Metrolinx: Bombardier Flexity Freedom & Alstom Citadis Spirit LRVs

[EastYorkTTCFan]

It wont but it can. Most LRT systems in the USA (and Calgary/Edmonton) are much more brute force. A gate comes down and that LRT is going through, whether the light is red or green.

Of course we would never do this in Toronto. We also couldnt do it because we built our LRTs down the centre of the roadway, not beside them. Our LRT's really are LRT-lite. A mix of streetcar and LRT

I think most of the railroad crossing barriers on LRT systems are unnecessary unless the LRT is making a transition across a street in a way that is against the normal flow of traffic. Operating in the middle of a right of way where it only corses a section of road that can be controlled by traffic lights it makes no sense to me at all.

 

[robmausser]

I think most of the railroad crossing barriers on LRT systems are unnecessary unless the LRT is making a transition across a street in a way that is against the normal flow of traffic. Operating in the middle of a right of way where it only corses a section of road that can be controlled by traffic lights it makes no sense to me at all.

You are focusing on the wrong aspect.

I dont care if there are barriers, what I am showing is the "Brute Force" nature of the LRT.

The LRT NEVER waits for the light to change. The LRT changes the light.

When I rode the LRT in San Diego, Denver and Baltimore, the train never stopped for a light. Ever. The train dictated that the intersection be shut down and it came through on its scheduled service.

A tram stopping at a light isnt an LRT in my books, its a streetcar.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

You are focusing on the wrong aspect.

I dont care if there are barriers, what I am showing is the "Brute Force" nature of the LRT.

The LRT NEVER waits for the light to change. The LRT changes the light.

When I rode the LRT in San Diego, Denver and Baltimore, the train never stopped for a light. Ever. The train dictated that the intersection be shut down and it came through on its scheduled service.

A tram stopping at a light isn't an LRT in my books, its a streetcar.

The "brute force " you are talking about is them achieving a signal just like a train does at a railroad crossing. As of right now, we do not know if the crosstown is going to have signal p[rority for the LRT or not. I agree it should but we definitely don't need to treat it like it's a railroad crossing the street like other places seem to do unless it makes movement across a street that would require all traffic on it to stop.

 

[Amare]

As of right now, we do not know if the crosstown is going to have signal p[rority for the LRT or not.

The Crosstown wont have signal priority due to Toronto Transportation Services' ineptitude. They seem more intent on aiding single passenger vehicles, than vehicles packed with 30-150 passengers

 

[ShonTron]

You are focusing on the wrong aspect.

I dont care if there are barriers, what I am showing is the "Brute Force" nature of the LRT.

The LRT NEVER waits for the light to change. The LRT changes the light.

When I rode the LRT in San Diego, Denver and Baltimore, the train never stopped for a light. Ever. The train dictated that the intersection be shut down and it came through on its scheduled service.

A tram stopping at a light isnt an LRT in my books, its a streetcar.

This is how it is in Edmonton and in Calgary (7th Avenue excepted). Even in median operation, there are railway grade crossings, with crossbucks, lights, and gates. Only on 7th Avenue is the C-Train subject to traffic signals.

Even Phoenix, an extremely sprawl-addicted, autocentric place, has full transit priority on its LRT.

 

[mdrejhon]

This is how it is in Edmonton and in Calgary (7th Avenue excepted). Even in median operation, there are railway grade crossings, with crossbucks, lights, and gates. Only on 7th Avenue is the C-Train subject to traffic signals.

Even Phoenix, an extremely sprawl-addicted, autocentric place, has full transit priority on its LRT.

This.

That the way it works.

It'd be scandalous for Crosstown to not have transit priority where traffic lights go green ~5 seconds before LRV whooshes past at 50kph without having needed to slow down. Unlike Spadina/StClair, even the LRT corridor curbed coast sections (typically 1km of nonstop curb) are far more than long enough to let crosswalk countdowns finish before the light goes green.

