King-Victoria Transit Hub

[ijmorlan]

I remember thinking about the absurdity of having no level-entry platform at the Via station when any contractor could, in a single weekend, build something the size of a backyard deck that would provide a ramp up to at least one door of the train. Obviously not as good as a full platform, but such a significant payoff for such a trivial expenditure.

It's sadly not the straightforward. Most of our passenger platforms are on tracks that serve freight trains. The freight trains are allowed to be wider, so a platform that provided level boarding of a Via train could have freight trains collide with it. I believe that's part of why Go uses the low platforms, because they're compatible with freight loading gauges.

This could be addressed with gauntlet track, and is irrelevant for the biggest stations, which have many tracks most of which never see freight traffic.

[KevinL]

It's sadly not the straightforward. Most of our passenger platforms are on tracks that serve freight trains. The freight trains are allowed to be wider, so a platform that provided level boarding of a Via train could have freight trains collide with it. I believe that's part of why Go uses the low platforms, because they're compatible with freight loading gauges.

This could be addressed with gauntlet track, and is irrelevant for the biggest stations, which have many tracks most of which never see freight traffic.

Bramalea, for example, has freight pass on a completely separate track. Its platforms have been built with the ability to be adjusted higher at a later date.

[danbrotherston]

This could be addressed with gauntlet track, and is irrelevant for the biggest stations, which have many tracks most of which never see freight traffic.

Bramalea, for example, has freight pass on a completely separate track. Its platforms have been built with the ability to be adjusted higher at a later date.

Ha, I realized our central station has that too...I wondered why there were 3 tracks between the platform even though every passenger train stops at our main station.

Yeah, honestly if this is a reason we cannot do platforms, it's a bad one.

[bravado]

I seem to recall that some time the recent past, a French railway operator ordered a fleet of passenger equipment that didn't fit the platforms.  In very short order, all of the platforms were upgraded to fit the new stock.

Perhaps France is not the best place to look for examples of prudent public expenditure.

French transport infrastructure and procurement is probably the best in the world.

[ac3r]

The French operate our LRT. All considered, they do an okay job.