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

[Palma]

Pure fantasy. For emergency backup you need something that you can switch on and off at will, and that means firing up a fossil fuel powered generator. They might be able to do some grid-scale storage with an emerging technology like a vanadium flow battery, but it wouldn't ride out more than 24 hours of disruption. When an ice storm hits, you sometimes need days of backup before the grid connections can be restored. I'm all for using green energy to power the day to day, but its not a dependable back-up solution.

so what about the subways that run outside - eglinton to wilson for example. When has there ever been such a power disruption that has lasted more than 24 hours?

 

[Tuscani01]

All of the traffic islands along Don Mills at Eglinton, and along Eglinton have been removed in preparation for station construction.

 

[Steve X]

Pure fantasy. For emergency backup you need something that you can switch on and off at will, and that means firing up a fossil fuel powered generator. They might be able to do some grid-scale storage with an emerging technology like a vanadium flow battery, but it wouldn't ride out more than 24 hours of disruption. When an ice storm hits, you sometimes need days of backup before the grid connections can be restored. I'm all for using green energy to power the day to day, but its not a dependable back-up solution.

The backup power is for something that's needed immediately. It would be nice to have a backup allowing the line to work during power disruptions. When there's a blackout, it's necessary to get trains to platforms so people can evacuate. It will also keep elevators working for accessibility too. Even if people don't get out, they need to keep the ventilation system running.

The line doesn't need to run during a blackout. TTC subways and streetcars don't run when there's a major blackout. They only have a few hours of backup. That said, does Metrolinx actually need a major power generator? I'm not aware if TTC has one. If they did, we wouldn't have major power disruption like this: http://www.680news.com/2016/03/01/ttc-subway-streetcar-service-resumes-power-issues/

 

[KevinT]

The backup power is for something that's needed immediately. It would be nice to have a backup allowing the line to work during power disruptions. When there's a blackout, it's necessary to get trains to platforms so people can evacuate. It will also keep elevators working for accessibility too. Even if people don't get out, they need to keep the ventilation system running.

I'll readily admit to not being fully versed in the background. I just assumed it was full scale backup that they were trying to build here, given the words "gas plant". If the needs are smaller (i.e. just ventilation and enough to get trains to the nearest station), then a battery bunker(s) storing green energy would likely be a feasible alternative.

 

[Edward Skira]

From this morning.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Many of the "good" condos, apartment and office buildings should have a backup generator to operate some of the elevators and emergency lighting. So should public transit. Even houses are now getting a backup generator (portable or fixed).

 

[cplchanb]

From this morning.

Sorry but they really seem to be taking their sweet ass time.... have they no sense of urgency while the TBMs
rust away underground?

I remember reading recently that a construction crew in China tore down an ENTIRE OVERPASS
OVERNIGHT......even at 5% of the effort and manpower surely they wouldve progressed further than 1 shed......shame....

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Or this video from a couple of years ago:

 

[smallspy]

Sorry but they really seem to be taking their sweet ass time.... have they no sense of urgency while the TBMs
rust away underground?

I remember reading recently that a construction crew in China tore down an ENTIRE OVERPASS
OVERNIGHT......even at 5% of the effort and manpower surely they wouldve progressed further than 1 shed......shame....

With something like 150 excavators and crew. What would be the cost of that?

Tearing down the old terminal is not so pressing as to require throwing away gobs of money to expedite it. They have a schedule, and they are meeting it.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

With something like 150 excavators and crew. What would be the cost of that?

Tearing down the old terminal is not so pressing as to require throwing away gobs of money to expedite it. They have a schedule, and they are meeting it.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

And a chunk of that cost and time comes from regulating the health and safety of working conditions...

 

[cplchanb]

With something like 150 excavators and crew. What would be the cost of that?

Tearing down the old terminal is not so pressing as to require throwing away gobs of money to expedite it. They have a schedule, and they are meeting it.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

The problem is not that theyre not meeting the sched. The problem is the schedule itself is too lax. We are wasting money as well in years of delays and lost productivity because the sites work only from 8-3 for the most part yet get paid more than engineers who work much longer and harder to produce the drawings.

 

[Wrench]

The airport generators have gobs of excess capacity. Just extend Eglinton to the airport then plug into theirs; done.

There's only one major problem with that ,each of the Catipilar generators @ the Airport & are going to give you different outputs of Voltage for Various back up panels.
None of which will supply 750vdc.
All of which will be AC Volts 120,208,347,600 voltage levels.
No 750 VDC
Even though these are quite large , and capable of supplying enormous amount of power for the whole Airport I doubt they ( GTAA) would want to share there generated power with Metrolinx!

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

The problem is not that theyre not meeting the sched. The problem is the schedule itself is too lax. We are wasting money as well in years of delays and lost productivity because the sites work only from 8-3 for the most part yet get paid more than engineers who work much longer and harder to produce the drawings.

In China, you do not dare complain. They can work 24-hours a day, seven days a week. No overtime. Injured on the job or killed, push them aside and continue working. Neighbours complain? There's these men in uniforms who want to speak to you about a change of location for those neighbours.

 

[rbt]

There's only one major problem with that ,each of the Catipilar generators @ the Airport & are going to give you different outputs of Voltage for Various back up panels.
None of which will supply 750vdc.

I was actually thinking of their 120MW natural gas plant. Conveniently the LRT will already have transformers necessary to use that energy via the normal grid.

Seriously, there's no point in making Eglinton LRT run longer than Yonge subway; which makes it a solved problem as we can do exactly what TTC already does.

 

[smallspy]

The problem is not that theyre not meeting the sched. The problem is the schedule itself is too lax. We are wasting money as well in years of delays and lost productivity because the sites work only from 8-3 for the most part yet get paid more than engineers who work much longer and harder to produce the drawings.

So which is it - are they not meeting the schedule, or is the schedule too lax? On what are you basing that on, your own experience? What delays have occurred thus far, and what are the costs incurred?

Again, this is not a project that needs to be open before some sort of external deadline. Let them do their work. These things don't happen overnight.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.