Towered
Superstar
Passing by Mount Dennis station yesterday while on the GO train I spotted about a dozen of the new LRT's just sitting there...
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Tunafish13
Active Member
I haven't seen the trains testing in a while, is the operator training complete?
smallspy
Senior Member
The third set of training classes never happened, and the second class never got completed. Both of those things need to happen before either of the lines can be made ready to go.
Dan
TOtramz
Active Member
Maybe they're waiting to fix that rough patch of track near kennedy before resuming testing.
Toronto Rocks
Active Member
Is this TTC training or Metrolinx? Chow recently mentioned the TTC operators were up and ready.
nfitz
Superstar
I assume this means there was a significant internal change in the opening date. I wonder what lead to that.
I assume they don't need all 3 classes for Finch West operation. Do they even need all 3 classes if they were only operating Eglinton?
With only 1 class, surely they could 9 am to 5 pm weekday trial-running, and then go to a full trial when the second class graduates.
TOtramz
Active Member
I thought the recent TTC budget showed the crosstown operational by summer?
T3G
Senior Member
Every TTC budget for the last few years has shown a section for the LRT lines, because if the line (somehow) got opened and they had no money set aside they would be caught with their pants down.
If the line doesn't open this year they'll probably use the surplus money to beef up bus service. I believe that is what they did the last 2 years.
bono47
New Member
Can you share what happened here? Seemed like they had good momentum heading into the holidays.
nfitz
Superstar
Didn't the 2024 TTC budget show it open in late summer 2024 (September 2024).
And the 2023 TTC budget show it open in September 2023?
TOtramz
Active Member
Wow that looks bad.
Hopefully with June 1st earliest possible opening means that we will get the opening some time this year........
Also does it really take a year to train an operator to drive a streetcar? People learn how to drive a bus in way less time than that and buses are way more complex to operate than a train (that runs automated 50% of the line).
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cplchanb
Senior Member
could be a big big problem that they discovered and are trying to solve it behind closed doors.... feel free to correct me if im wrong....
drum118
Superstar
The problem is not the training, but finding the drivers to drive the line. I have seen a lot of training cars out training more than one driver at a time, but do they make the cut is unknown. At the same time, TTC is creating a new division for Line 5 and 6 where some of the existing drivers may not want to go to, let alone new ones.
Based on what I have seen posted by someone, TTC doesn't have the manpower for both lines at this time. I have asked the question "Does TTC have enough Drivers for both lines" a number of times and never see a true answers. I have seen next to no LRV's being tested on both lines and its been reported by others here that they are seeing it as well or a few cars on the line at given time.
It cost TTC money to have a pot full drivers sitting on their hands waiting for the lines to open. If TTC had the drivers for Line 5 the past 18 months to run the line, what would it had cost TTC to have this large group of drivers doing nothing for that timeframe?? $150,000 x 100 drivers = $15 million and that is not cheap at a guess of number of driver. Just think what it is cost ML to maintain the maintenance crews for the past 5 years.
bono47
New Member
how does one correct a wildly speculative and unsubstantiated rumour?
smallspy
Senior Member
There is no rough patch of track.
TTC's operators. The first set of classes completed their training on the Eglinton Line, the second set had their classes interrupted about two-thirds of the way through. The third set of operators - the ones that were going to be the first ones trained on both Eglinton and Finch West - have had their training dates postponed indefinitely.
Only in general terms.
The gist of it is two fold: that there was a major signal system failure on the Crosstown early November, and they have been trying to resolve it since then. This is what halted the second set of classes for training the operators. On Finch West, the TTC has still not been given full access to the line, as Metrolinx and Mosaic are still hashing things out.
If you'd been following, you'd know that no, it doesn't take a year to train an operator to drive a streetcar.
As well, these aren't streetcars, and it still doesn't take a year. The TTC requires 30 days of training, the same as a subway operator as - despite what a lot on here want to believe - the line is as complicated to operate as a subway.
Dan
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