Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited

reaperexpress said:
It will be pretty intense being on the RailPath while a diesel train is accelerating out of the station only a metre away.
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Intense is a bit of an exaggeration. Afterall thousands if not ten of thousand of people walk or stand beside these diesel trains every day as they accelerate out of train stations. I agree it's certainly not pleasant though, but hopefully the sound barrier is large/tall enough to mitigate the effect.
 
vegeta_skyline said:
Intense is a bit of an exaggeration. Afterall thousands if not ten of thousand of people walk or stand beside these diesel trains every day as they accelerate out of train stations. I agree it's certainly not pleasant though, but hopefully the sound barrier is large/tall enough to mitigate the effect.
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Barriers? Who needs barriers?
Not even a bell or horn.
 
They will throw up a fence for the time being that will not have a retaining wall for it, regardless the slop to the platform.

When come time for track 1 to go in, a good chunk of the path between Bloor & Dupont will have to be move as well come narrower in a few spots for it.

At that time, the new sound barrier will be install like the north end.

Any trees near the ROW and hang over the fence will be cut back to deal with falling branches. Metrolinx prefer the tree to be away from the ROW to deal with falling branches and leaves.
 
crs1026 said:
Thanks for posting those - I had meant to get down there and see how the station is progressing.

Imagine those pictures with a fourth track, and poles for the electric wires, and a sound fence on top of a retaining wall. It's hard to be sure that the path won't suffer from the transformation. One option might be to enhace that stretch as an extension of the station itself ie more of an open square than a segment of pathway.

The light poles can probably be moved, and that vegetation will probably need to be shaved. When electrification happens there will have to be a minimum clearance between overhead branches and the catenary - that may not bode well for some of the trees that have grown up in that space.

- Paul
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Wouldn't "RailPath" imply that it passes beside an active railway? Seems like people once again are allowing a secondary use to dominate the primary use when planning.
 
Woodbridge_Heights said:
Wouldn't "RailPath" imply that it passes beside an active railway? Seems like people once again are allowing a secondary use to dominate the primary use when planning.
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I don't think that's a fair statement. No one has suggested that the railway operation be curtailed in any way.

The discussion is how the adverse impact of the primary use could be mitigated, particularly important since the secondary use is valued. Good planning looks for win-win.

- Paul
 
I took the UPX for the first time yesterday. Quick question, when travelling to Union, why is there an automated announcement welcoming people on board after departing Weston and Bloor stations? How many people are actually taking the UPX just from Weston to Union?

Other things:

- I was impressed by the clarity of the wayfinding at T1. Very easy to find the UPX Station. Having recently taken the trains to the city centre at Newark and Charles de Gaulle it was by far the easiest.

- At 4:00 Sunday it was about 40% capacity.

- While this was my first time taking the train, I've peeked my head into the Union platform a few times and the gift store and coffee shop are always dead. Has anyone else noticed this?
 
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mjl08 said:
I took the UPX for the first time yesterday. Quick question, when travelling to Union, why is there an automated announcement welcoming people on board after departing Weston and Bloor stations? How many people are actually taking the UPX just from Weston to Union?
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I think your answer to the question you pose is in the bolded word. If it was not automated and no one got on then they could skip the announcement.....since it is, though, it would happen everytime. Really not sure what your issue with it might be though....seems harmless enough regardless of how many people might be affected.
 
reaperexpress said:
A couple pics from the RailPath at Bloor Station:

There really isn't very much room between the platform and the path for the fourth track (cyclist for scale). Given the steep slope and limited space, a retaining wall will definitely be needed.
It will be pretty intense being on the RailPath while a diesel train is accelerating out of the station only a metre away.
20422110582_aecaec9ff5_c.jpg
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If the current construction fence moves to the left, this will be very tight indeed. Given the amount of money spent building the rail path and its use, this all seems rather short-sighted.

On a side note, the signage here for the UPX is baffling. I've only looked at it while biking, but there's separate signage directing you down the stairs, up a ramp at the end, and to a fenced off set of Presto readers from which you can't access the station. I sure hope it's better if you're transferring from the subway.
 
I have a friend who says she uses the UPx around once a week to get downtown from Weston, but she lives within walking distance of the station. Probably one of only a few people who do it.
 
What about running RailPath on top of the platform roof? Strengthen (if necessary) the platform roof structure with some overhang, build a green roof with a path running through it, ramps at both ends... just route the RailPath on top. Prettier view, too, for about a 300-400 meter stretch.

It will require ramped path crossovers on both ends, to flyover Track 4, and back to a ground level RailPath beyond the platform -- that would probably be the most significant cost.

Still, this is a possible creative solution.
 
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Hey, at least it's in a tunnel up around there......

From my experience the real estate agents are usually claiming that the line is about to be shut down and there won't be any freight trains any more. Maybe they know more about new bypasses than we do.

- Paul
 
crs1026 said:
Hey, at least it's in a tunnel up around there......

From my experience the real estate agents are usually claiming that the line is about to be shut down and there won't be any freight trains any more. Maybe they know more about new bypasses than we do.

- Paul
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They know there a sucker around the corner would will believe what they are selling so long they make a buck off it.

They have no clue regarding the bypass.
 
vegeta_skyline said:
Intense is a bit of an exaggeration. Afterall thousands if not ten of thousand of people walk or stand beside these diesel trains every day as they accelerate out of train stations. I agree it's certainly not pleasant though, but hopefully the sound barrier is large/tall enough to mitigate the effect.
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I was using "intense" as a positive adjective. It would make for a rather immersive railfanning location for a location that is not within a fare-paid zone.

W. K. Lis said:
Barriers? Who needs barriers?
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Not these people! :p
 
TOareaFan said:
Some people (real estate agents are people....right?) would have us believe that, either, UP or SmartTracks are "subways".

http://www.realtor.ca/Residential/S...SEMOUNT-AVE-Toronto-Ontario-M9N3B6-Weston#v=d
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I bought around the corner from there in March, and that place was on the market then. The agent is grasping at straws. I have used the UP once to get downtown on the weekend once since moving in a month ago...cheaper than a cab for even 2 PRESTO users, and a 10 minute walk from my house. Looking forward to the off-peak service next month.
 
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