[nfitz]

You can’t tell people what to do but if they take the risk and get hurt, they can’t blame the city as they can’t decode the meaning of the sign.

What's the risk here, on the grass (actually a well-worn dirt trail) for one longish block with no driveways, between two intersections with pedestrian crossings?

It looks like a bizarre hang-over from decades ago.

 

[TOtramz]

looks like there are a lot of trains in storage so they must be trying to do a maintenance push before starting revenue demonstration?

 

[6ixGod]

I’m surprised why nobody has tried this yet on Line 5….I mean why not.

 

[zang]

Cars gotta have a few faster alternatives in and out the city. There is already very congested and urbanized roads with very low speed limits.

Just because someone *can* go faster, doesn't mean they have the right to go faster.

We spent 80 years widening lanes, building highways and parking lots to service drivers to the city. When there's construction, transit and cycling are always the ones to get turfed from the route before cars (take a trip along Harbord these days). Hell, we even removed whole sidewalks in the core in the name of cars. Making things faster and easier for cars only exacerbates the problems that cars create. It is a sheer volume-of-traffic problem. We know this. It's well studied and proven. We can't keep pretending that if we make something easy for cars it won't just add to the problem. If people have no other routes, they will take cars.

If they keep doing this to every road, it’ll be like Paris or London without a good transit system.

Bike lanes and pedestrian routes are also good transit.

Edit: I will also add that London has congestion charges, and Paris has been cracking down on cars hard. It isn't just about lacking enough transit.

 

[kev1n1m]

So someone on Reddit just posted, "When the system opens this year, the first part of the line will already be 15 years old."

That's kind of wild to think about. Like imagine taking delivery of your new car and it's already 15 years old. Or imagine moving into a new construction condo but it's already been sitting there for 15 years.

First of all, is this an accurate thing to say? And second of all where would this 'first part' be?

He further implies that because of this the line will need to begin immediate repairs nearly as soon as it opens. Like your car needing its first major service the moment you take delivery. Or your brand new house needing a new roof as soon as you move in.

Except none of that is true. It's been 15 years since the line started construction, not since the first parts of the line were finished. I don't know when the first track was laid, but it certainly wasn't 15 years ago. I'm guessing it wasn't even 10 years ago. Every line is going to have portions of infrastructure that have to sit vacant for some period of time. Most wear and tear will come from steady constant use. So yes some parts of the line will have to undergo maintenance earlier than expected because of the delays, but that reddit post you're referencing is sensational BS with no basis in reality.

 

[MisterF]

Yes, we need more overall pedestrian and cyclist paths, but I think you're missing the point that unsafe infrastructure is worse than no infrastructure. At least the latter doesn't give a false sense of security. This intersection was more than capable of having proper, safe infrastructure, at likely zero difference in cost of what was actually put it. I'm sure somewhere a calculation was made that 0.6 seconds would be saved for drivers if protected bike/pedestrian crossings were put in and priority (as always) was given to cars. We know how to make dutch junctions (we even have at least one, see Bloor & St. George), yet always default to older, less safe crossings.

Untrue. Protected intersections (fully or partially) are a standard part of new bike lane designs. Quite a few have now been built, including along in the Port Lands and on University, Sheppard, and the Finch hydro trail to name a few. Eglinton was designed before protected intersections were incorporated into designs so that's why it doesn't have them. "Couldn't be bothered" is not an accurate description at all.

You can’t tell people what to do but if they take the risk and get hurt, they can’t blame the city as they can’t decode the meaning of the sign.

I don’t support urbanizing every road in the city. Cars gotta have a few faster alternatives in and out the city. There is already very congested and urbanized roads with very low speed limits. If they keep doing this to every road, it’ll be like Paris or London without a good transit system.

If the problem is a lack of good transit then the solution is to build good transit. Which is happening, just very slowly.

 

[duffo]

Except none of that is true. It's been 15 years since the line started construction, not since the first parts of the line were finished. I don't know when the first track was laid, but it certainly wasn't 15 years ago. I'm guessing it wasn't even 10 years ago. Every line is going to have portions of infrastructure that have to sit vacant for some period of time. Most wear and tear will come from steady constant use. So yes some parts of the line will have to undergo maintenance earlier than expected because of the delays, but that reddit post you're referencing is sensational BS with no basis in reality.

15 years, no, but I got a tour of the completed Mt Dennis OMSF and one of the LRVs nearly 8 years ago - I can imagine a non-trivial amount of maintenance is required over that period, even if the system is not fully operational.

 

[TOtramz]

15 years, no, but I got a tour of the completed Mt Dennis OMSF and one of the LRVs nearly 8 years ago - I can imagine a non-trivial amount of maintenance is required over that period, even if the system is not fully operational.

Even so, I really wished they had just done the necessary repairs accrued over all these years during the signals related shutdown 6 months ago rather than right before revenue demonstration!

 

[zang]

Untrue. Protected intersections (fully or partially) are a standard part of new bike lane designs. Quite a few have now been built, including along in the Port Lands and on University, Sheppard, and the Finch hydro trail to name a few. Eglinton was designed before protected intersections were incorporated into designs so that's why it doesn't have them. "Couldn't be bothered" is not an accurate description at all.

