transit system in good operating condition. Everyone gets on the gravy train when there is new capital spending.....but are we accepting the onus to maintain these for the longer term?

It's money well spent, and I'm trusting Mr Byford will accept every penny that Mr Trudeau sends him.... I just wonder if we are gaining any ground here, or just greasing an already slippery slope.


- Paul

 

[crs1026]

To Delduca: To act in a manner consistent with Steven Del Duca, specifically to announce an intention to announce something, followed by actually announcing it, then announcing that you have announced it; usually followed by an announcement that you are doing what you announced; and completed by an announcement that you did what you announced.
* may include some additional announcements.

The gerund of this verb is Delducation, which expresses only the announcement of something and not the actual execution or completion of the intended something. The actual execution and completion requires use of a future tense, as it is consistently future-based and is logically inconsistent with the present tense.

The verb "To Delduca" is only used in the subjunctive tense. See https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-subjunctive.htm :

The subjunctive is a special, relatively rare verb form in English that expresses something desired or imagined.

We use the subjunctive mainly when talking about events that are not certain to happen. For example, we use the subjunctive when talking about events that somebody:

• wants to happen
• anticipates will happen
• imagines happening

- Paul

 

[DSC]

Looking at the list of projects, it's clear that a huge proportion of the funding will go to SOGR for the TTC.

Since this round of $$ is specifically for SOGR kinds of projects (and they needed to be ready to go too) this is hardly surprising and seems like a VERY good thing to me.

One can quibble about what's there or not there but overall it is a great deal of money to do a lot of much needed things. The next phase of this infrastructure program (2017 or 2108) is for expansion projects.

 

[interchange42]

Here's our front page story on this. It includes the list of items which you've already discovered, and summarizes the initiatives as well. Very heartening.

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