Streetcar Tracks on Adelaide

[DSC]

January 30: The track work for Adelaide and York intersection looks close to, if not already complete. No overheads though. Going up from Adelaide though, the southbound track is still in the preliminary stages, with lots of preparation activities underway, but no track in place yet. First, the Adelaide intersection, and then from Queen Street heading south.

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Just the original Queen and York intersection track in place

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Looking north to Queen Street:

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And South towards Richmond. The one track that is visible is the original northbound one:

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And a couple approaching Adelaide:

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York & Adelaide has been complete for several weeks, as discussed in detail a few days ago, the track ON Adelaide between York and Victoria has two gaps. One from Sheppard to Bay and one just west of Victoria - in both locations the utility work has finished (or is no longer on/under the future track) and TTC can return to finish track laying. The 'problem area" is on York from about 20 metres north of Adelaide to Queen and includes the southbound curve from Queen. As of last week, there is no overhead from Charlotte (at Spadina) to Victoria or on York north of King - though most poles seem to have been installed.

 

[Bordercollie]

More from ML on York St work, from an email today....

What is happening?

• Metrolinx continues to work with the TTC and the City of Toronto to build a permanent streetcar detour route along Adelaide and Richmond streets, connecting via York and Church streets. Once completed, the 501 Queen streetcar will keep riders moving during the construction of the Ontario Line.
• The detour route will create a permanent route the TTC can use during special events or when road works are required.
• Metrolinx crews are performing utility removals and relocations as well as other necessary roadway work such as track slab excavation, pouring of a track slab foundation, and conducting work on the traffic signals to support the installation of new streetcar tracks.

Lane closures and access

• The York Street project will be conducted in stages. Stage 1 work on the underground hydro chamber located on the south side of Richmond Street was completed in late December 2023.
• Crews are now working on the underground hydro chamber located on the north side of Richmond. This phase of work is expected to be completed by March 2024.
• This phase of work requires a temporary modification to the existing bike lanes on Richmond Street West (refer to map).
• One westbound traffic lane will remain open on Richmond Street at the intersection of York Street and Richmond Street.
• A paid duty officer will be on-site 24/7 to safely direct traffic.
• Local traffic will be permitted to make a left-hand turn onto York Street from Richmond Street to access parking and laneways.
• Pedestrian access, parking lots and driveway access in the area will be maintained, with occasional weekend and overnight driveway impacts. Metrolinx will coordinate with property owners in advance if their driveway or parking lot will be impacted to ensure adequate mitigation measures are in place, including having a member of the construction team present to assist traffic entering and leaving the driveways.
• Clear signage will be posted to caution and direct drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.
• The commercial bus stop in front of the Sheraton Hotel has been moved from York Street to Queen Street.
• The lane closures identified in the map above will remain in place during weekdays, as well as weekends when no active construction work takes place.
• All necessary permits have been obtained.
• More information and updates on the additional phases of work, along with traffic impacts and mitigations, will be shared as the project advances.
• For more information about upcoming work please see Metrolinx.com/Ontarioline or sign up for the e-newsletter.

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Why is it that every time there is a project, the work is underestimated or something causes a 6 month or year delay. Why not foresee that something could delay the project and start it 6 months earlier.

Like the Scarborough busway, you know that they will decomission it, so why start the design after its shut down? The design should be done and funded one year before so that construction can start.

 

[nfitz]

Like the Scarborough busway, you know that they will decomission it, so why start the design after its shut down? The design should be done and funded one year before so that construction can start.

Because it was never going to happen under Tory and the former TTC chair.

 

[dowlingm]

Because it was never going to happen under Tory and the former TTC chair.

The current chair doesn’t inspire confidence either

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

The new tracks on Adelaide do go to Spadina but there have never been tracks on Richmond west of York. The section on Adelaide from York to Spadina is for flexibility.

I think it's also so they can use it for detours due to TIFF if that contiues to close off King street.

 

[nfitz]

The current chair doesn’t inspire confidence either

I'd have thought the obvious way to change the business case, would simply be to have the busway ultimately extend a bit further north and continue to be used for a north-south express route in the future. It wouldn't take too much to push it to Progress. If they were to work together on the Progress grade separation they could run the bus lane under Progress too, and get to a future Line 4 station on Sheppard.

I'd take Jamaal over what's his name any day.

 

[dowlingm]

I'd have thought the obvious way to change the business case, would simply be to have the busway ultimately extend a bit further north and continue to be used for a north-south express route in the future. It wouldn't take too much to push it to Progress. If they were to work together on the Progress grade separation they could run the bus lane under Progress too

Aside from having to restart some of the planning around Progress, and expropriate a chunk of that factory car park, and bearing in mind that this imagery doesn’t reflect the second Stouffville track, how does the bus lane get under 401?

