[smallspy]

That doesn't sound right to me. Sheppard operations must have started before that, as I recall being in the Bayview mall cinema earlier that fall, and you could feel the trains going every few minutes - and I knew the subway hadn't opened yet.

Sheppard started the simulated service at the beginning of September of 2002.

After a couple of days of extra training, and identification to the operators of what the goals of trial will consist of. I'm surprised they started trial operations yesterday.

The new board period started on Sunday. That means that the refresher training started for some operators started on Sunday. And for some others, yesterday. And for still more, today.

Simulated service can't start until the first group of operators have finished their refreshers.

Personally, if I was god, I'd have had everyone stay home on Sunday, and then in for a briefing on Monday, and then start later in the week. But that would probably run afoul of the Union.

Except that makes no sense. If I signed work for Tuesday to Saturday, why are you penalizing me by making me come in on days that I specifically signed to have off? What are you going to do with the people who signed for work on Sundays? Are they just going to be sitting and twiddling their thumbs for 8+ hours? How about the people who are scheduled for later in the day on Mondays?

Perhaps this is why it's best that you leave the planning of shifts to the experts.

Dan

 

[ZEBuilder]

This article from today hasn't been posted yet.

‘Open heart surgery’: Metrolinx interim CEO warns of upcoming subway construction disruption | Globalnews.ca

In his speech to the Board of Trade, Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay said while progress might seem "incremental," transit projects are moving forward.

globalnews.ca

Not really any specific news but here are the highlights:

• During a speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade Michael Lindsay, who was appointed interim CEO of Metrolinx in December, also suggested the agency is showing “humility” as it moves away from fixed-price, or P3, contracts in order to avoid painful transit construction delays similar to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
• While Lindsay didn’t directly reference the Eglinton LRT, he acknowledged that the public-private partnership model used for the Crosstown project grew to be a problem.
• “I think we came to understand that, in particular, the application of P3 models to the transit space led to overly confrontational relationships between builders and those who were owners,” Lindsay said.
• Multiple LRT projects, including the Eglinton Crosstown, Finch West LRT and Hurontario LRT, have encountered legal battles as the construction consortiums and Metrolinx battled over costs and delays.

I wouldn't necessarily say P3s are a failure, it's above all else an issue with the team running the P3 (Metrolinx). Waterloo Region's LRT was a P3 which Metrolinx had no say in which didn't have anywhere near the delays. With only the Region running the show communication was simple and straightforward without having even more stakeholders than needed (like Metrolinx P3s). The Region did do projects well before the P3 was signed (tunnel under 7/8) which certainly made things easier.

Sure Waterloo Region's LRT was delayed however it was almost entirely due to Bombardier's incompetence on delivering trains on time. Construction was completed in 2017 which was when the line was intended to open, it opened in 2019 purely because Bombardier couldn't get them trains. Certainly not all P3s are failures it's more so the people running them don't know what they're doing.

Keep in mind Waterloo Region did this while still having to pay for 1/3 of the line which larger areas like Mississauga, Hamilton and Toronto haven't had to do.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I wonder if the Crosstown (excluding the separate western expansion) is the longest railed transit project in Canadian history? The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) from Montreal to Vancouver took about four years of major construction, and about 14 years from inception to completion. As of today the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is still not open — which is over 13 years since construction began and 16 years since the project was first announced. Has any other rail transit project in Canada taken so long from beginning to completion?

I recall that the Montreal REM (Réseau express métropolitain) won't finish its connection to the airport until 2027, so that's more than 15 years since it was announced - but a good portion of the REM began operating in 2023, while the entirety of the Crosstown has yet to begin operation.

 

[nfitz]

Except that makes no sense. If I signed work for Tuesday to Saturday, why are you penalizing me by making me come in on days that I specifically signed to have off? What are you going to do with the people who signed for work on Sundays? Are they just going to be sitting and twiddling their thumbs for 8+ hours? How about the people who are scheduled for later in the day on Mondays?

Perhaps this is why it's best that you leave the planning of shifts to the experts.

That's sounds more like planning by the unions. You just work a different hours the first week. The kind of workplace flexibility that unions kill.

Though the obvious solution is that this is written into the sign-up period. Though I'm sure there's some moronic contract agreement that forbids preordained week-to-week variances in which days/hours one works.

