W. K. Lis
Superstar
Unfortunately, the crossover tracks were BEFORE the side platforms. They were initially to have a central platform, but with the extension for Islington & Warden close by, they switched to side platforms for Keele & Woodbine.
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Voltz
Senior Member
This is a better layout since it allows for a shorter headway between trains, compared to a terminal station like Finch where the trains spend more time going through the longer crossover tracks, and block other movements while doing so.
drum118
Superstar
Since I was running over 90 minutes behind schedule, did not cover the areas I wanted to on my visit today, but some hair scratching on what I saw.
From what I can tell, the westbound lanes from Hakim Ave to east of O'Conner Dr has been repave with final top and marked for lanes and bike lane that should be strip shortly. Eastbound lanes have be plane along with the ramp over the tracks. Drivers were a pain not only trying to get on/off the track, but around the raise manholes frames.
Until I have a closure look at the rest of the ROW from the DVP to Kennedy portal, it looks like the only grass well see in the ROW will be from the eastbound platform of Golden Mile Station to the westbound platform of Birchmount Station with various boxes still have to be built in the grass. Saw the sprinkler system in operation as I was walking west. 2 different style and have photos of them working. One is on the north side of the westbound track and standard type that does almost 180 degree swing covering both tracks and not in unison with each over and may requre adjustments or that's the way its to be. The other one is odd and against the concrete edge on the northside like a low fountain that doesn't cover all of the ROW from my point of view. A few areas have a small batch of grab grass and not surprise
Tons of cable work still to be done. Landscaping starting to take place.
Issue 1: In place of the normal 2 transit signals' that are working for each intersection tracks in each direction, there are 4. The standard on coming signal in place like TTC ones, but another set on the opposite facing LRV's coming from the opposite with one point toward the driver if they are stop for a light. I stand to be corrected, but with the crossing signals for pedestrians to either get across the road or the stop is partly blocking the on coming vehicle signal. I try putting myself in the seat of a LRV driver and one signal is block from view and the other partly. The signals for pedestrians are cover up and not fully setup. Have never seen this 4e signal setup anywhere in the world I have been to that has trans/streetcars.
Issue 2: Transportation Toronto continue to make cars the God of the road by forcing the LRV to stop 10 seconds sooner for a red than a car. I time a number of light changes and the LRV must stop 10 second sooner based on the timing I did. Does this meant the LRV's will be running at higher speeds than the cars??
Issue 3: Why is there this huge wide sidewalk across the middle of the block where there is to be no one crossing the tracks between stations??
Issue 4: Why is concrete being pour to fully encase the track from intersection to intersection when it would be better off to either leave it as is or place grass there in the first place?? Total unfriendly to the environment and huge waste of money??
Photos will be on line when I get to them and part of the 506 I shot Sept 19.
From what I can tell, the westbound lanes from Hakim Ave to east of O'Conner Dr has been repave with final top and marked for lanes and bike lane that should be strip shortly. Eastbound lanes have be plane along with the ramp over the tracks. Drivers were a pain not only trying to get on/off the track, but around the raise manholes frames.
Until I have a closure look at the rest of the ROW from the DVP to Kennedy portal, it looks like the only grass well see in the ROW will be from the eastbound platform of Golden Mile Station to the westbound platform of Birchmount Station with various boxes still have to be built in the grass. Saw the sprinkler system in operation as I was walking west. 2 different style and have photos of them working. One is on the north side of the westbound track and standard type that does almost 180 degree swing covering both tracks and not in unison with each over and may requre adjustments or that's the way its to be. The other one is odd and against the concrete edge on the northside like a low fountain that doesn't cover all of the ROW from my point of view. A few areas have a small batch of grab grass and not surprise
Tons of cable work still to be done. Landscaping starting to take place.
