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

[nfitz]

No subway line direct to the airport in Paris There's the RER, which sees lots of people ride with luggage, but those are larger trains with more space. I've been part of a group of 6 fresh off the plane with luggage in tow to get on the RER to Gare du Nord and then transfer to the Metro. No one seemed to mind, but it could be due to the sardine conditions that always exist on the Paris Metro.

There's no subway line in Toronto to the airport as well. Presumably people change from the Metro to the RER all the time. Unlike GO, the RER service operates at subway-like intervals, and is part of the same fare-system. They are effectively the same system.

 

[ehlow]

No subway line direct to the airport in Paris There's the RER, which sees lots of people ride with luggage, but those are larger trains with more space. I've been part of a group of 6 fresh off the plane with luggage in tow to get on the RER to Gare du Nord and then transfer to the Metro. No one seemed to mind, but it could be due to the sardine conditions that always exist on the Paris Metro.

My experience with taking RER from the airport to central Paris is that it gets insanely packed full of people throughout the journey. There are too many seats, very little standing room, and there isn't much room for luggage.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

My experience with taking RER from the airport to central Paris is that it gets insanely packed full of people throughout the journey. There are too many seats, very little standing room, and there isn't much room for luggage.

How did you like the rest of Paris' system?

 

[ehlow]

How did you like the rest of Paris' system?

It was incredibly close stop spacing (often 500m or less, like Yonge south of Bloor), but that works for that city's density, especially for tourists. The trains I personally found to be too narrow for the amount of people they transport, and had too many seats (very crowded). I took the rubber-tired line (line 1?) and a few others, part of one went kind of outside & elevated. They had platform doors on some lines but not to the ceiling.

I personally found that I had to write down what line & direction (end point) before using it and had at least one transfer per trip. The lines go everywhere and keep switching directions and there were so many. Having said that, I'm born & raised in Toronto, so I'm used to only a couple of subway lines that are totally straight and along roads.

Overall, it works, I liked it, and it's obviously one of the most beautiful cities in the world (if not the most) and is a great place to visit.

 

[timio]

It was incredibly close stop spacing (often 500m or less, like Yonge south of Bloor), but that works for that city's density, especially for tourists. The trains I personally found to be too narrow for the amount of people they transport, and had too many seats (very crowded). I took the rubber-tired line (line 1?) and a few others, part of one went kind of outside & elevated. They had platform doors on some lines but not to the ceiling.

I personally found that I had to write down what line & direction (end point) before using it and had at least one transfer per trip. The lines go everywhere and keep switching directions and there were so many. Having said that, I'm born & raised in Toronto, so I'm used to only a couple of subway lines that are totally straight and along roads.

Overall, it works, I liked it, and it's obviously one of the most beautiful cities in the world (if not the most) and is a great place to visit.

In my experience, I've never been more than 5-10 minute walk from any place I wanted to go in Paris after getting off the Metro (including Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Catacombs, Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triumphe, etc.). You can also meander through the streets and explore without fear that you'll be far away from a Metro station for the most part. In the realm of walkable cities, Paris is at the top of my list.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

It was incredibly close stop spacing (often 500m or less, like Yonge south of Bloor), but that works for that city's density, especially for tourists. The trains I personally found to be too narrow for the amount of people they transport, and had too many seats (very crowded). I took the rubber-tired line (line 1?) and a few others, part of one went kind of outside & elevated. They had platform doors on some lines but not to the ceiling.

I personally found that I had to write down what line & direction (end point) before using it and had at least one transfer per trip. The lines go everywhere and keep switching directions and there were so many. Having said that, I'm born & raised in Toronto, so I'm used to only a couple of subway lines that are totally straight and along roads.

Overall, it works, I liked it, and it's obviously one of the most beautiful cities in the world (if not the most) and is a great place to visit.

I didn't know Paris had rubber tires on some trains. I should check that out when I go. I'm not shocked the system was busier, but sounds like they need to manage demand a bit better. Nice to hear though.

 

[ehlow]

I didn't know Paris had rubber tires on some trains. I should check that out when I go. I'm not shocked the system was busier, but sounds like they need to manage demand a bit better. Nice to hear though.

Another interesting city from a transit perspective is Amsterdam. The subway stop spacing is so wide that all the tourist destinations can only be reached from downtown by streetcar or bike (ex Van Gogh museum). Everyone uses streetcars on busy pedestrian streets or bikes or walks, and it works as well.

Brussels was interesting too. I went on an underground streetcar line (basically a subway with light rail or streetcar vehicles like central Eglinton will be), with the same vehicles that we're ordering. There were also buses & streetcars at extremely high frequencies on all streets (every 2-3 minutes it seemed), but they often had their own lane aka ROW on the street. Buses definitely had bus lanes on many narrow roads.

