[EastYorkTTCFan]

Considering they built short turning tracks at the Laird station, this is a very real possibility. It won't happen anytime soon, but I can see a scenario where after 10-15 years they simply say "ah screw it!", and just put down bus lanes from Laird to Kennedy, while running the trams from Renforth to Laird.

In such a scenario, I'd be shocked if they wouldn't run to Don Valley station, rather than Laird, with some tweaks to grade separate at Leslie.

They have turn back switches both duel and single crossovers in several locations between Don Valley and Kenedy. I think I even remember seeing people report when a car ended up on part of the tracks, they were running both ways on a single track going around it at one point during the testing.

 

[81-717]

Especially now that the "new" subway cars are over 15 years old, so it'd make more sense to consider replacing them with new ones *in 10 to 20 years* than keep renovating these ones. Well, unless a rehaul of these cars needed to be done, but that would take much time and labour.

I don't see this opening this year, but I could be wrong.

Because it's vintage. The design was finalized a couple of decades ago; perhaps they were trying to avoid Y2K problems . Gosh, TTC was still installing CRT monitors for the station displays back then.

You wouldn't use this tech on new trains. If they'd gone for screens back then, we'd have had a thread full of complaining of more bleeding-edge/made in Ontario expensive tech, that didn't even last the necessary quarter-century.

They are the same vintage as the R188 cars that you see on the 7 trains in New York City. Heck, looks very similar tech screen:

Compare to the kind of digital displays you'd expect today, on the new 2020s R211 cars from the same manufacturer, that they use on the A-C trains:

TTC technology:

Who knew the TR tech would age so poorly and yet there are people who still think that even the much older T1s are still "timeless" & "ageless".

 

[nfitz]

Who knew the TR tech would age so poorly...

It still functions fine, as designed. It's not like the bulbs are going out.

You see the same equipment in systems bigger than Toronto. I'm not sure what the big deal is here.

 

[reaperexpress]

It still functions fine, as designed. It's not like the bulbs are going out.

You see the same equipment in systems bigger than Toronto. I'm not sure what the big deal is here.

I don't think this is how it was designed:

 

[reaperexpress]

No harm in throwing ideas out.



How are these U-Turns being done?

Yes, you could send pedestrians up and over Eglinton, but CPKC's existing bridge would not be suitable and in any event they wouldn't share it, but that's not such a big deal, I'm not entirely convinced people would be cooperative though. You're going to have to put full height barriers, blocking not just cars but pedestrian movements, there is a question of 'emergency' egress.

Looking at the existing configuration you would have to extend the platforms slightly to the east, then run full-width stairs up and over, that, of course, means the stop would not be accessible, but there is no room for stairs and an elevator. (or more accurately, 3 elevators, one from each platform and one back to the north side of the street. There's no room for one on the south side due to the embankment.



There appears to be physical space that would allow this, especially if removing the existing traffic lights and any through (over the tracks) vehicle movements. But it would be tight for radii, would mean slip lanes for pedestrians to cross those ramps, and there would be probable traffic conflicts between on/off ramps that are very close together.

Let me show you:

View attachment 707327


Crude, but I measured the diameter of the ramp on the other side, it just fits. So that you can eliminate SB DVP to EB Eglinton at the lights.

However.....

When you extend the line to the on-ramp to DVP NB on the east side of the Parkway, there is a potential issue:

View attachment 707328

You've got roughly 140m of fast-moving traffic coming off the DVP that does not want to get back on; and that same distance within which everyone who wants to get on the DVP has to get into that lane and then immediately take the ramp.

The configuration you illustrated is the interchange's previous configuration, which they changed because of the danger of weaving on the DVP. The weaving on Eglinton is not an issue because you can just use normal intersections instead of high speed ramps. But you can't do that on the DVP.

I'm not sure that would pass muster with the MTO, but I'm not sure and would leave that to the pros like @reaperexpress

One of my favourite things about the MTO is that they hate cloverleaf weaving as much as I do. If then MTO controlled the DVP I'm pretty sure they would have converted the Lawrence interchange from a full cloverleaf to a partial cloverleaf a long time ago.

 

[Steve X]

The configuration you illustrated is the interchange's previous configuration, which they changed because of the danger of weaving on the DVP. The weaving on Eglinton is not an issue because you can just use normal intersections instead of high speed ramps. But you can't do that on the DVP.

One of my favourite things about the MTO is that they hate cloverleaf weaving as much as I do. If then MTO controlled the DVP I'm pretty sure they would have converted the Lawrence interchange from a full cloverleaf to a partial cloverleaf a long time ago.

The Lawrence coverleaf is stretched out so there is more time for drivers to switch lanes. At Eglinton, it's much shorter so there are more problems. The Don Mills interchange also has a shorter distance but less people use that on ramp from NB Don Mills to SB DVP. They also removed the NW loop at York Mills for weaving issues.