 

[nfitz]

Aside from having to restart some of the planning around Progress, and expropriate a chunk of that factory car park, and bearing in mind that this imagery doesn’t reflect the second Stouffville track, how does the bus lane get under 401?

I was figuring that once you got past Progress, and through that building that's already planned to be demolished, that you'd swerve west onto dedicated lanes on the quite wide William Kitchen Road, and up and along Kennedy - which doesn't need 6 through lanes under the 401.

Alternatively just end it at Progress, and turn left, and then right on Kennedy. Yeah, some lost parking there.

A new tunnel under the 401 would be nice, but there's space issues between the 401 and Sheppard too.

 

[Bordercollie]

Because it was never going to happen under Tory and the former TTC chair.

But this is just one example. The construction around Russel car house was delayed over a year. And shutting down st Clair for one year while they replace the overhead block by block? This is absurd.

Don't even get me started on removing cladding to fix something and then for five years leaving it like that with no work going on.

It seems like they just quote projects on the bare minimum to the lowest bidder and then cross their fingers.

 

[smallspy]

And shutting down st Clair for one year while they replace the overhead block by block? This is absurd.

St Clair is way more than just replacing the overhead.

Don't even get me started on removing cladding to fix something and then for five years leaving it like that with no work going on.

They had to remove asbestos.

It seems like they just quote projects on the bare minimum to the lowest bidder and then cross their fingers.

It seems like you haven't done the barest amount of research before complaining about things.

Dan

 

[DSC]

There were some TTC overhead guys on Adelaide between University & John today and they seem to be putting up the pulleys they use while putting up the traction power cables. They may actually be getting around to installing overhead!

 

[DSC]

Looks as though the TTC and their contractor, Midome, are back on the streetcar track on Adelaide, now let's hope they finish the overhead.

Of course, before we can see streetcars again, MLX needs to get their act together on York

Adelaide St E from Yonge St to Victoria St​

Id:R7500165
Closure Type:Hazard
Time Frame: Daily From:February 1, 2024 Until:February 9, 2024 Hours:6:00 am to 6:00 pm Contractor:Midome Construction Services Ltd. Description: Toronto-TMC: Eastbound lanes will be occupied for Toronto Hydro upgrades and TTC track installation.

and

Sheppard St at Adelaide St W​

Id:R7500169
Closure Type: Hazard Time Frame: Daily From: February 1, 2024 Until: February 9, 2024Hours:6:00 am to 6:00 pm Contractor: Midome Construction Services Ltd. Description: Toronto-TMC: Northbound lanes will be occupied for Toronto Hydro upgrades and TTC track installation.

 

[dowlingm]

Anyone have a sense of what sort of testing window TTC are going to want in order to consider the York and Adelaide trackage ready for service? Will there be a requirement to operate at slower than normal speed (aside from the usual stop and proceed at switches) until operators have been over it a certain number of times?

 

[DSC]

Anyone have a sense of what sort of testing window TTC are going to want in order to consider the York and Adelaide trackage ready for service? Will there be a requirement to operate at slower than normal speed (aside from the usual stop and proceed at switches) until operators have been over it a certain number of times?

The TTC lay new/replacement track all the time so any breaking-in period will be short. As the Adelaide track between Charlotte/Victoria (fixed) has not been used for many decades, there are undoubtedly no Operators who have used it but ... The main delays are:

1. Finishing the short stretches on Adelaide that currently have no track (Victoria to Yonge and Bay to Sheppard) - this work is supposed to start soon and (if weather is OK) should not take more than 2 weeks
2. Having MLX finish (or actually start) the track on York north of Adelaide and the east to south track @ Queen. See info above on this
3. Installing overhead and powering it up. As reported last week, the TTC seem to be starting to do this, it is primarily tangent track so OUGHT to be simple but they seem to always take months to install overhead. and in this case it needs new power cables too..

I will be amazed to see streetcars on the 501 Adelaide/Richmond diversion before July but .....

 

[AHK]

... As the Adelaide track between Charlotte/Spadina has not been used for many decades, there are undoubtedly no Operators who have used it but ...

The section of track on Adelaide between Spadina and Charlotte has actually been in continuous use for years. The Kingston car has been turning King > Spadina > Adelaide > Charlotte > King eastbound for a long time. The Adelaide > Charlotte loop has been used to short turn Spadina cars for years. I believe that cars going out of service from the Spadina and Lakeshore lines use Adelaide>Charlotte>King rather than turning onto King Street directly from Spadina.

Personally I have spoken with an Operator in a new car when they were first being introduced a number of years ago - temporarily stopped on Charlotte about to reenter service on Spadina, to ask about operational issues with the new cars.

So many TTS Streetcar Operators will have used the section of track along Adelaide between Spadina and Charlotte.