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Toronto Crosstown LRT | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

Its name is Dennis, and it's the good one.



The obvious reasons for non-movement would be planned maintenance and breakdowns. Don't they also have to stop periodically to add another length to the conveyer belt system? I wonder if the cutting heads jam or need to be replaced at irregular intervals. I suspect the boring production schedule has periods of planned non-movement, or just plain float.

I have wondered about the sudden jumps, and suspect that's just delays in passing the data to the web person. I don't know how often the contractor has to provide data to Metrolinx, or how often the ML web people get updates from the ML project people. If a clerk takes a day or week off, does someone worry about keeping the data updated while they are away? Is the web maintained by a contract PR firm, which charges for each update? (I have seen the latter) I suspect the updates are pretty low priority. Only we junkies who need our constant TBM fixes notice. Crosstown is updating a lot more regularly than TYSSE did, and that's one thing they should get kudos for.

- Paul

You mean GPS doesn't work underground?
 
Its name is Dennis, and it's the good one.



The obvious reasons for non-movement would be planned maintenance and breakdowns. Don't they also have to stop periodically to add another length to the conveyer belt system? I wonder if the cutting heads jam or need to be replaced at irregular intervals. I suspect the boring production schedule has periods of planned non-movement, or just plain float.

I have wondered about the sudden jumps, and suspect that's just delays in passing the data to the web person. I don't know how often the contractor has to provide data to Metrolinx, or how often the ML web people get updates from the ML project people. If a clerk takes a day or week off, does someone worry about keeping the data updated while they are away? Is the web maintained by a contract PR firm, which charges for each update? (I have seen the latter) I suspect the updates are pretty low priority. Only we junkies who need our constant TBM fixes notice. Crosstown is updating a lot more regularly than TYSSE did, and that's one thing they should get kudos for.

- Paul

You've got in on most of those accounts. The TBMs take a while to get out of the launch shafts, which is why they are slow out of the gates. You have to piece by piece get the 80m long machine put together as you launch.

As for in-stream, regular maintenance is needed. If they have the continuous conveyor in the tunnel, then those sections need to be added on, although typically you can do stuff like that on a night or weekend maintenance shift (I'm not sure if they're mining 24/7, but I wouldn't think so).

Longest downtime can be for seal or cutting-head teeth issues. These are EPB machines with an airlock, so depending on the ground pressure, that maintenance has to be done under compressed air....that takes time to set up, and then do the actual maintenance. Typically they'd change rippers and cutters out before they knew they were going into rougher terrain. I don't remember what the geo profile looked like on the alignment (it was too many years ago that I worked on the designs), but because the segment between Bathurst and Spadina essentially cut through a hill, they may have been going through rockier soil, and may have stopped ahead to make sure the tools were in good enough shape to get through the tough stuff.
 
For the stations that will be mined, there is one company that has good references:
seven_dwarfs_mining_co__by_courtneycupcakee-d4w48fc.jpg
 
Mike Harris only delayed the inevitable. He was unable to stop rapid transit in Eglinton, even in his lifetime.

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT would spite on Harris, just by existing.
He wasn't against a subway on Eglinton; he was just against the province paying for anything ever.
 

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