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At Bombardier Inc.'s Thunder Bay plant, Toronto's 204 New Streetcars are currently being built and shipped by rail to the Toronto Transit Commission's Hillcrest Complex. Storage here is only temporary while the TTC and AECOM and Pomerleau work to build a new home for its growing fleet. Set to be finished in 2015, the TTC's Leslie Barns Streetcar Maintenance and Storage Facility will provide state-of-the-art equipment and technologies to accompany the fleet of modern streetcars, keeping them running well and serving our city for many years to come.
The Strasman Architects-designed Leslie Barns will be equipped to perform all upkeep work from vehicle cleaning and washing to heavy maintenance, like carriage overhauls. As the TTC's current Roncesvalles and Russel streetcar maintenance facilities are unable to accommodate the complete maintenance spectrum for the new low-floor vehicles, the Leslie Barns will become the one stop shop for all streetcar needs, while the other facilities will be refitted to carry out more basic maintenance services.
Construction of the Leslie Barns however has been a far from simple task. Soil remediation due to past site contamination and the replacement of a near century-old water-main under Leslie Street has added time and cost to the project. By undertaking all the necessary infrastructure works together in one shot, future costs and time savings can be achieved while avoiding tearing up of Leslie Street again for near future piecemeal projects. Work is now nearing completion on the Leslie Street track connections and the facility. Follow the UrbanToronto exclusive photos below as we track progression moving north from the Leslie Barns (near Ashbridges Bay) up to Queen Street East.
In the two photos above, we are looking north over the Leslie Barns site. Construction of the carhouse's curved roof is nearing completion and running along the south side of the building we find the new facility's entrance track and braking test track. If we follow the track towards Leslie Street (left side of photo) we can make out the rough alignment to the yard gates. To the far right in the first above photo, is the storm water management pond which will help to contain pollutants from site run off during heavy storms. This is just one of several green features incorporated into the design which help the facility achieve the Toronto Green Development standard.
Continuing our 360° tour around the facility, our camera is now facing west over the site with the city skyline in the background. Here we see the exit tracks being constructed, leading out of the maintenance building, joining with the south yard entry tracks and and around the aforementioned storm water treatment pond. Running along side the completed tracks are the lighting and support masts for the overhead catenary electrical wires which provide power to the streetcars. Once construction on the ground is completed, crews will install the overhead electrical equipment.
Coming around to the north side of the maintenance building in the above photo, the streetcar storage yard is nearly complete with work almost finished on the 11 storage and movement tracks which will house 100 vehicles. Also visible is the installation of vegetation on the facility's green roof, another environmentally friendly feature which helps to reduce urban heat island effect and reduce precipitation runoff. Overhead catenary electrical lines will be installed at the end.
In our final aerial photo, the we see the tracks separating off, leading to the maintenance building doors. The grey building in the lower left is the power substation which will provide power to the overhead catenary electrical lines. The sloping roofline of the carhouse is prominently visible in this photo.
To connect the new facility to the existing network, the TTC and other City departments have been reconstructing Leslie Street from Queen Street East to south of Lake Shore Boulevard East with a new connecting track for the vehicles. The photo below looks south down Leslie Street from Lake Shore Boulevard. The piling rig at the end sits at the entrance to Leslie Barns. The street here still remains very much under construction with work on the shared roadbed and streetcar tracks still far away.
Between Eastern Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard East (photos below), streetcar tracks have been mostly installed with only the top coat of asphalt remaining for road completion. In the second above photograph the track trenches and foundation slabs have been poured and only further require the tracks and concrete top coat before the rest of the road can be paved. Road reconstruction across the Eastern Avenue intersection is complete.
North of Eastern Avenue the rebar cages for the concrete foundations and track trenches are visible in the photo below.
Track roadbed construction and track installation remain a work in progress north to Queen Street as final utility works are completed. During the reconstruction of Leslie Street, an 80+ year old watermain and sewer pipes along with other utilities were ripped out and replaced with new equipment to ensure the continued long lasting functioning of local infrastructures.
Local streetscape improvements in Leslieville along Leslie Street and Queen Street East will top off the aesthetic finishes to the project with new plantings and pavings, designed by landscape architects Brown + Storey.
When the Leslie Barns begin operations in 2015 it will mark the opening of the first new purpose built streetcar facility in Toronto since 1925. UrbanToronto will continue to provide updates on the construction of Leslie Barns and the introduction of Toronto's new streetcar fleet. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment in the section below. Join our Forum discussion about the new streetcars and Leslie Barns by clicking here and through the project page links below.