So is this just Metrolinx defaulting to what was planned 15 years ago rather than what's been in the city's plans since at least 2023?

If the problem is a lack of good transit then the solution is to build good transit. Which is happening, just very slowly.

Yes, but we also have a premier gunning to dismantle things that stand in the way of cars, so are we actually progressing? $5 says he wants Toronto to remove streetcars on King & Queen once the Ontario Line is finished.

 

[urbanclient]

Extremely surprised noone has mentioned this today or over the last few days. Today, July 28th is exactly 90 days from October 26, 2025, the start of the TTC board period exactly 42 days after the September 14, 2025 board period. Given that it has been hypothesized that Line 5 cannot start operations during the winter months, then it is highly possible that Line 5 will not open until spring 2026. 90 days are needed for revenue service demonstration.

 

[bearcat]

Extremely surprised noone has mentioned this today or over the last few days. Today, July 28th is exactly 90 days from October 26, 2025, the start of the TTC board period exactly 42 days after the September 14, 2025 board period. Given that it has been hypothesized that Line 5 cannot start operations during the winter months, then it is highly possible that Line 5 will not open until spring 2026. 90 days are needed for revenue service demonstration.

Honestly at this point I have given up on guessing or looking at clues when it opens. It opens when it opens lol.

 

[TOtramz]

Extremely surprised noone has mentioned this today or over the last few days. Today, July 28th is exactly 90 days from October 26, 2025, the start of the TTC board period exactly 42 days after the September 14, 2025 board period. Given that it has been hypothesized that Line 5 cannot start operations during the winter months, then it is highly possible that Line 5 will not open until spring 2026. 90 days are needed for revenue service demonstration.

RSD is 30 days not 90 days and which reputable source said that it was impossible for them to open the line during the winter months?

 

[urbanclient]

RSD is 30 days not 90 days and which reputable source said that it was impossible for them to open the line during the winter months?

My bad, I meant bedding-in, but RSD has not even started yet. 90 days is a best case scenario after "substantial completion" or "SC", and SC occurs after 30 days revenue service has been completed. 14 day trial running has not even been confirmed to have started. That all means a horizon of 120 to 134 days before opening from today, best case a la divine intervention 90 days from today. So October 26th, (impossible due to no announcement today for 90 day notice), November 25th, or December 9th. November and December are impossible bc they don't coincide with a 42 day service summary cycle. The next one after October 26 is December 7th. People speculated (no reputable source) that the TTC cannot open an LRT/streetcar line in winter as the cold weather interferes with testing/revenue demonstration etc... They would play it safe and wait until spring of 2026 if a fall 2025 opening cannot be done. Links to posts with Metrolinx internal info:

Eglinton Line 5 | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

So does this mean the goal of opening in september is in jeopardy? Well the article says the "bedding in" alone could be up to 3 months!!! And "the revenue service demonstration could extend beyond 30 days, as the line needs to run problem-free for three consecutive weeks". I don't think...

urbantoronto.ca

Eglinton Line 5 | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

Thanks for this excellent work, I've always wondered where the creek ran, as I presumed it would be north to south. Since it does come out as a creek past the railroad tracks, I have to presume there is still running water underground. In the 1970s, when construction projects were probably not...

urbantoronto.ca

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

The next TTC service change date is Sunday, August 31, 2025. TTC service changes are typically implemented approximately every four to six weeks, roughly 10 times a year.

Here's a list of the upcoming service change dates in 2025:

• Sunday, August 31, 2025
• Sunday, October 12, 2025
• Sunday, November 16, 2025
• Sunday, December 21, 2025
• Sunday, January 4, 2026

 

[A 6264]

RSD is 30 days not 90 days and which reputable source said that it was impossible for them to open the line during the winter months?

Just for fun, I typed this question into Google search:
"can toronto open new transit lines in winter"
Google's "AI overview" had this to say in response, and my responses are in square brackets.
:
Yes, Toronto can and does open new transit lines in the winter. While winter conditions can present challenges for construction and operation, it does not prevent the opening of new lines.
Elaboration:
Construction is ongoing in winter: [What does that have to do with the question?)]
Projects like the Ontario Line are actively under construction during the winter months. [Again, so what? Has nothing to do with the question.]
Operational challenges:
Winter weather can affect train schedules and require extra maintenance, but these are manageable and do not stop operations. [Same response again, has nothing to do with opening new transit lines.]
Public transit is essential:
Toronto relies on its public transit system, and opening new lines is a priority, even in winter.
[Aha, now we might be getting somewhere! There is a little symbol beside this, which is supposed to provide examples or elaboration. The examples turned out to be: Ontario Line again, and "Remarks by the Deputy Prime Minister announceing $1.2 billion for Toronto, in 2024..." Oh dear, once again, nothing to do with the question asked.]
Examples:
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT, for instance, is slated to open in the future, with some sections already in service, and this process includes winter operations. [Well that's certainly news to all of us!]

If anyone wants to comment on this further, go ahead. I'm too appalled to continue.