[W. K. Lis]

That time the subway had a moving sidewalk

Read More: http://www.blogto.com/city/2014/01/that_time_the_subway_had_a_moving_sidewalk/

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When the Spadina line opened in the 1970s, the long walk was made easier by a lengthy moving sidewalk that simultaneously delighted and enraged subway users. It was one of the most interesting features of the subway system - and a hell of a lot of fun for kids - but it was also expensive to maintain, prone to break down, and ultimately went the way of the Dodo in 2004 when the TTC decided that it just wasn't worth the money to keep.

- When the Spadina Extension was built in 1978, the current north/south platforms were initially designed to be a separate station altogether, one which would go by the name Lowther, after the street which runs immediately to the south of the station. In the end, the TTC had a change of heart and decided to build the 150 metre long walkway to link the two stations under the the same designation. There are a couple of reasons why they did this. Aside from the obvious savings on staffing costs (the north/portion of Spadina Station does not feature a fare collector), Transit Toronto explains that concerns about the financial viability of the University Line might have played a role.

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Probably, a non-transit user considered those as a waste of money and had them removed, instead of replacing them. Personally, I would have split them, so that in case of breakdown, just maybe half would be out of service.

 

[drum118]

They did this in Monte Carlo with 2 sections of them, plus corridors at each end.

Depending on the stations in Europe that have similar setup, it was faster to walk than ride it.

Spadina was short compare to Europe stations

 

[M II A II R II K]

But those European stations are probably more heavily trafficked to justify operating a walkway.

Too bad they didn't just continue the streetcar down that corridor to have an extra stop at the other Spadina station.

 

[innsertnamehere]

most european transfers of that distance are the only way to make the transfer, unlike for Spadina where there is a much easier transfer 1 stop away.

 

[W. K. Lis]

That walkway is boring with the same old, same old tile work on both sides. Why don't they at least put a colourful mural along one side? Street scenes? Park trails? Beach?

 

[Johnny Au]

That walkway is boring with the same old, same old tile work on both sides. Why don't they at least put a colourful mural along one side? Street scenes? Park trails? Beach?

Psst...

Advertisers would get hold of your idea.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Psst...

Advertisers would get hold of your idea.

Instead of murals, so we'll get billboards because it'll make mony? Groan. I don't want to see an ad for Deco Labels.

Compromise. Billboards at the ends of the walkway, no billboards between them.

 

[drum118]

Has anyone being following the re-paneling of St Andrew??

I was sure when I saw the station either the end of Nov or early Dec, it was the same as past year.

Today, it is 100% re-panel as proposed and doesn't look that bad.

On another note, in all my years getting the first train west from Islington, never had to do a crew change until today. We lost 5 minutes at Jane Station doing a crew change of all thing so early in service. Again TTC saying crews are more important so they don't have to pay overtime to them and hell to riders. That 5 minute caused me to loose 20 minutes as I started to miss connections and had to wait tell the vehicle came along on my first trip.

Looks like slow order for the Jane crossover is in effect again, as we travel slow both direction.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Why does the TTC implement slow orders? Is it because track conditions aren't safe enough for full speed travel?

 

[smallspy]

Why does the TTC implement slow orders? Is it because track conditions aren't safe enough for full speed travel?

In some situations that can be the case, although if it is a safety issue than it gets repaired right away, rather than hanging around for a couple of days or weeks. In the vast majority of cases, the reason is that the vibrations created by a train are different (and more damaging) at full-speed than at a crawl.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[drum118]

In some situations that can be the case, although if it is a safety issue than it gets repaired right away, rather than hanging around for a couple of days or weeks. In the vast majority of cases, the reason is that the vibrations created by a train are different (and more damaging) at full-speed than at a crawl.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

The switches were replaced last year and the vibrations issue was supposed to be fix during the various line shut down last year.

Are these issues still there or something new?

Some slow orders have been around for months or years due to lack of funds to deal with it, waiting for items to arrived or coming up with a plan that will require the area to be closed for a weekend or a week. Closing the line require buses and manpower that take a lot of planning.

One only has to look how long it took to fix the Keele and the switch issues.

 

[innsertnamehere]

The slow order around davisville has been there for years because of the declining quality of the track bed.

 

[drum118]

The slow order around davisville has been there for years because of the declining quality of the track bed.

Very true and we are looking a week plus shut down this year to deal with it.

Once the line/system is ATC, then you only need to take one line out of service at a time to deal with issues like this. Would still cause travel problems, but not like it going to be until then.

 

[smallspy]

The switches were replaced last year and the vibrations issue was supposed to be fix during the various line shut down last year.

Are these issues still there or something new?

Some slow orders have been around for months or years due to lack of funds to deal with it, waiting for items to arrived or coming up with a plan that will require the area to be closed for a weekend or a week. Closing the line require buses and manpower that take a lot of planning.

One only has to look how long it took to fix the Keele and the switch issues.

You're going to have to be only slightly more specific if you want an answer for a particular location.

In the case of some slow orders - such as the one north of Davisville - the slow order likely won't be going away until they rebuild the track bed and do something about the problem. But running slower helps prevent the deterioration of the current track bed.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[M II A II R II K]

[video=youtube;8ezLs-thjQo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ezLs-thjQo[/video]