Issue 1: In place of the normal 2 transit signals' that are working for each intersection tracks in each direction, there are 4. The standard on coming signal in place like TTC ones, but another set on the opposite facing LRV's coming from the opposite with one point toward the driver if they are stop for a light. I stand to be corrected, but with the crossing signals for pedestrians to either get across the road or the stop is partly blocking the on coming vehicle signal. I try putting myself in the seat of a LRV driver and one signal is block from view and the other partly. The signals for pedestrians are cover up and not fully setup. Have never seen this 4e signal setup anywhere in the world I have been to that has trans/streetcars.
Issue 2: Transportation Toronto continue to make cars the God of the road by forcing the LRV to stop 10 seconds sooner for a red than a car. I time a number of light changes and the LRV must stop 10 second sooner based on the timing I did. Does this meant the LRV's will be running at higher speeds than the cars??
Issue 3: Why is there this huge wide sidewalk across the middle of the block where there is to be no one crossing the tracks between stations??
Issue 4: Why is concrete being pour to fully encase the track from intersection to intersection when it would be better off to either leave it as is or place grass there in the first place?? Total unfriendly to the environment and huge waste of money??
Photos will be on line when I get to them and part of the 506 I shot Sept 19.
smallspy
Senior Member
The placement of the crossovers in front of or behind a station has absolutely zero bearing on the minimum headway that the system it capable of running. All of the same issues regarding speed of the crossovers and the amount of time spent occupying them remain.
Crossover geometry, signal circuit lengths, and clearance time all have a far larger factor in determining the minimum headway possible.
Dan
Voltz
Senior Member
Yes, the geometry at Finch, with it's longer crossovers since it has a center platform, mean a longer headway, a side platform terminal station should have the crossovers beyond the station
smallspy
Senior Member
Crossovers behind the station, unless their geometry is vastly different to those ahead of the station, won't help reduce headways on the line. They certainly won't at Finch, in any of its potential configurations.
Double crossovers as a general rule have a reasonably high minimum theoretical headway because no matter what you are going to have a number of different situations during the cycle where one train will tie up the entirety of the interlocking plant. There are other methods of turning trains that allow for far lower headways.
Dan
drum118
Superstar
Sept 19
More up on site
Westbound Lanes Pave Hakim Ave To East Of O'Conner Dr only and waiting striping including Bike lane
Eastbound Track From O'Conner Dr To Pharmacy To Be Encased In Concrete
Golden Mile Westbound Station With Eastbound Track Being Encased In Concrete
Double Sided Transit Signals At each Intersections Per Direction Being Block By Pedestrian Crossing Light. Need the bar signals.
One signal pointing straight and the other on an angle for the LRV Driver
Grass only for 2 blocks from Golden Mile eastbound stop to Birchmount westbound stop
Do not cross sign posted here with wide concrete sidewalk mid block
Grass being water with 2 type of sprinklers
LRV must stop 10 seconds before traffic
Double sided transit signals at all traffic light intersections
Tracks being encased in Concrete west of Victoria Park
Victoria Park Station
More up on site
Westbound Lanes Pave Hakim Ave To East Of O'Conner Dr only and waiting striping including Bike lane
Eastbound Track From O'Conner Dr To Pharmacy To Be Encased In Concrete
Golden Mile Westbound Station With Eastbound Track Being Encased In Concrete
Double Sided Transit Signals At each Intersections Per Direction Being Block By Pedestrian Crossing Light. Need the bar signals.
One signal pointing straight and the other on an angle for the LRV Driver
Grass only for 2 blocks from Golden Mile eastbound stop to Birchmount westbound stop
Do not cross sign posted here with wide concrete sidewalk mid block
Grass being water with 2 type of sprinklers
LRV must stop 10 seconds before traffic
Double sided transit signals at all traffic light intersections
Tracks being encased in Concrete west of Victoria Park
Victoria Park Station
p_xavier
Active Member
Automatic sprinklers! That's actually a lot more than what I would have expected as the project was meant to cost cutting measures.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Why use "TRANSIT SIGNAL" and "LEFT TURN SIGNAL" verbage signs, when the rest of world have gone without them? The rest of the world uses transit specific special signals and red & yellow arrow signals, not Toronto.Sept 19
More up on site
Westbound Lanes Pave Hakim Ave To East Of O'Conner Dr only and waiting striping including Bike lane
Double Sided Transit Signals At each Intersections Per Direction Being Block By Pedestrian Crossing Light. Need the bar signals.
