[nfitz]

@nfitz - based on these new comments saying January 2026, are we all still off by months? or is 2025 opening lock forsure?

TTC certainly looks to be playing some jurisdictional shenanigans, that's for sure.

I still think it will open before 2026, despite TTC. And suggestions that they wouldn't open it in the winter are unfounded.

In the private construction business any needless idling like this is money and time wasted.

The construction work IS private on this line.

You don't know why they are waiting. For some piece of equipment to arrive? Or perhaps a train, so they can observe something about how it relates to the platform? Or perhaps even they are travelling somewhere on the train.

I really don't see the need to scapegoat the workers here.

 

[cplchanb]

TTC certainly looks to be playing some jurisdictional shenanigans, that's for sure.

I still think it will open before 2026, despite TTC. And suggestions that they wouldn't open it in the winter are unfounded.

The construction work IS private on this line.

paid for by the public purse. they can claim whatever time they want and our taxes will pay for it.

You don't know why they are waiting. For some piece of equipment to arrive? Or perhaps a train, so they can observe something about how it relates to the platform? Or perhaps even they are travelling somewhere on the train.

I really don't see the need to scapegoat the workers here.

im not scapegoating the workers. its managment and supervision. its just like the whole 5 people watch 1 person dig. its inefficiency. if they need to sit and wait for something to arrive thats indicative of poor scheduling. times that by each site required and that can easily add up to days and weeks.

 

[TOtramz]

TTC certainly looks to be playing some jurisdictional shenanigans, that's for sure.

I still think it will open before 2026, despite TTC. And suggestions that they wouldn't open it in the winter are unfounded.

The construction work IS private on this line.

You don't know why they are waiting. For some piece of equipment to arrive? Or perhaps a train, so they can observe something about how it relates to the platform? Or perhaps even they are travelling somewhere on the train.

I really don't see the need to scapegoat the workers here.

Honestly asking, do you have access to non-public information that counters the narrative that the TTC is purposefully adding delays forcing a later opening?

 

[cplchanb]

What an absolutely unnecessary list of assumptions from someone who has no idea what is going on.

My only related comment is that public workers really need to be out of sight when they're not working/on break/waiting for something or someone because the uneducated public will take a photo and use it as clickbait to make ghastly presumptuous comments about an entire infrastructure project. Ridiculous.

i have worked around private sector and high rise construction sites long enough to see that in those sites, there are hardly anyone sitting around like that at 9am . they are always doing something concurrent. theres a reason why they are building 80S buildings faster than a few stations. if they are sitting there thats either they are not given any tasks to do
or something is seriously delayed. this isnt the first station with workers like this as well. so its a trend.

 

[ThenWhat]

We have some insiders on this forum, can they answer this? Is it in anybody's personal interest to open Line 5 earlier rather than later? When I write anybody, I don't mean you and me, I mean those who have to make it happen. If it opens early (or if it had opened earlier), would somebody get salary increase, bonuses, promotion, awards to put on their resume? Conversely, if it opens way late, will anybody be fired, demoted, or bear some other consequences?

 

[generalcanada]

Just a note about the "public funding" part of this. As far as im aware this "fixed price" contract has not had any extra budget increases except for the ones publicly sued for, that being covid, the ttc, and bad geotechnical drawings.
There is no extra money going in past the fully publicized price a decade ago.

Now this is also a reason why the "soft costs" of projects are sky high

 

[jordanmkasla2009]

im not scapegoating the workers. its managment and supervision. its just like the whole 5 people watch 1 person dig. its inefficiency. if they need to sit and wait for something to arrive thats indicative of poor scheduling. times that by each site required and that can easily add up to days and weeks.

It's very rich for you to assume that the 5 people watching weren't doing something before you went by and saw them, perhaps in the moments before you saw them standing there they had been doing real work digging the hole and now it's down to the more sensitive part of the work where you don't want 6 shovels in the ground lest someone damage something. As for it being "inefficient"', there's a very real reason why they don't get moved somewhere else and that reason was paid for in blood by workers who lost their lives because there was nobody around to help.

 

[nfitz]

... paid for by the public purse. they can claim whatever time they want and our taxes will pay for it.

