EnviroTO
Senior Member
Or maybe a sign on the front of the train which tells the destination and a sign mounted mid-platform showing the destination. That could work.
Richmond Hill Yonge Line 1 North Subway Extension | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx
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Or maybe a sign on the front of the train which tells the destination and a sign mounted mid-platform showing the destination. That could work.
wopchop
Building Toronto
There would have to be signage AND announcements. For the deaf and the blind.
Electrify
Senior Member
They already have that. Of course, if you just miss it as the train comes in, then currently you may not know its destination (St. Clair West or Downsview).
Also, I suggested this in one of the Eglinton/Transit City threads, to have trains run from Finch-Downsview and Eglinton-St. Clair West (or Eglinton West or Wilson, if it is possible to turn the trains around) since those between Eglinton and Bloor will not have a hope in hell of getting on a train once the Eglinton LRT is built.
Rainforest
Senior Member
They are already doing this during the morning rush, some of trains short-turning at Eglinton.
If the line goes over capacity downstream, no short-turn scheme upstrean will fix it. Finch will be OK if 1/2 of trains short-turn there, but getting on the southbound train at Eglinton or St Clair will become impossible in the morning. In the afternoon rush, it will be impossible to get on the northbound train at Dundas or College (even now, people sometimes have to skip several trains).
Potential overload of the existing line and station is a valid reason, not just "excuse", not to build the extension, until steps are taken to divert some of the downtown-bound riders to other routes.
Still Waters
New Member
Rainforest, you are correct. The capacity constraint of the line is determined by its peak point, currently SB in the AM peak period between Rosedale Station and Bloor Station. You can only run so many trains through this point and once you reach that level of service, there is no more capacity to add. You can only slot in empty trains to help with overloading if there is a gap available to slot them into, and the TTC does have "standby" trains parked at various storage points throughout the subway for use during gaps in the peak periods. However, if the system is already running at its practical capacity, as Yonge is during the AM peak, then no amount of short-turning at Finch or anywhere else will help that. This is a real concern, not a matter of "selfish anti-growth dramatics."
The Yonge line was very close to this same capacity situation back in 1989 when system ridership was around 460 million per year. Capacity relief came in the form of an economic recession and significant drops in system ridership in the 1990's. And, although system ridership now exceeds 1989 levels (470 million/yr), the most significant growth in ridership has occurred during the off-peak periods, which has also served to delay the need to deal with the capacity constraint of the line. But this can't be put off for much longer, and extending the line further north without recognizing these very real downstream capacity constraints would be irresponsible.
The Yonge line was very close to this same capacity situation back in 1989 when system ridership was around 460 million per year. Capacity relief came in the form of an economic recession and significant drops in system ridership in the 1990's. And, although system ridership now exceeds 1989 levels (470 million/yr), the most significant growth in ridership has occurred during the off-peak periods, which has also served to delay the need to deal with the capacity constraint of the line. But this can't be put off for much longer, and extending the line further north without recognizing these very real downstream capacity constraints would be irresponsible.
Amy Rose
Active Member
The most TTC will do is modify their onestop screens to display an "X" bound train, so if it goes out and the train is in the station, SOL
wopchop
Building Toronto
What if certain southbound trains were to travel to Yonge & Sheppard, interline west down an extension of the Sheppard subway, and then head south at Downsview?
This would give you three options on the YUS line from Union; Richmond Hill Bound (by way of Yonge), Richmond Hill Bound (through Downsview) and Vaughan Bound (through Downsview).
Obviously a DRL is better.
This would give you three options on the YUS line from Union; Richmond Hill Bound (by way of Yonge), Richmond Hill Bound (through Downsview) and Vaughan Bound (through Downsview).
Obviously a DRL is better.
Asterix
Active Member
No, because the problem is peak capacity south of Sheppard (more like Eglinton to Wellesley).
If you were to siphon off southbound trains at Sheppard, then you'd have gaps south of Sheppard, leaving you with less capacity than you do now.
Besides, there is not any current infrastructure setup to accommodate south to west turns at Yonge and Sheppard. The only possible turn is north to east (or west to south).
Further, the Downsview platform is aligned north-south, largely under Sheppard and to the north. For any westbound track to join up with these tracks, it would have to swing significantly north of Sheppard in order to make the turn to have it lined up with the existing platform.
wopchop
Building Toronto
Ok. DRL it is. Let's get digging.
Asterix
Active Member
I agree that they should, however one needs to identify where the money is going to come from. The city is currently putting everything in the Sheppard basket. Both the Feds and province have big budget deficits and little interest in digging even bigger holes to dump more money on Toronto.
No one in any position of power has really jumped on the DRL bandwagon, so unless enough people call Rob and Doug and tell them they want the DRL come hell or high water, it's not happening in the foreseeable future.
sixrings
Senior Member
connect the Sheppard subway to Downsview... Then Run the DRL from Sheppard/Don mills down to Union....
EnviroTO
Senior Member
Sheppard was and is a waste as a subway. The vast majority of people on the line switch to the Yonge subway and go south. A proper DRL would run up Don Mills to Sheppard. The ridership on the Sheppard line would plummet because the riders mostly get on at Don Mills to go to Yonge and would now take the DRL instead. It is nice that the city would like to build a core at North York Centre and SCC but the reality is that those places still are not significant draws and the bulk of the construction has built residences rather than work places and destinations. Office buildings continue to go up downtown, and there really isn't much in terms of employment happening at North York Centre and SCC.
taal
Senior Member
Yes Markham and the like plan on building tons of office space in the Yonge / Hi-way 7 area
A more likely scenario would be to have the westbound Sheppard trains turn south at Downsview and then serve YUS. That way the 'every 2nd train short turned at Downsview' would actually be a Sheppard train.
Rainforest
Senior Member
That would make a lot of sense, if the Downsview station of Spadina line was built to accommodate interlining.
Unfortunately, the way it is actually built makes interlining very difficult. The Sheppard line would have to either swing far north to approach the Downsview station from north-east, or it would have to skip Downsview altogether and join the Spadina line at Wilson.