Finch West Line 6 LRT

[Allandale25]

Could be relevant:

Ottawa Transit Developments

This demonstrates the sort of wild talk going around Ottawa, everywhere from cafes to sidewalks to city hall. The dreaded sharp curves - 120 metre radius! - are to blame. Never mind that low-floor vehicles in Europe merrily zip around 25-metre curves all the time, and Toronto streetcars have...

urbantoronto.ca

 

[robmausser]

Lets hope that all the issues Ottawa is having are just teething and they will have fixed and updated all the issues with the vehicles once Finch is up. :S

 

[turbanplanner]

Anyone know of a website I can upload a 4GB clip to of the finch west construction? I'd rather avoid youtube

 

[Railrunner]

 

[robmausser]

The Crosstown people were like "yo don't open before us please"

 

[toaster29]

Stop planning and building these massive lines, and instead start at one end and open one station at a time as it is completed. Yes it would cost more, but the economic benefit for the areas that open years (maybe even decades) earlier would far outweigh that cost. Sick of this.

 

[nfitz]

Stop planning and building these massive lines, and instead start at one end and open one station at a time as it is completed. Yes it would cost more, but the economic benefit for the areas that open years (maybe even decades) earlier would far outweigh that cost. Sick of this.

I'm not sure I'd call a 10-km line, a massive line. They did this in London with the Elizabeth line, opening in 3 or 4 phases. But it's 117 km long, not 10 km. And each phase was longer than Line 6.

Line 5 is being done in stages. With the initial 20-km or so opening first, and then the later opening 10-km extension to Renforth station.

 

[LemonCondo]

They did this in London with the Elizabeth line, opening in 3 or 4 phases. But it's 117 km long, not 10 km.

Why can't we build stuff like Europe?

 

[nfitz]

Why can't we build stuff like Europe?

Expensive, overbudget, and late?

For that I give you the GO RER (or whatever they are calling it this week), for the 110 km from Oshawa to Aldershot.

 

[LemonCondo]

Expensive, overbudget, and late?

For that I give you the GO RER (or whatever they are calling it this week), for the 110 km from Oshawa to Aldershot.

At least it's built.

 

[nfitz]

At least it's built.

Yeah, Crossrail only took 50 years. Crossrail 2 has been in the works even longer, and won't open until at least the 2040s at this rate.

Which I admit is a lot faster than the Bakerloo extension from Elephant & Castle which has been under discussion since the 19th century. Elephant and Castle isn't very far from the river ("downtown") so it was always intended to go further. Extending it at least as far Camberwell, began serious discussions started 110 years ago, was approved in the 1930s; and by the late 1940s, they had signage in stations, on vehicles, and on maps, showing the extension. After many, many, plans, currently it's going to Lewisham instead, via Old Kent Road instead; ironically going back to an 1897 parliamentary proposal for then proposed "Baker Street & Waterloo Railway"! Unlikely to even start construction until the 2030s.

There seems to be the belief by many that things always happen faster and cheaper than in Toronto. But similar issues are everywhere.

 

[crs1026]

^I would like to see someone do a thorough study of European transit building. My impression is that plenty of lines see decades of debate and redrawing, just as ours do.... projects get mothballed, deferred, restarted, delayed, redirected, have cost overrun and discovery work, etc. I'm not sure a comprehensive review would declare day-and-night differences between Europe and ourselves, notwithstanding some of our local foibles.
A more direct question would be, has there been any evidence of egregious slippage or quality impairment on the Finch project? Overall, my impression is that it has been done very efficiently and so far scandal-free. It's the transit project in the GTA that I would most proudly point to. Moving the opening date into the next calendar year is pretty minimal slippage overall.

- Paul.

 

[Northern Light]

^I would like to see someone do a thorough study of European transit building. My impression is that plenty of lines see decades of debate and redrawing, just as ours do.... projects get mothballed, deferred, restarted, delayed, redirected, have cost overrun and discovery work, etc. I'm not sure a comprehensive review would declare day-and-night differences between Europe and ourselves, notwithstanding some of our local foibles.
A more direct question would be, has there been any evidence of egregious slippage or quality impairment on the Finch project? Overall, my impression is that it has been done very efficiently and so far scandal-free. It's the transit project in the GTA that I would most proudly point to. Moving the opening date into the next calendar year is pretty minimal slippage overall.

- Paul.

I know someone working on this project.

So as not to out them, I can't reasonably detail what's gone wrong/sideways here, except to say, more than a few things.

It has not been nearly as 'smooth' as you might think.

 

[nfitz]

I know someone working on this project.

So as not to out them, I can't reasonably detail what's gone wrong/sideways here, except to say, more than a few things.

It has not been nearly as 'smooth' as you might think.

That's pretty much any construction. And particularly on a design-build contract like this, it's taken into account.

The question would be how late is it delivered - and in this case, how much time did they lose because of Covid - which would be a force majeure.

The only big issue to date that's come out is the Citadis axis issue, which is going to require some time to fix. Though even then they can start service with what they have.

 

[Northern Light]

That's pretty much any construction. And particularly on a design-build contract like this, it's taken into account.

I'm not new.

I might be aware how construction/infrastructure development works..........

If I bothered to say something, which I did, you can be assured I was reporting something exceptional, which project staff did not consider acceptable or course of business.

The question would be how late is it delivered - and in this case, how much time did they lose because of Covid - which would be a force majeure.

The delivery date for the project component on which I have insight is a delay of greater than 15 months past the original target date.

The nature of the problems encountered have comparatively little to do with Covid.

The only big issue to date that's come out is the Citadis axis issue, which is going to require some time to fix. Though even then they can start service with what they have.

The project item with which I am familiar has nothing to do with rolling stock; the problems have been, are being and will be fixed; but at added cost and added time, well beyond contingencies.