Toronto Spadina Subway Extension Emergency Exits | ?m | 1s | TTC | IBI Group

Jeez! Those quotes are unbelievable. This project always stunk to high heaven, and IMO Vaughan Metropolitan Centre will forever be the epitome of bad and backward planning. I wish Toronto could just cancel the bloody thing right at Steeles and recoup at least some of our losses.
 
CDL.TO said:
It's also good to consider the Sheppard East LRT, and other projects, in light of that article.

Things won't happen without a champion. Merit only goes so far. SELRT has no champion so we shouldn't be surprised that it foundered. And, frankly, the DRL doesn't have a champion either these days.
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The SELRT did have two champions: Miller and Giambrone. Why do you think it was at the front of the line when it came to Transit City? It wasn't the most critical (that would go to either Eglinton or the SLRT). It wasn't the one with the highest current ridership. It wasn't the one with the highest projected ridership. It wasn't at the front of the line for any technical reasons. Purely political.
 
gweed123 said:
The SELRT did have two champions: Miller and Giambrone. Why do you think it was at the front of the line when it came to Transit City? It wasn't the most critical (that would go to either Eglinton or the SLRT). It wasn't the one with the highest current ridership. It wasn't the one with the highest projected ridership. It wasn't at the front of the line for any technical reasons. Purely political.
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Yes. And once they were gone and it had no champion, it died. Exactly my point.
 
CDL.TO said:
Yes. And once they were gone and it had no champion, it died. Exactly my point.
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Yup, point taken. A project that can't stand on its own merits needs a champion to push it through. A project that can stand on its own merits still needs a champion, but it's a much easier sell.
 
gweed123 said:
Yup, point taken. A project that can't stand on its own merits needs a champion to push it through. A project that can stand on its own merits still needs a champion, but it's a much easier sell.
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I'd say that they both need champions equally in order to advance. It's just that finding champions *should* be easier for a project with strong merits.
 
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CDL.TO said:
I'd say that they both need champions equally in order to advance. It's just that finding champions *should* be easier for a project with strong merits.
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I think it's more a case of the champion for the project with stronger merits will have an easier sell job. And yes Mark, SmartTrack does have a few champions, as does GO RER. They both had strong merits in concept, and I hope those champions will be around long enough to push them past the point of no return (a point I like to refer to as the Harris Point).
 
M II A II R II K said:
What the TTC's Spadina extension looks like right now:


http://www.blogto.com/city/2015/05/what_the_ttcs_spadina_extension_looks_like_right_now/
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Just south of Pioneer Village station platforms is a special section of track that allows trains to cross between the north and southbound tracks. "If we had an emergency somewhere we could make [Pioneer Village] a terminal," says TTC spokesman Brad Ross. "We may use it for service adjustments in the morning. Right now at St. Clair West station we turn every second train. We may do that in this case as well, depending on in the early going how the service is going to operate."
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So Steeles West can be a terminal station, and a future short-turning point.
 
M II A II R II K said:
At least SmartTrack has a few.
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It's pretty clear though how it's going to go down. Province will play along enough to do what they are already going to do - electrify and run RER service on Kitchener and Stouffville lines. And let city spin it's wheels in terms of extra trains, service, stations, and Eglinton West. Offer no further money, knowing that nothing will happen ... except perhaps 2-3 extra stations somewhere.

After whoever gets elected in 2018, they know it will die.
 
nfitz said:
It's pretty clear though how it's going to go down. Province will play along enough to do what they are already going to do - electrify and run RER service on Kitchener and Stouffville lines. And let city spin it's wheels in terms of extra trains, service, stations, and Eglinton West. Offer no further money, knowing that nothing will happen ... except perhaps 2-3 extra stations somewhere.

After whoever gets elected in 2018, they know it will die.
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I think more likely a "compromise" will be reached whereby SmartTrack is extended further NW along the Kitchener corridor instead of Eglinton West. Tory just wants something with the name "SmartTrack" to get built. If one component of the plan gets chopped off, I really don't think he cares that much. It's the overall implementation that matters to him, and the branding.
 
gweed123 said:
I think more likely a "compromise" will be reached whereby SmartTrack is extended further NW along the Kitchener corridor instead of Eglinton West. Tory just wants something with the name "SmartTrack" to get built. If one component of the plan gets chopped off, I really don't think he cares that much. It's the overall implementation that matters to him, and the branding.
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I think that's right. (Although I think it's a pretty lame name, and it's not likely to survive past the planning documents.)

City input into infill stations and vehicle choice is huge, and worth paying city money for.

Another big "get" would be sharing the UPE dedicated track with west-side SmartTrack trains. User mdrejohn has been suggesting this but I don't know how likely this is. If it happens it is huge.
 
gweed123 said:
I think more likely a "compromise" will be reached whereby SmartTrack is extended further NW along the Kitchener corridor instead of Eglinton West. Tory just wants something with the name "SmartTrack" to get built. If one component of the plan gets chopped off, I really don't think he cares that much. It's the overall implementation that matters to him, and the branding.
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I think that's the strategy. Metrolinx will continue doing GO RER while calling it "SmartTrack" as much as possible, so that Tory can claim he's building what he promised. We've already seen this in action.

I don't think that's fully what Tory promised by showing SmartTrack on the TTC map however. To me showing it on the TTC map with the other TTC subways implies the TTC would run it and it would cost TTC fares. I'm skeptical that will happen though, but they'll still call it SmartTrack so Tory can say he's building it next election.
 
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