I say the most problematic spot isn't these coverleaves but the Rees on ramp to EB Gardiner to the Jarvis off ramp. That gets a lot of traffic being the last places to enter and exit the Gardiner without going all the way to the DVP.

 

[jcam]

One of my favourite things about the MTO is that they hate cloverleaf weaving as much as I do. If then MTO controlled the DVP I'm pretty sure they would have converted the Lawrence interchange from a full cloverleaf to a partial cloverleaf a long time ago.

Some really bad weavings include southbound Bayview extension at DVP ramps and eastbound Gardiner at Islington.

 

[nfitz]

I don't think this is how it was designed:

Certainly not! I've not seen that before.

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

Take it for what it's worth, I guess...

Doug Ford ‘confident’ Eglinton Crosstown LRT will open ‘early in February’ after years of delays

Premier Doug Ford says the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT could finally open in early February, offering the clearest public timeline yet for a project that is years behind schedule and more than $1 billion over budget.

www.cp24.com

 

[Amare]

Take it for what it's worth, I guess...

Doug Ford ‘confident’ Eglinton Crosstown LRT will open ‘early in February’ after years of delays

Premier Doug Ford says the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT could finally open in early February, offering the clearest public timeline yet for a project that is years behind schedule and more than $1 billion over budget.

www.cp24.com

Right....just like he was confident it was going to open before the end of 2025.

At this point, I dont even think I care when this thing opens anymore. They could open it in 2030, it's not like anyone would face any consequences for it.

 

[youngblood]

Take it for what it's worth, I guess...

Doug Ford ‘confident’ Eglinton Crosstown LRT will open ‘early in February’ after years of delays

Premier Doug Ford says the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT could finally open in early February, offering the clearest public timeline yet for a project that is years behind schedule and more than $1 billion over budget.

www.cp24.com

You know how in NBA games the final two minutes takes like 30 minutes real time? This is how it feels right now wrt line 5

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

You know how in NBA games the final two minutes takes like 30 minutes real time? This is how it feels right now wrt line 5

Or, about the speed it takes Line 6 to go 90% of it's line

 

[Northern Light]

John Michael McGrath, in defense of LRT:




ANALYSIS: Let’s pump the brakes on talk of ‘subways, subways, subways’ in Toronto

TVO Today | Current Affairs Journalism, Documentaries and Podcasts

www.tvo.org

Its not a great piece by John Michael.

He completely ignores the question of what people want (speed as example); and how you do or don't get there.

His entire thesis amounts to Finch was never going to be a subway and LRT is better than a bus.

Except, in this case, as operated, it is not.

Facts matter.

He's right to pillory the way in which transit was handled by various pols, both municipal and provincial.

He'd be on solid ground if he said its possible to do LRT better. (it is)

But he just gives the Miller era plan, such as it was (lines on a map) a free pass, ignoring that it didn't set any real technical standards to achieve that align with public expectations.

It reads a bit as though one were saying..... we proposed and 1/2 built this terrible public housing with prison-like architecture, terrible layout and unit sizes and poor neighbourhood plan, because we can't give everyone a Bridle Path address; as if there isn't something between those two points.

Finch wasn't going to be a subway (agreed), equally we can't do subways to everywhere. But we have to ask why are we building this transit? To which the answer ought to be, some variation of to better connect people to the places they need and want to go, faster, more frequently ,with greater comfort and ease.

Any number of choices of rolling stock , power , platform heights etc. may help achieve these goals at various price points. We certainly need to be judicious w/the dollars in question. But in saying as much, that means not spending money on projects that don't serve ALL of the above goals.

 

[Thaboss]

Right....just like he was confident it was going to open before the end of 2025.

At this point, I dont even think I care when this thing opens anymore. They could open it in 2030, it's not like anyone would face any consequences for it.

Tbf based on what we know, if it were up to metrolinx it would be open right now.

However, that comes with the obvious caveat that operations would have been trash like finch. Hopfully we can avoid that faith. Frankly i would delay things further if it meant better more aggresive operations overall.


Toronto transit badly needs a win

 

[DirectionNorth]

The configuration you illustrated is the interchange's previous configuration, which they changed because of the danger of weaving on the DVP. The weaving on Eglinton is not an issue because you can just use normal intersections instead of high speed ramps. But you can't do that on the DVP.

One of my favourite things about the MTO is that they hate cloverleaf weaving as much as I do. If then MTO controlled the DVP I'm pretty sure they would have converted the Lawrence interchange from a full cloverleaf to a partial cloverleaf a long time ago.

Here's a crazy idea - we direct drivers going north on the DVP to use Wynford, then close the NB ramps at Eglinton. The only weaving that remains is WB Eglinton, which can be solved with a longer ramp (more space now that there aren't any NB ramps) and/or a tight curve to slow down drivers.