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

[cplchanb]

I guess the lesson with Finch is that even with so many years of delays, the opening can still be rushed. To paraphrase Dirk Gently, rather than arriving five years late and flustered, it would be better all around if the LRT were to arrive five years and a few extra month late, but triumphantly in command.

On the flipside its equally detrimental to be OCD and paranoid on every last specific detail like NASA is with their rocket preparations in order to mitigate political embarrassment just like whats happening right now. The public understands if mistakes or bugs happen, they just need to be transparent about it, have the drive to and have a plan to fix it promptly.

 

[cplchanb]

TTC and Metrolinx battle over Eglinton Crosstown LRT date at tense private meeting | Globalnews.ca

Multiple sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that there was a plan by Metrolinx and the Ministry of Transportation to open the line in the last week of December.

globalnews.ca

Looking like Feb 8th

So meet down the middle and open mid Jan?
TTC/city owe it to the public to go full in all out to address whatever deficiencies are remaining and to apply lessons learned from early line 6 operations. Work the OT, night shifts weekend shifts, whatever. They egged themselves hard with the line 6 opening day semi disaster. The least they can do to make it up is show tangible effort to expedite the preparations at all costs

 

[Richard White]

So meet down the middle and open mid Jan?
TTC/city owe it to the public to go full in all out to address whatever deficiencies are remaining and to apply lessons learned from early line 6 operations. Work the OT, night shifts weekend shifts, whatever. They egged themselves hard with the line 6 opening day semi disaster. The least they can do to make it up is show tangible effort to expedite the preparations at all costs

Personally, I would rather them delay the opening than risk a full on operational disaster.

They know that Line 5 is under intense scrutiny and that any operational hiccups will be headline news. Think about it, if the line has delays on the first day or other issues the media would have a field day over it.

There is one shot to get this right and avoid a PR disaster, there are no do-overs if things don't go well on opening day.

 

[pleaseLRT]

TTC and Metrolinx battle over Eglinton Crosstown LRT date at tense private meeting | Globalnews.ca

Multiple sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that there was a plan by Metrolinx and the Ministry of Transportation to open the line in the last week of December.

globalnews.ca

Looking like Feb 8th

This meeting took place on Dec 5, 2 days before Line 6's opening and subsequent backlash

I wouldn't put it past the TTC to delay the opening even further than Feb 8 after seeing Line 6's reception (I also wouldn't put it past the TTC to still operate Line 5 slowly after all this)

 

[Cambry Ardship]

On the flipside its equally detrimental to be OCD and paranoid on every last specific detail like NASA is with their rocket preparations in order to mitigate political embarrassment just like whats happening right now. The public understands if mistakes or bugs happen, they just need to be transparent about it, have the drive to and have a plan to fix it promptly.

To the extent there is a "problem" that still needs to be fixed before opening, it's not so much the safety or infrastructure side of things (that's table stakes), it's the political risk of opening a second line with absurdly slow operating speeds. I presume most people are going to expect the LRT to reach subway-like speeds in the tunnels, and if they're crawling along at 20/30 kmh, I think there's going to be a lot of anger

 

[Bojaxs]

To the extent there is a "problem" that still needs to be fixed before opening, it's not so much the safety or infrastructure side of things (that's table stakes), it's the political risk of opening a second line with absurdly slow operating speeds. I presume most people are going to expect the LRT to reach subway-like speeds in the tunnels, and if they're crawling along at 20/30 kmh, I think there's going to be a lot of anger

If the trains on line 5 travel at "Streetcar" speeds in the underground portion, it will be the death knell for this line. It'll also be the end for low floor LRTs in Toronto. It'll just confirm in everyone's mind that a subway should have been built along Eglinton.

After the debacle on Line 6, the city has only ONE shot at line 5. That's it, just one! Mess it up, and it's going to be full tilt on subways for the next 1000 years in Toronto.

 

[KhalilHeron]

A feb 8th date is acceptable if theyd tell us what the hold up is. I'd be happy if they were taking those two months to work on TSP implementation and ensuring high speeds across the line, but they could just as easily be taking two months to change the signs at Don Valley again.

 

[robmausser]

If the trains on line 5 travel at "Streetcar" speeds in the underground portion, it will be the death knell for this line. It'll also be the end for low floor LRTs in Toronto. It'll just confirm in everyone's mind that a subway should have been built along Eglinton.

After the debacle on Line 6, the city has only ONE shot at line 5. That's it, just one! Mess it up, and it's going to be full tilt on subways for the next 1000 years in Toronto.

The issue is the overly cautious for no reason safety crazy TTC doesn't care. They have no interest in winning over the public. They will drive the trains slow. But they would on a new Metro too. Luckily the Ontario Line is automated, although maybe the TTC will slow that down too, they already did for ATC on Line 1.

IMO the subway network needs to be uploaded to the Province like they tried in 2018. The TTC has proven that they are incapable of operating and maintaining a transit system.

 

[UntitledCyclist]

Personally, I would rather them delay the opening than risk a full on operational disaster.

They know that Line 5 is under intense scrutiny and that any operational hiccups will be headline news. Think about it, if the line has delays on the first day or other issues the media would have a field day over it.

There is one shot to get this right and avoid a PR disaster, there are no do-overs if things don't go well on opening day.

A years delayed line is an operational disaster. The PR is already so bad. Of course they want it to go perfectly, but that will never happen. They need to open the line. They have had enough time.

 

[APTA-2048]

IMO the subway network needs to be uploaded to the Province like they tried in 2018. The TTC has proven that they are incapable of operating and maintaining a transit system.

Trading incompetence at the municipal level for incompetence at the provincial level is not going to work. The people at the management level of the TTC and Metrolinx have no idea what they’re doing. They don’t listen to their passengers or their front line workers.

 

[micheal_can]

If that's the date hopefully they get signal priority sorted out by then and the line will open with full signal priority.

Can someone explain why the city won't do it?

 

[cplchanb]

Can someone explain why the city won't do it?

Politics my friend

 

[micheal_can]

Politics my friend

I understand that. However, what is the reasoning given?

 

[Cambry Ardship]

I think the issue of speeds in the tunnels is going to be compounded by the tunnels being large and so well-lit. The TTC can't expect that passengers just don't plain notice that the trains are moving slowly, like happens sometimes in the dark subway tunnels.

 

[Towered]

I'm hoping the opening of both Finch and Eglinton LRT's will seriously dent the crowding on the 37 bus since many riders will no longer be forced to go all the way south to Bloor anymore to hop on the subway...