That's not how it works. On Finch in particular I've heard multiple non-public stories of contractors being screwed over by Mosaic Transit Group not paying their bills, and losing money on work. You only have to go into the court records to see an astounding number of financial claims against Crosslinx and Mosaic.

More often than not when I walk past a TTC crew (not a contractor) doing track construction, they are working hard. Often in dreadful heat.

Honestly asking, do you have access to non-public information that counters the narrative that the TTC is purposefully adding delays forcing a later opening?

No - but there's been discussion here from reliable sources that there's been grumblings from Crosslinx about TTC being overly finicky. Though part of the problem is that it seems TTC wasn't engaged by Crosslinx earlier in the process.

 

[17_Bean_17]

i have worked around private sector and high rise construction sites long enough to see that in those sites, there are hardly anyone sitting around like that at 9am . they are always doing something concurrent. theres a reason why they are building 80S buildings faster than a few stations. if they are sitting there thats either they are not given any tasks to do
or something is seriously delayed. this isnt the first station with workers like this as well. so its a trend.

As fair as it is to be frustrated that the project is not open, and does not have a planned opening date - it is presumptuous and a bit ignorant to assume that inefficient workers are the reason towers are being completed and transit isn't. There are vastly greater levels of engineering, construction, and stakeholder complexity for a transit line when compared to a condo tower - especially the ~100-200 meter towers which the entire Toronto construction and permitting landscape has evolved to facilitate.

Maybe you would be better suited directing these feelings towards your former colleagues, as Toronto has as many completed 80S buildings as it does Eglinton Crosstowns.

 

[Mind_the_gap]

We suck when we can't even figure transit signals out...

Thought I'd start out with a beautiful photo of a "loop detector"/Induction loop (Wiki):

(Helsinki)

If Lines 5/6 were meant to be anything other than streetcar lines in the open sections, we should've had four-aspect transit signals...

Finland adapted the Germans:

F4

This is only where full priority exists, eg. how Toronto intersections are fully signalized.

Operators are given the ball to provide eight-seconds notice that they've been acknowledged, before the five-second red-yellow phase. They're provided with ~13-seconds notice to adjust their speed before the signal changes to green.

Otherwise you have these, when conflicting interactions are given a cautionary yield.

F5

They are usually accompanied by these:

At roundabouts;

At right-turns - Left-turns are always protected.

Good video (in German)

 

[mrgrieves]

paid for by the public purse. they can claim whatever time they want and our taxes will pay for it.


im not scapegoating the workers. its managment and supervision. its just like the whole 5 people watch 1 person dig. its inefficiency. if they need to sit and wait for something to arrive thats indicative of poor scheduling. times that by each site required and that can easily add up to days and weeks.

construction cost overruns are assumed by the contractors. they're losing a lot of money on this. maybe their financial reports say something about it.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Most transit vehicles (buses, streetcars, light rail vehicles, and metro) can use GPS. If they included it in the order, turned it on, and actually use it and know how to use it. No need for loop detection.

Similar to the AirTag used on luggage by airplane travellers to track their luggage.

 

[MegaSea]

DF 's gov still haven't delivered any public transit project, etc Line 5/6, Ontario Line, ECW, SSE, YNS, Line 10, GO Expansion

 

[nfitz]

DF 's gov still haven't delivered any public transit project, etc Line 5/6, Ontario Line, ECW, SSE, YNS, Line 10, GO Expansion

Given the past history, and especially the failures under the Liberals, I'd say digging is as good as delivery.

Keep in mind that Line 5, 6, 10, and GO Expansion were all Liberal projects.

 

[Jago88]

I was walking by Mount Dennis station last night and they have some new video boards for next train arrival times that are up at both entrances now that say:

Kitchener Line - x Minutes
UP Express - x Minutes
Eglinton Line -x Minutes

They look pretty good and very handy. I got a picture but it was through a fence and it didn't turn out well so I won't bother posting it.

As an aside, I was there at 9:20pm and I could still see a few people working inside in the platform area. Oh, and some more of the digital advertising boards on the platform were fully functioning too