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Okay, we've opened a Pandora's Box here. On one side, we've got people who say NEVER going to electrify, and on the other side, we've got people who say we PANIC immediately. And all those in-betweens. I do prefer far faster than 2100, but I'm trying to write in a catchall manner -- hard to...

So many ways to generate electricity. The mechanism to transfer stationary geothermal energy to a train is probably via an intermediate mechanism such as catenary, hydrogen or battery ;) Geothermal -> Electricity -> Catenary -> Train

Much ado about nothing. It wouldn’t drive freight lines to bankruptcy. (It’s NOT even boiling a frog at all) If you see what I mentioned above, year 2100 is a lot of time for freight lines to electrify. It would begin in a future era (maybe beyond our lifetimes) where it’s practical...

This be true, however, the bulk of 3 kilovolt to 25 kilovolt equipment is getting much more compact than it used to be 30 years ago. For a short section of catenary, all the necessary equipment to keep a catenary live, now can fits in a single suburban lot, if it is not powering many trains...

This is true -- though the proportion of nearside-vs-farside stops varies from LRT to LRT. The nearside transit priority prediction problem: Unpredictable dwell times means transit priority signalling isn't always as reliable for nearside stops. By the time LRT is ready to move, the light may...

Fixed that for you. It could happen by year 2100, forced by government, or unaffordable costs (climate change legislation...), etc. Not something we'll easily predict in near term. Even if catenary gets built, doesn't have to be continuous -- who knows, it could be battery/trimode freight...

Routes such as Hurontario and Hamilton are at least higher-order than the street section of ION LRT. -- Much like Spadina streetcar except much longer curbs between traffic intersections, and bigger/raised subway-style platforms. -- No left turns allowed except at traffic signalled...

UPDATE: Just want to announce I have created a new thread about battery train economics. I have hugely mixed feelings about hydrogen. Pretty huge. But I have very good feelings about the future of battery EMUs Lack of hydrogen infrastructure versus maturity of the invention of controlled...

This [fantasy] map looks like the King Street TTC Trail was upgraded to a surface Calgary C-Train LRT using 3-vehicle consists and 90 meter platforms, no left turns allowed except at stoplights, and full transit priority upgrade for the entire corridor: Calgary C-Train LRT manages to move over...

No -- for freight sections -- I only mention because "someday" -- climate legislation will probably eventually force CN and CP to electrify their freight before year 2100. Could be 2030, could be 2040, could be 2100. But for the purposes of my post, let's not depend on that happening. _____...

I’d like to see reliability statistics comparisons between Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo. We hear very little about KW ION LRT problems, so I’m pretty curious how the situation compares. This data can be important for other LRT projects beginning construction such as Finch, Hamilton...

That’s my preference too — catenary all the way to Burlington. While I am more enthusiastic about battery trains, I do view it as strictly a revolutionary solution to expanding onto the freight lines long before they’re easily able to be electrified. Unless electrification is delayed (cost...

I’m a deafie.... but there was a lot of flashing. The flashing platform lights, etc.

It’s far less oddball than Hydrail: - A battery train can double as a standard EMU (disable the battery). - Infrastructure for battery trains can be used with regular EMUs (no need for battery). - Variants of batteries are a mature technology that is generally well understood for more than 100...

A percentage of Catenary will be absolutely necessary for battery economics. Battery size for the size of trains GO runs No space wasted by trains being recharged Recharge-on-the fly Recharge slower and gentler, since you can recharge-on-the-fly Safety margin for downtime (train stuck behind...

Man, the memories. As a kid, the airport security experience was much more amenable to family greeting me at the airport. It was amazing to see my other parent (daddy) as I disembarked the plane with the mommy. Or vice versa, waiting (with my mommy) for my daddy to appear from the gate after...

The bottom line is Niagara Falls needs to begin thinking a little bit more urban -- i.e. add transit upgrades. This will be a 20-year plan (much like Brampton). If voters put mind to it (gradually) -- Niagara can very well pull off a Brampton rabbit out of the hat with a transit renewal...

For completeness sake, in the department of Metrolinx’s open mind about “alternative” solutions (from sensible battery breakthroughs thru risky Hydrail, etc). In 2017 Metrolinx decided to use (centralized) multi-megawatt-scale lithium battery storage as a power buffer for Crosstown LRT...

Third rail reliability are quite complicated in rail yards & switches, and there are not enough grade separations, and too much illegal entry by humans. Very unsafe. Third rail is also lower voltage. Overhead catenary on many mainlines is 25 kilovolts and can inject megawatts into a trainset...