News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 02, 2020
A Message to Our Readers
 11K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
EarthCam Time-Lapse Documents Rafael Viñoly-Designed New Stanford Hospital Construction
 43K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
Resort Town
 6.9K     0 
jmi22 said:

A CLRV running along Bathurst Street crosses two switches at Queen and Bathurst going at least 25km per hour in 2017. The incessant failure we are dealt here is not typical, and was in fact not even the norm just a decade ago.

I can't find a video of it, but the CLRVs accelerating quickly through the switches at Lakeshore and Kipling and causing the trolley pole to jump off it's guide for a moment releasing a bright spark is seared into my brain, so either I've gone crazy or streetcars crossing switches going 25km/ph and up was the norm for a long time.
Click to expand...
Nitpick - the line was closed for much of 2017 for reconstruction. That video was shot in 2014 or earlier, as they'd already had rules about passing through the signalized intersections at reduced speed in 2015.

The stop-and-stay rule at switches came into effect well over 20 years ago, so your memories are even older than that.

Dan
 
jmi22 said:

A CLRV running along Bathurst Street crosses two switches at Queen and Bathurst going at least 25km per hour in 2017. The incessant failure we are dealt here is not typical, and was in fact not even the norm just a decade ago.

I can't find a video of it, but the CLRVs accelerating quickly through the switches at Lakeshore and Kipling and causing the trolley pole to jump off it's guide for a moment releasing a bright spark is seared into my brain, so either I've gone crazy or streetcars crossing switches going 25km/ph and up was the norm for a long time.
Click to expand...
I was going to say that I remember a fair bit of consternation on this board when the TTC implemented the slow zones through intersections.

I also seem to recall discussions probably about a decade ago now on Steve Munro's blog about the TTC planning for upgrades to their switches to eliminate the need to stop before proceeding.. clearly nothing came of that.
 
smallspy said:
Nitpick - the line was closed for much of 2017 for reconstruction. That video was shot in 2014 or earlier, as they'd already had rules about passing through the signalized intersections at reduced speed in 2015.

The stop-and-stay rule at switches came into effect well over 20 years ago, so your memories are even older than that.

Dan
Click to expand...
Thank you for the correction, I just assumed the posting date was also the recording date.

But seeing as I was just a twinkle in my mothers eye well over 20 years ago, I think we may have had some rule breaking by operators (to the benefit of passengers). The 507/Lakeshore route has always been the fastest in the city, and I still routinely see operators treat the stop-and-stay rule + slowing at switches with a little laxness, so I think it may just have been a case of that. The right of way is the widest on the streetcar network, so I think operators were just naturally moving faster.
 
Steve X said:
ML should just revoke TTC's operating agreement and get someone with standard practices to operate it. These operating rules are absurd.
Click to expand...
What rules are you referring to? Obviously not the temporary limits during commissioning and testing.
 
The TTC is forced to operate its streetcar network at a glacial pace because of underfunding. As mentioned elsewhere, Toronto has the slowest tram/streetcar network in the world, because of its tracks, switches, and "safety" rules. Line 5 and Line 6's tracks and switches should be up-to-date, however, may be micromanaged for "safety" concerns that the TTC uses for its streetcar network.
 
Monarch Butterfly said:
As mentioned elsewhere, Toronto has the slowest tram/streetcar network in the world ...
Click to expand...
As mentioned before, it doesn't have the slowest. It was only compared to faster systems, with less stops, less traffic signals, with many (most) with a lot more dedicated right-of-way. Massively cherry-picked.
 
Last edited:
Monarch Butterfly said:
The TTC is forced to operate its streetcar network at a glacial pace because of underfunding. As mentioned elsewhere, Toronto has the slowest tram/streetcar network in the world, because of its tracks, switches, and "safety" rules. Line 5 and Line 6's tracks and switches should be up-to-date, however, may be micromanaged for "safety" concerns that the TTC uses for its streetcar network.
Click to expand...
Why would the TTC operate the LRTs in a similar manner as the streetcars? People who defended the LRT projects insisted that LRTs are not glorified streetcars. Someone should probably remind the TTC?
 
Monarch Butterfly said:
The TTC is forced to operate its streetcar network at a glacial pace because of underfunding. As mentioned elsewhere, Toronto has the slowest tram/streetcar network in the world, because of its tracks, switches, and "safety" rules. Line 5 and Line 6's tracks and switches should be up-to-date, however, may be micromanaged for "safety" concerns that the TTC uses for its streetcar network.
Click to expand...
No, they are not "forced" to do anything.

The TTC's safety conventions are the product of their own paranoia.
 
T3G said:
No, they are not "forced" to do anything.

The TTC's safety conventions are the product of their own paranoia.
Click to expand...
Actually because of the lack of funding to operate at a good service speed. Because of the lack of funding, they have to operate at the safe speed under the conditions provided.
 
Monarch Butterfly said:
Actually because of the lack of funding to operate at a good service speed. Because of the lack of funding, they have to operate at the safe speed under the conditions provided.
Click to expand...
Can you explain what specifically is being underfunded, whose inclusion would allow the TTC to relax a bit with safety stipulations? The only possible answer I can think of to this question is the absence of signals that show which direction the track is set in, though their inclusion in no way would guarantee an option to speed up, since they can also malfunction or just be wrong. The rest of it is all just the TTC's own paranoia. And how is underfunding a relevant argument in the case of a brand new transit line that hasn't even been opened yet?
 
T3G said:
The rest of it is all just the TTC's own paranoia.
Click to expand...
Yep, it's a culture of defaulting to safe failure instead of trying anything with any kind of risk, no matter the upsides it would bring. Endemic to our entire public service unfortunately.

And I know from an insurance perspective this is unserious, but I would rather a lifetime of fast streetcars with a few crashes here and there, then a lifetime of crawling streetcars (that I would realistically abandon for a car when opportune)
 
Monarch Butterfly said:
Read Steve Munro's article dated April 15, 2025 "TTC Major Projects Update and Funding Shortfalls" at https://stevemunro.ca/2025/04/15/ttc-major-projects-update-and-funding-shortfalls/ as a start. Especially with the feeder buses to both Line 5 and Line 6.
Click to expand...
This is the capital budget. I don't see anything in here referring to the Finch LRT - and I struggle to think what there would be, given that Metrolinx is doing the capital works.

Feeder bus lines? Surely those are being reduced over the current situation, with shorter routes, and far less service on Finch itself. There's no shortage of buses anyhow.

Is there a particular project related to the Finch LRT that you are thinking about?
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top