One signal pointing straight and the other on an angle for the LRV Driver
Grass only for 2 blocks from Golden Mile eastbound stop to Birchmount westbound stop
Grass being water with 2 type of sprinklers
LRV must stop 10 seconds before traffic
Double sided transit signals at all traffic light intersections
Because Toronto's Transportation Department give priority to the almighty automobile, ahead of public transit, cyclists, and pedestrians.
EnviroTO
Senior Member
Wait, are you telling me that the whole project with 5.4km of LRT running at the surface in the middle of the road, only about 500m will get grass? I wonder if the RFP was written "project should have a green median between stops" and now they can mark this checkmark "complete".
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Toronto's Transportation Department does not like trees, grass, shrubs, or anything "green".
Irishmonk
Senior Member
The absence of signal priority on this line is absolutely infuriating. Having a train with as many as 300 people on it stop for a red light, then again for the station a few seconds later is straight of bizarro land. Metrolinx is spending around 10B on this line and it's going to be severely compromised by....traffic lights? Too bad ML can't smack the city on the nose with a rolled up newspaper and tell it to smarten up.
kamira51
Active Member
Fantastic pictures, have you considered to take pictures of the finch west lrt?Sept 19
More up on site
Westbound Lanes Pave Hakim Ave To East Of O'Conner Dr only and waiting striping including Bike lane
Eastbound Track From O'Conner Dr To Pharmacy To Be Encased In Concrete
Golden Mile Westbound Station With Eastbound Track Being Encased In Concrete
Double Sided Transit Signals At each Intersections Per Direction Being Block By Pedestrian Crossing Light. Need the bar signals.
One signal pointing straight and the other on an angle for the LRV Driver
Grass only for 2 blocks from Golden Mile eastbound stop to Birchmount westbound stop
Do not cross sign posted here with wide concrete sidewalk mid block
Grass being water with 2 type of sprinklers
LRV must stop 10 seconds before traffic
Double sided transit signals at all traffic light intersections
Tracks being encased in Concrete west of Victoria Park
Victoria Park Station
whatever
Senior Member
That's closer to 2km (less the stops and intersections), but your point is valid. But I can also understand not wanting to run the grass between Aga Khan and Victoria Park. I see the development potential and the hopes for what the Golden Mile can/might be, but that other chunk is much more limited in it's potential for an urban streetscape
crs1026
Senior Member
I am withholding any firm judgement until the miles of orange pylons and construction debris are gone…..but…. when I drive Eglinton East my gut reaction remains “ugh”, grass or no grass. It’s an ugly streetscape. I also find the OCS structure to be quite severe and overpowering….. surely there was a simpler and more elegant way to string those wires. Even the traffic control structures are overbuilt.
I’m glad to see any length of grass, especially when I know what a mind shift it has taken to get even a token amount injected into the City’s minds. But Eglinton is not shaping up as vibrant, yet. Let’s see a whole lot of tree planting, and a new built form that’s better than all those grubby commercial one-storey outlets.
At least we can now move a lot more people a lot faster….the stage is set for better things.
- Paul
I’m glad to see any length of grass, especially when I know what a mind shift it has taken to get even a token amount injected into the City’s minds. But Eglinton is not shaping up as vibrant, yet. Let’s see a whole lot of tree planting, and a new built form that’s better than all those grubby commercial one-storey outlets.
At least we can now move a lot more people a lot faster….the stage is set for better things.
- Paul