He doesn't need tweets or someone barging into One Bedford - it's making the opinion columns now:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opi...cannot-be-put-off-any-longer/article37813027/
Their office no doubt do debriefing in the morning (and Don Peat is in his team) on the day's papers. The attention isn't going away - and rest assured, the problems will not either.
AoD
I'm not sure that the 'Relief Line' is sufficient answer.
By way of background, I was caught in a shutdown a few weeks ago, due to a suicide at Victoria Park, service was being short-turned at Woodbine.
As I got off the train (full off-load).... the platform was so jammed it was hard to empty the train, and for the train to exit the station.
In the space of 15 minutes I could not successfully reach the stairs/escalator.
Still passengers were attempting to make their way down the stairs to the platform; no one had seen fit to cut-off new entrants from the street in an emergency and with a grossly over crowded situation.
The situation was both chaotic and unsafe w/people not only on the yellow strip, but literally being held by others so they wouldn't fall on the track, in front of an incoming train.
***
There needs to be a series of clear admissions, and actions.
Admission: The system, particularly in rush hour, but at many other times as well is so far over design-capacity that a single off-loaded train overwhelms station infrastructure and endangers life.
Admission: As with Ontario's hospital system, now routinely operating at close to 100% capacity, and sometimes over; there is no room whatever to deal w/accidents/emergencies or other unforeseen circumstances.
Admission: Penny pinching is fine, I love efficiency as much or more than the next person and understand well the mantra 'necessity is the mother of invention' (or efficiency); but it is also the mother of just cutting it close; too close, and depending on luck more than brilliance to save the day.
Action: Beyond relief lines a decade from now; there is a need for a mix of infrastructure investment (station expansion); proper policies for emergencies (staff, police and devices that know how to behave when a station suddenly becomes a terminal, and cut-off incoming traffic, properly manage exits/transfers, including clarity of advice to passengers).
Action: Activate the cross-overs at King, College and Summerhill on a priority basis, they already work but are set up for ATC and not the conventional signal system. Either get the ATC up or wire them to he conventional signals!
Action: Build new cross-overs on the B-D line at stations that are better able to handle high volumes. Yes, its expensive, but no, not untenable. Main is much larger than Woodbine, build a cross-over there, I'm being a tad silly, but its a few big beams, some demo and track. (actually true, just grossly over simplified).
Action: Expand critically overloaded stations. Bloor-Yonge is a massive project, but long overdue. St. George, likewise, needs at least one more set of stairs all the way up/down (there is room); and many other stations would benefit from expanded stairs/second exits/larger mezzanines and so on.
Action: Show more creativity, that overdue work train could've been parked in Lower Bay, it wasn't far, and would have left a pocket track open.
Action: Stop making excuses.