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TTC: Other Items (catch all)

Is there space that they could add side platforms for both line 1 and the Crosstown at Eglington?

Northbound, probably? Southbound? Not so sure given a chunk of it will be directly under Y+E Centre. From the November 13 TTC Board Meeting YE/Eglinton West Preliminary Concept Approval Report

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AoD
 

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He doesn't need tweets or someone barging into One Bedford - it's making the opinion columns now:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opi...cannot-be-put-off-any-longer/article37813027/

Their office no doubt do debriefing in the morning (and Don Peat is in his team) on the day's papers. The attention isn't going away - and rest assured, the problems will not either.

AoD

I'm not sure that the 'Relief Line' is sufficient answer.

By way of background, I was caught in a shutdown a few weeks ago, due to a suicide at Victoria Park, service was being short-turned at Woodbine.

As I got off the train (full off-load).... the platform was so jammed it was hard to empty the train, and for the train to exit the station.

In the space of 15 minutes I could not successfully reach the stairs/escalator.

Still passengers were attempting to make their way down the stairs to the platform; no one had seen fit to cut-off new entrants from the street in an emergency and with a grossly over crowded situation.

The situation was both chaotic and unsafe w/people not only on the yellow strip, but literally being held by others so they wouldn't fall on the track, in front of an incoming train.

***

There needs to be a series of clear admissions, and actions.

Admission: The system, particularly in rush hour, but at many other times as well is so far over design-capacity that a single off-loaded train overwhelms station infrastructure and endangers life.

Admission: As with Ontario's hospital system, now routinely operating at close to 100% capacity, and sometimes over; there is no room whatever to deal w/accidents/emergencies or other unforeseen circumstances.

Admission: Penny pinching is fine, I love efficiency as much or more than the next person and understand well the mantra 'necessity is the mother of invention' (or efficiency); but it is also the mother of just cutting it close; too close, and depending on luck more than brilliance to save the day.

Action: Beyond relief lines a decade from now; there is a need for a mix of infrastructure investment (station expansion); proper policies for emergencies (staff, police and devices that know how to behave when a station suddenly becomes a terminal, and cut-off incoming traffic, properly manage exits/transfers, including clarity of advice to passengers).

Action: Activate the cross-overs at King, College and Summerhill on a priority basis, they already work but are set up for ATC and not the conventional signal system. Either get the ATC up or wire them to he conventional signals!

Action: Build new cross-overs on the B-D line at stations that are better able to handle high volumes. Yes, its expensive, but no, not untenable. Main is much larger than Woodbine, build a cross-over there, I'm being a tad silly, but its a few big beams, some demo and track. (actually true, just grossly over simplified).

Action: Expand critically overloaded stations. Bloor-Yonge is a massive project, but long overdue. St. George, likewise, needs at least one more set of stairs all the way up/down (there is room); and many other stations would benefit from expanded stairs/second exits/larger mezzanines and so on.

Action: Show more creativity, that overdue work train could've been parked in Lower Bay, it wasn't far, and would have left a pocket track open.

Action: Stop making excuses.
 
PS, if you wish to share your thoughts w/the TTC's interim CEO..........
Richard.Leary@ttc.ca

The war isn't going to be fought at his level. And no RL isn't the only piece of the puzzle, but it is the piece that is the hardest to build, but the most transformative. Everything else is just window dressing to kick the can a little further down - good to have, but not a fundamental change to the existing stasis.

AoD
 
The war isn't going to be fought at his level. And no RL isn't the only piece of the puzzle, but it is the piece that is the hardest to build, but the most transformative. Everything else is just window dressing to kick the can a little further down - good to have, but not a fundamental change to the existing stasis.

AoD

I agree, is a political decision as much as anything.

I posted the address, because while its public, its not well known or advertised; and because if the TTC doesn't ask, there is zero chance they will get.

The onus is on them to make the case for needed improvements, and harness public support.

****

You and I agree on much, but we will have to disagree on 'window dressing'. I nearly watched 2 people die (no exaggeration). Improvement can't wait a decade. Action is needed faster.
 
There's another added issue with the relief line when it is built, in that is has to be done properly and not in some half-baked solution like Toronto has been accustomed to doing.