That's the way it works.

It's essential to do transit priority in order to keep the tunnel section subway-fast.

Who wants a streetcar-slow subway (or the ineffective "transit priority lite" used elsewhere on TTC)... why are we spending 5.4 billion not to do transit priority?

That's the way it works, full stop.

Besides, there are counterbalances that makes vehicle traffic better. There is usually a generously-long green light right after the LRT passes, to compensate. Tell that to Traffic Services. Bang it i to their heads, with the price tag.

 

[W. K. Lis]

It's Toronto Transportation Services that nixed having grass on the right-of-ways for Queens Quay, Spadina, and St. Clair.

 

[smallspy]

The Crosstown wont have signal priority due to Toronto Transportation Services' ineptitude. They seem more intent on aiding single passenger vehicles, than vehicles packed with 30-150 passengers

Don't mistake ineptitude for stubbornness. They are very capable of doing it if they chose to.

The problem is making them chose to.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[Amare]

^Very true, and of course John Tory would be the person to have the power to pressure them into doing so. But right now he seems to be focused on his single occupancy vehicle pet projects (ie: traffic wardens, "quick response" teams, and automated signal timing).

 

[Allandale25]

Job postings at the Alstom plant in Brampton:

https://www.eluta.ca/jobs-at-alstom-in-Brampton-ON

 

[M II A II R II K]

Metrolinx still waiting for first Eglinton Crosstown vehicle


https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ing-for-first-eglinton-crosstown-vehicle.html

.....

- Two months after Bombardier announced the first vehicle for Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown LRT was almost ready, the car has yet to be shipped, and the Quebec-based manufacturer now has just weeks to meet a deadline to deliver half a dozen of the new cars.

.....

 

[TOareaFan]

I don’t follow Ctosstown as closely as maybe I should.....but is the track fully layed? Or, at least, has enough track been layed that they could take delivery and test a vehicle?

 

[steveintoronto]

Job postings at the Alstom plant in Brampton:

https://www.eluta.ca/jobs-at-alstom-in-Brampton-ON

Rather prescient in lieu of today's Star article linked above. I'm not pro or con either Metrolinx or BBD, but my very first thought reading the article was "Metrolinx called this one right". They've taken a lot of flak over the Alstom move. It appears to be all the wiser as events unfold...or rather, don't unfold as they should.

And it's not just the LRVs alone, it's having Alstom more keen to set deeper roots in Ontario. With Alstom comes (ostensibly, EU anti-trust approval pending) Siemens. And BBD is not looking particularly 'corporate capable' of late. I see a 'reckoning' on the horizon....and best there be 'operations in Canada' if not 'Canadian operations' there to pick-up the pieces.

Remember that BBD *bought* more technology than developed itself. And that's why so much is going wrong with the LRVs, it's not Canadian derived, HQ for that division is in Germany, where the designs were developed. Ironically, BBD Transport in Canada is a branch plant operation.

 

[smallspy]

I don’t follow Ctosstown as closely as maybe I should.....but is the track fully layed? Or, at least, has enough track been layed that they could take delivery and test a vehicle?

Most of the track in the yard has been laid and set. I think that they have most of the catenary strung up as well, but I don't know if its energized yet.

Beyond that - there is a short length of track installed at the platforms at Mount Dennis Station, and some of the track in the tunnel from Keelesdale to Caledonia for testing the installation systems. But neither of those are connected to the yard as yet.

Dan

 

[TOareaFan]

Most of the track in the yard has been laid and set. I think that they have most of the catenary strung up as well, but I don't know if its energized yet.

Beyond that - there is a short length of track installed at the platforms at Mount Dennis Station, and some of the track in the tunnel from Keelesdale to Caledonia for testing the installation systems. But neither of those are connected to the yard as yet.

Dan

So, is that enough track layed to actually take a delivery and start testing? To my laymen eyes/ears it sounds like “no” but I will defer to people with more real knowledge.