 

[T3G]

That's sounds more like planning by the unions. You just work a different hours the first week. The kind of workplace flexibility that unions kill.

Though the obvious solution is that this is written into the sign-up period. Though I'm sure there's some moronic contract agreement that forbids preordained week-to-week variances in which days/hours one works.

I'm really not following your angle, here... why do they need this flexibility to run a simulated service with no passengers?

I'm not seeing the unions killing anything. I'm seeing that it makes no sense to change the shifts someone works one week for no other reason than to allow some managers to Stand By And Sternly Observe for the first day. As I said in a previous post, they've already been running test trains for several years now, there's just going to be more of them. If an emergency should manifest, or if they are that nosy, then the suits can rush down there ad hoc. Otherwise there would be no service outside of the 9-5 hours at all.

 

[TOtramz]

Sheppard started the simulated service at the beginning of September of 2002.


The new board period started on Sunday. That means that the refresher training started for some operators started on Sunday. And for some others, yesterday. And for still more, today.

Simulated service can't start until the first group of operators have finished their refreshers.

If somebody is supposed to come in Sunday but not Monday, do they have nonconsecutive days of training or is it consecutive?

 

[nfitz]

I'm really not following your angle, here... why do they need this flexibility to run a simulated service with no passengers?

I'm not seeing the unions killing anything. I'm seeing that it makes no sense to change the shifts someone works one week for no other reason than to allow some managers to Stand By And Sternly Observe for the first day. As I said in a previous post, they've already been running test trains for several years now, there's just going to be more of them. If an emergency should manifest, or if they are that nosy, then the suits can rush down there ad hoc. Otherwise there would be no service outside of the 9-5 hours at all.

I think we've beaten this horse to death.

My only point was that they'd be unlikely to have started trail operations last Sunday. Now that everyone has argued with me, I apologize for being wrong.

Perhaps we can change the subject, and someone can post some photos of these trial operations everyone is foaming about?

 

[JBR]

Is this forum board for Crosstown updates or for TTC operator sign-up discussions…..

 

[T3G]

Is this forum board for Crosstown updates or for TTC operator sign-up discussions…..

If you read the discussion, you would realize it's a discussion about TTC operator sign ups FOR the Crosstown.

 

[TOtramz]

Perhaps we can change the subject, and someone can post some photos of these trial operations everyone is foaming about?

Absolutely, I second this!

 

[JBR]

If you read the discussion, you would realize it's a discussion about TTC operator sign ups FOR the Crosstown.

Ya from people that don’t understand how TTC sign ups work

 

[JBR]

Sheppard started the simulated service at the beginning of September of 2002.


The new board period started on Sunday. That means that the refresher training started for some operators started on Sunday. And for some others, yesterday. And for still more, today.

Simulated service can't start until the first group of operators have finished their refreshers.


Except that makes no sense. If I signed work for Tuesday to Saturday, why are you penalizing me by making me come in on days that I specifically signed to have off? What are you going to do with the people who signed for work on Sundays? Are they just going to be sitting and twiddling their thumbs for 8+ hours? How about the people who are scheduled for later in the day on Mondays?

Perhaps this is why it's best that you leave the planning of shifts to the experts.

Dan

I agree with you

Imagine signing Wednesday Thursday off for family/home reasons (or for whatever reason really) and then being forced to work those days and have Saturday Sunday just because some people on UT said that’s better…..

 

[T3G]

Ya from people that don’t understand how TTC sign ups work

So instead of slamming a perfectly on topic discussion for being irrelevant, why don't you weigh in and correct the inaccuracies??

 

[GenerationLee]

I think we've beaten this horse to death.

My only point was that they'd be unlikely to have started trail operations last Sunday. Now that everyone has argued with me, I apologize for being wrong.

Perhaps we can change the subject, and someone can post some photos of these trial operations everyone is foaming about.

I saw two trains operating on Monday, one at day time, one closer to night (9 pmish) - this being in the Golden Mile area. It was nice to see, but the headlights are SUPER bright, it caught me off guard a little.

 

[JBR]

So instead of slamming a perfectly on topic discussion for being irrelevant, why don't you weigh in and correct the inaccuracies??

Nothing to weigh in on. TTC sign ups have been occurring like this for decades, it’s not going to change for a tiny division.