Toronto transit projects

[KevinL]

I also trust that the legal teams at the Zoo and City have made sure the agreement has clauses relating to such impacts; anything detrimental to the zoo's functioning or to public safety would be clearly verboten.

[MacBerry]

It's clear the Presto installation on the TTC has been a failure on multiple fronts.

There are several types of Presto machines deployed throughout Toronto’s transit network. Under the terms of the agreement between the TTC and Metrolinx, the provincial agency is to ensure the devices have reliability rates of 99.9 per cent.

According to the briefing note, the reliability of 5,000 fare card readers, which are installed on TTC buses and streetcars and allow customers to pay their fare with a tap of a Presto card, had been improving earlier this year. But between June and August it declined, and over the past five months 2 to 3 per cent of readers have typically not been in service.

The reliability of other types of machines is far worse. Of the 180 Presto fare vending devices installed at subway station entrances, 10 per cent have not been fully functional at any given time, meaning some customers were unable to complete transactions such as purchasing a new card or loading funds.

Metrolinx’s new #Presto iPhone and Android app now available in beta

Unfortunately NFC trip payment isn't included in Presto's #Android app yet

https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/12/13/metro...droid-app/

The app is designed for Presto card users in the greater Toronto area, as well as Hamilton and Ottawa, Ontario. It allows users to quickly view, manage and load their transit card on the go directly from their smartphone.

Adding funds to the app is easy, money can be loaded in increments of $10, $20, $50 or a custom amount.

[Canard]

The Kitchener GO line goes right by the Eglinton Crosstown's MSF. It's really coming along! I only caught a quick glimpse (before I realized what I was looking at), but it looks like all the main buildings are up, yard track in, and caternay installed, too.

(As a side commentary, I would propose that only now is Metrolinx actually able and ready to take delivery of vehicles, for all their bellyaching about the delivery schedule.)

[ijmorlan]

The Kitchener GO line goes right by the Eglinton Crosstown's MSF.  It's really coming along!  I only caught a quick glimpse (before I realized what I was looking at), but it looks like all the main buildings are up, yard track in, and caternay installed, too.

(As a side commentary, I would propose that only now is Metrolinx actually able and ready to take delivery of vehicles, for all their bellyaching about the delivery schedule.)

Good to hear! It would be interesting to know how things would have turned out if Bombardier had not had its problems. Would Metrolinx have gotten their act together, without the ability to hide behind somebody else’s delays? Or would we still be on the same schedule, just with Bombardier fully in the clear?

[KevinL]

[bgb_ca]

So they finally took delivery of one? Is this one of the prototypes or another one?

[Canard]

No, it is not one of the pilots.  It is a new vehicle.

   

[KevinL]

Very weird to see a non-rail delivery!

[ijmorlan]

Very weird to see a non-rail delivery!

That’s a pretty impressive trailer. Must have been quite a sight travelling down the 401!

I’m guessing the delivery spur isn’t ready yet. I know they installed (or re-instated, not sure) a delivery spur at Hillcrest for delivering the new streetcars, and I believe the Eglinton OMSF is supposed to have a delivery spur. So I think most of the vehicles will be delivered by rail.

[Canard]

For us, maybe. For everywhere else in the world, this is completely normal. We are the abnormality in this method of delivery.



https://www.youtube.com/results?search_q...m+delivery

[Canard]

[ijmorlan]

For us, maybe. For everywhere else in the world, this is completely normal. We are the abnormality in this method of delivery.

Any idea why? I would have thought that in places where trains are more prevalent it would be more, not less, likely for an LRT system to be convenient to a railway line.

[KevinL]

You don't just want the system convenient, but its facility. If there's 5km of LRT track between the heavy rail line and the OMSF, that's a tricky tow.

[ijmorlan]

You don't just want the system convenient, but its facility. If there's 5km of LRT track between the heavy rail line and the OMSF, that's a tricky tow.

That is a good point to some extent, but given that LRVs can tow each other it doesn’t seem like that big a problem. How is it different from an LRV being disabled during normal operation near the offloading point? Also remember that some systems seem to be able to pretty much drive the vehicles off the delivery flatcar — our approach of treating them as cargo for a time is not universal.

[drum118]

Its cheaper to not only ship Metrolinx cars by truck, but also faster.

CN has to pickup the flat in Kingston to take it where it put onto a train to Toronto. It then is taken from CN Toronto yard to CP Lambton yard, to be turn over to CP. CP picks up the car and take it to Agincourt Yard. It then put on a local switcher to be delivery to Metrolinx yard. This is what took place for TTC 4572 in Dec and it took 11 days for this to be done. It cost money to interchange cars. It takes only a day to ship by truck.

As far as I know since it can't be seen first hand, CP MacTier sub is on detour due to a new bridge for it being built over Eglinton using Metrolinx connection south of Black Creek that is used by CN to get to CP Lambton yard. Until the tracks are place on the new bridge, the track to Metrolinx yard can't be used at this time.

As for being ship by truck in Europe. it has to due to tunnels width & height, curves and track gauge, as well where it going. Huge different between Europe and NA how freight trains operate. The longest freight train I saw was 40 cars that were about 40' long. Not every country operates on the same gauge to the point wheels have to be regauge or loads transfer to another car. My passenger train from France to Spain had to change gauge at the boarder as well between other counties. Number of countries are moving to standard gauge between various parts of Europe so trains don't do what they have being doing in the past as well being fast. Most freight trains run at 100-150 km, either electric or diesel. Lots of videos on youtube showing LRV's being ship by truck at have issues as will during the trip.

Most of the new LRV's in US are 66-70' long that can fit on a lowboy flat deck that use a small ramp like ION.