Here's a photo I took of an incredibly frequent streetcar:

 

[nfitz]

I didn't know Paris had rubber tires on some trains.

Yes, that's why Montreal's metro has rubber tyres, as it's design was based on Paris.

 

[drum118]

Amsterdam has a subway that is an LRT outside the core and rode it in 2012. It also the only system where it has 2 man crews on the 5 section lowfloor LRT that collects fares at those 2 points as they are not all doors loading. They have gates to stop you getting on at the other doors. Some routes have short headways while others longer and a mad house at Centraal Station. You have a far great chance of being hit by cycles than car in Amsterdam as well other place.

The problem with Paris subway as well most of Europe systems including trams is the width of the cars as they are lot narrow than NA ones, let alone TTC. Management can't do anything with headway using narrow car as they are at the lowest headway as possible now.

Was surprise to ride the rubber wheel cars outside in Paris as I always heard they couldn't go outside because they blow up. Did some reading after that and found they change the design so they wouldn't have problems out side. This goes back when Montreal built their system on the Paris design.

It is also why some trams systems have move to 45m plus cars to the point Budapest is now ordering 62m ones with delivery in 2017. Was on the 59m ones that come every 5 minutes on the surface and it was crush load only that I was never able to get interior shots of it.

If Transport Canada starts using EU standards, we can have Train-Trams lines. The train will be an LRT with RR speed that can cut off the RR tracks and run on local street as an LRT. This can be use for the Jane LRT line, Hurontario, Long Branch with a few others down the road.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Another interesting city from a transit perspective is Amsterdam. The subway stop spacing is so wide that all the tourist destinations can only be reached from downtown by streetcar or bike (ex Van Gogh museum). Everyone uses streetcars on busy pedestrian streets or bikes or walks, and it works as well.

Brussels was interesting too. I went on an underground streetcar line (basically a subway with light rail or streetcar vehicles like central Eglinton will be), with the same vehicles that we're ordering. There were also buses & streetcars at extremely high frequencies on all streets (every 2-3 minutes it seemed), but they often had their own lane aka ROW on the street. Buses definitely had bus lanes on many narrow roads.

Here's a photo I took of an incredibly frequent streetcar:

This gives me hope eglinton will actually work out, if people actually saw images like this they would not be so against LRT.

Yes, that's why Montreal's metro has rubber tyres, as it's design was based on Paris.

Interesting to know. Montreal has take some things from Paris.

 

[nfitz]

Interesting to know. Montreal has take some things from Paris.

Literally, occasionally. Here is one of the entrances to Metro Place-Victoria:

 

[mettle]

I guess you won't be able to check in and drop off your luggage at Union Station. that would've been nice.

 

[ehlow]

This gives me hope eglinton will actually work out, if people actually saw images like this they would not be so against LRT.

Well... I mean, Eglinton on the Scarborough surface section won't look like that, obviously

It'll look like this:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.7281...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sY6WnpUrzDswEudPsbG4RMw!2e0

Except replace the concrete thing in the middle with two transit lanes. Also the trains will be two-car.

Here's how the underground streetcar stations looked in Brussels, it shouldn't be dramatically different from the underground Eglinton stations:

I almost got pick-pocketed getting off the streetcar, but I caught the guy while doing it.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Literally, occasionally. Here is one of the entrances to Metro Place-Victoria:

That's cool, I wanna visit that when I go to Montreal.

Well... I mean, Eglinton on the Scarborough surface section won't look like that, obviously

It'll look like this:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.7281...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sY6WnpUrzDswEudPsbG4RMw!2e0

Except replace the concrete thing in the middle with two transit lanes. Also the trains will be two-car.

Here's how the underground streetcar stations looked in Brussels, it shouldn't be dramatically different from the underground Eglinton stations:

I almost got pick-pocketed getting off the streetcar, but I caught the guy while doing it.

That looks pretty cool, the rail guards and station design are great, I am warming up rapidly to underground LRT. I'm glad you caught the guy

 

[ehlow]

That's cool, I wanna visit that when I go to Montreal.


That looks pretty cool, the rail guards and station design are great, I am warming up rapidly to underground LRT. I'm glad you caught the guy

Underground LRT is just a subway lol, although possibly with smaller vehicles. Although many subways have small vehicles as well, and some LRTs have multi-car very long trains (like some LA lines I believe). Boston's Green line (which most would classify as LRT or subway), and San Fran's streetcars also go underground. Same with Philadelphia & Newark I believe.