Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited

[nightstreak]

As an aside, taxi drivers outside were engaging in illegal price gouging. I overheard everything from $90 to $150 and one driver told people it was $50 each person (can’t do that).

 

[Bordercollie]

As an aside, taxi drivers outside were engaging in illegal price gouging. I overheard everything from $90 to $150 and one driver told people it was $50 each person (can’t do that).

Airport Limos use a fixed rate.

 

[nightstreak]

Airport Limos use a fixed rate.

I know. And an airport limo is like $60 bucks. The taxi drivers outside were taking advantage of stranded travellers and quoting them inflated prices. I really wish our city bylaw inspectors were actually being enforced. I wonder if recording the interactions would have helped getting them reported.

Edit: Found it here (Appendix C)

It's $53 from Union to YYZ. Demanding more is illegal. Charging per passenger is illegal. Not that this stops those scammers.

 

[smallspy]

A lot of upset people trying to get to the airport from Union today with UPX out of service. Was this an anticipated downtime to fix the issues outlined above or another unexpected shutdown? If this can’t be fixed, it’s gonna be fun during the World Cup.

For some reason they only had buses going to highway 407 station.

It was a planned closure, as it involved a bunch of work along the Weston Sub.

Buses went to Hwy 407 Station as Metrolinx was under the mistaken understanding that the Gardiner was closed for work this weekend. It was not.

Dan

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Why didn't the TTC run the 901 Airport-Eglinton Express bus to and from Mount Dennis Station when UPX is down? It was not implemented when Line 5 opened, but could be implemented at this point.

 

[jcam]

I went back to a document that was slipped to me back while GTS was being built... it showed the Newmarket Sub beginning at Strachan Ave (ie extended from the current junction at Parkdale), a "Midday Service and Layover Facility" where the Resources Road site now exists, and provision for four tracks under the 401 (without explaining how they would fit, as the existing underpass only barely managed three). I would say that any planning for the fourth track at 401 definitely fell out of GTS and ended up as a later standalone project.

There was also a very detailed plan for an EMU maintenance facility at Resources Road. The whole premise of electrified UPX seems to have disappeared in that era.

The Airway and Wice (originally named Woodbine) junctions were built for one additional track over what was built, I understand that the wiring was built in at that time. There are as yet unused signals all through that territory, although some sections of that fourth track were labelled "future". Fourth track at Weston was labelled "future" but Mount Dennis (then just called "Eglinton LRT" was to have four full tracks and platforms.

I would say that the fourth track was a nice-to-have that likely lost favour as budgets shrunk. The futureproofing of that track was respected, but more might have been built if the major construction setbacks (eg water conditions at West Toronto, the 2013 ice storm, and the CTA order to not work at night) hadn't thrown the cost out of whack.

- Paul

Any word on what the Resources Road site will be used for going forward? Is it just Kitchener Line works staging at this point?

 

[lastcommodore]

Why didn't the TTC run the 901 Airport-Eglinton Express bus to and from Mount Dennis Station when UPX is down? It was not implemented when Line 5 opened, but could be implemented at this point.
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The TTC likes to pretend the UPX is not its problem and could not care less about it. I saw someone on xitter paging ttchelps asking why they didn't have any announcements or notices that the UPX was down bc of stranded passengers and ttchelps basically told them to kick rocks because the UPX is Metrolinx's problem, not the TTC's.

It's incredibly stupid and the TTC needs to start acting like it's part of an actual transit system and not an isolated island where nobody else matters. For crying out loud, their subway map still puts a bus to the airport and not the UPX...

 

[Bojaxs]

The TTC likes to pretend the UPX is not its problem and could not care less about it. I saw someone on xitter paging ttchelps asking why they didn't have any announcements or notices that the UPX was down bc of stranded passengers and ttchelps basically told them to kick rocks because the UPX is Metrolinx's problem, not the TTC's.

It's incredibly stupid and the TTC needs to start acting like it's part of an actual transit system and not an isolated island where nobody else matters. For crying out loud, their subway map still puts a bus to the airport and not the UPX...

Is it not in the TTC's interest to encourage riders to take their airport shuttle from Kipling rather than the UPX train from Bloor station? TTC doesn't collect any fare revenue from the UPX.

 

[lastcommodore]

Is it not in the TTC's interest to encourage riders to take their airport shuttle from Kipling rather than the UPX train from Bloor station? TTC doesn't collect any fare revenue from the UPX.

No, and even if it was, the TTC should still be acting like it's part of a cohesive transit system and not an isolated island.

Suppose rider A takes UPX to Bloor then transfers onto Line 2. Versus rider B who takes the 901 to Kipling then line 2. Both riders would pay the TTC fare. (Rider A would additionally pay the UPX fare.)
Despite rider A and B paying the same fare, rider B would demand more service from the TTC than rider A, in the form of the 901 bus and on Line 2 from Kipling to Bloor, versus rider A who doesn't demand that because instead he demands that service from the UPX. Thus to the TTC rider A would be a more 'profitable' passenger.

The only time the TTC would benefit from someone not taking the UPX as compared to the TTC would be if the rider's route via the UPX would not take the TTC at all (e.g you live right on an UPX station)-- and if the rider does, the less they demand of the TTC, the more profitable.

 

[Mihairokov]

The TTC likes to pretend the UPX is not its problem and could not care less about it. I saw someone on xitter paging ttchelps asking why they didn't have any announcements or notices that the UPX was down bc of stranded passengers and ttchelps basically told them to kick rocks because the UPX is Metrolinx's problem, not the TTC's.

TTCHelps is correct, here. They have no control over UPX. I don't entirely expect Tokyo Metro to update me on closures of JR-East lines.