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TTC: Flexity Streetcars Testing & Delivery (Bombardier)

Single-end streetcar vs. double-ended LRV

The current search by the TTC is for a single-ended low-floor streetcar than can handle the 8% inclines and 11m curves of the current city lines. This is in comparison with the 5% incline and 15m curve industry standards.

For the successful company, this means a possible option for double-ended low-floor light rail vehicles for the Transit City lines. Connections with the city lines will be needed to possibly transfer the double-ended LRV's for service adjustments or to the Hillcrest complex, which would require using the 8% inclines and 11m curves.

The 501 Queen streetcar currently runs along LakeShore Boulevard West, using loops at Long Branch, Kipling, and Humber. LakeShore Boulevard West is slated to form the west leg of the Waterfront West LRT for Transit City. The loops may or may not be replaced with crossovers, or in combination.

The 512 St. Clair streetcar will (in a couple of years) run along St. Clair Avenue West using loops at St. Clair subway station, St. Clair West subway station, Oakwood, Lansdowne, and Gunns. There are plans in Transit City at some point to extend St. Clair to Jane. Jane Street is slated for a Transit City LRT line down to Bloor Street West, connecting with the Bloor-Danforth subway at Jane subway station (maybe). The Bloor station will use a crossover instead of a loop.

The 512 could be extended down to Bloor, but it would have to be a double-ended LRV, if it does so. Or, it could loop at Jane, Dundas, and Scarlett Road for a return trip, as single-ended streetcars. Or, it could continue down Dundas from Jane to the Dundas West subway station, as single-ended streetcars.

The 501 will probably no longer go to Long Branch, transferring passengers wherever it connects with the Waterfront West LRT.

This could mean a small surplus of single-ended cars, if the west end of 501 and/or 512 is replaced with double-ended cars. They could then become available for new streetcars lines in the old city, unless they can be converted with some workshop alterations into double-ended LRV's.
 
InnoTrans 2008

InnoTrans exhibition was held in Berlin at the end of September. It is a major showcase for the light rail industry, with new lauches from the vehicle manufacturers.

Click on this link to see what we missed.

Even Bombardier had something. Click on their link to see some of their highlights.

Photos can been seen at this link. As well, this link will go to a video of the newer Bombardier Flexity-Berlin.
 
InnoTrans exhibition was held in Berlin at the end of September. It is a major showcase for the light rail industry, with new lauches from the vehicle manufacturers.

Click on this link to see what we missed.

Even Bombardier had something. Click on their link to see some of their highlights.

Photos can been seen at this link. As well, this link will go to a video of the newer Bombardier Flexity-Berlin.

I only would like to mention that the "Photos" of Innotrans are actually Fullscreen interactive Panoramas to be watched by Quicktime or Flash. With them and a fairly large monitor you can get the feeling to be right there in these modern rail cars.:)
 
"Metro, Tram & Light Rail Magazine"

It is funny how the term 'light rail' and 'LRT' is so often misused and abused by proponents.

Ever noticed how commuter/regional rail and subways/metros are never refered to as 'heavy rail transit' or 'HRT.' Ever noticed that 'LRT' is never used to refer to streetcars (trams), as in this case? Does that mean that streetcars are 'light light rail transit?'

That is one of the main problems with Transit City right there. They introduce the term 'LRT' to the city as if the TTC does not have it already. Remember the official names for our current streetcars: CLRV (Canadian Light Rail Vehicle) and ALRV (Articulated Light Rail Vehicle).
 
I have seen the term HRT used many times. It's not what the TTC/whoever calls something, but what it actually does is what matters.

No, we don't already have 'LRT', just because the current streetcars happen to have LRV in their name means nothing.

Light rail transit generally refers to the line, not the vehicle
 
They may call those existing lines on St Clair, ect LRT, but they are still just streetcars with their own lanes. The planned TC lines should hopefully be alot better than them.
 
Yes! Thank you, nfitz. I've always wanted to get a fact-based response to that question. What will be the difference? I've spoken to the creators of the St. Clair line, and they've always told me that it would be the model for the LRT lines of the future.
 
The St. Clair stops are too close together to be the model they want to follow. Transit City is also supposed have transit priority, which the St. Clair West station to St. Clair station section do not have (...yet).

For what Transit City should be, click on this link for at look at the light rail network in Porto, Portugal for what it could be.
 
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Oh I'm well aware of successful LRT implementations around the world. That's why I'm a big supporter of LRT, and have lobbied hard for it in places like Kitchener-Waterloo. In Toronto, on the other hand, I haven't seen any sign from the TTC that the Transit City lines will be anything like successful international routes. If they're going to put in real transit priority on those lines, why haven't they done it on the model, St. Clair? Will it be any better than the transit priority on King or Queens Quay?
 
The St. Clair stops are too close together to be the model they want to follow.
Fair enough - but from the Sheppard West EA, the stops their seem too close together as well. They studied both closer-together and further-away stops, and decided it was best to put them closer togeher, and take a major hit on travel time. Some of the other lines seem to have been better on this though

Transit City is also supposed have transit priority, which the St. Clair West station to St. Clair station section do not have (...yet).
Situation is identical as far as I can tell. Both Spadina/Harbourfront and St. Clair were supposed to have transit priority, same as TC. But Transportation Services won't actually do it. What has changed?

In June 2005 on the subject of Transit Priority on Spadina, Harbourfront and St. Clair the TTC directed staff to "to take the necessary action to implement transit priority signalling on Spadina by September 2005 at all locations where it is not already active, with a report back in the Fall of 2006 on the impact". In January 2008 they were promising that this report would finally be delivered in three months on April 23, 2008. However last month they were promising that it would be delivered in six months (in April 2009).

Clearly there isn't the political will to deliver transit priority in the sections of dedicated ROW constructed in 1990. Why would we expect that it would appear on new TC lines any faster?
 
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Clearly there isn't the political will to deliver transit priority in the sections of dedicated ROW constructed in 1990. Why would we expect that it would appear on new TC lines any faster?
This is exactly my concern about TC. In the end, I think we are spending billions to replace buses with light rail vehicles that won't be traveling all that much faster.
 

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