There has been talk of 4-car trains for the Relief line (ie: Sheppard style subway length) for this line. If this is going to be built, the full 6-car length is needed. I dont know who's bright idea it was to come up with a 4-car design for the Relief Line, but it needs to do back to the drawing board because the line would be over-capacity within the first 5 years of being built if it proceeds like that.
 
I'm not sure that the 'Relief Line' is sufficient answer.

By way of background, I was caught in a shutdown a few weeks ago, due to a suicide at Victoria Park, service was being short-turned at Woodbine.

As I got off the train (full off-load).... the platform was so jammed it was hard to empty the train, and for the train to exit the station.

In the space of 15 minutes I could not successfully reach the stairs/escalator.

Still passengers were attempting to make their way down the stairs to the platform; no one had seen fit to cut-off new entrants from the street in an emergency and with a grossly over crowded situation.

The situation was both chaotic and unsafe w/people not only on the yellow strip, but literally being held by others so they wouldn't fall on the track, in front of an incoming train.

***

There needs to be a series of clear admissions, and actions.

Admission: The system, particularly in rush hour, but at many other times as well is so far over design-capacity that a single off-loaded train overwhelms station infrastructure and endangers life.

Admission: As with Ontario's hospital system, now routinely operating at close to 100% capacity, and sometimes over; there is no room whatever to deal w/accidents/emergencies or other unforeseen circumstances.

Admission: Penny pinching is fine, I love efficiency as much or more than the next person and understand well the mantra 'necessity is the mother of invention' (or efficiency); but it is also the mother of just cutting it close; too close, and depending on luck more than brilliance to save the day.

Action: Beyond relief lines a decade from now; there is a need for a mix of infrastructure investment (station expansion); proper policies for emergencies (staff, police and devices that know how to behave when a station suddenly becomes a terminal, and cut-off incoming traffic, properly manage exits/transfers, including clarity of advice to passengers).

Action: Activate the cross-overs at King, College and Summerhill on a priority basis, they already work but are set up for ATC and not the conventional signal system. Either get the ATC up or wire them to he conventional signals!

Action: Build new cross-overs on the B-D line at stations that are better able to handle high volumes. Yes, its expensive, but no, not untenable. Main is much larger than Woodbine, build a cross-over there, I'm being a tad silly, but its a few big beams, some demo and track. (actually true, just grossly over simplified).

Action: Expand critically overloaded stations. Bloor-Yonge is a massive project, but long overdue. St. George, likewise, needs at least one more set of stairs all the way up/down (there is room); and many other stations would benefit from expanded stairs/second exits/larger mezzanines and so on.

Action: Show more creativity, that overdue work train could've been parked in Lower Bay, it wasn't far, and would have left a pocket track open.

Action: Stop making excuses.

Oh c'mon. We've been doing these supposed quick-fix "actions" for awhile now. Even tho people try to act like these crunches are a recent thing, there's been serious capacity problems going back decades. Literally in the late 70s/early 80s glaring crushes on Yonge, Bloor, at B/Y, Wellesley, College, Sherbourne, St George. First quick-fix action was remotely turning off escalators at B/Y. Yeah that'll solve it. Then marginally increasing B/Y's platform and flow. And in between ideas like we're seeing today about lowering off-peak fares, others like express buses on Sherbourne or the DVP, etc. All these interim "actions" just to stave off spending on a real solution. Capacity issues didn't happen overnight, and there's only so many actions that can be taken.

Bring a new line down the east, across the core, and hopefully up the west. And agree on 'showing creativity', like how bout building a wye at Pape.
 
There's another added issue with the relief line when it is built, in that is has to be done properly and not in some half-baked solution like Toronto has been accustomed to doing.

There has been talk of 4-car trains for the Relief line (ie: Sheppard style subway length) for this line. If this is going to be built, the full 6-car length is needed. I dont know who's bright idea it was to come up with a 4-car design for the Relief Line, but it needs to do back to the drawing board because the line would be over-capacity within the first 5 years of being built if it proceeds like that.

I don’t think the infrastructure will be sized for a 4 car trains - more like they will be operated as such to start (just like Line 1 started with some 2 car trains in the very early days) in DRL short . It won’t even come up with DRL long.

AoD
 
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nd I agree on much, but we will have to disagree on 'window dressing'. I nearly watched 2 people die (no exaggeration). Improvement can't wait a decade. Action is needed faster.

My concern with the little things approach is that it gives an out for politicians that are desperate to have to avoid making the tough decision for a long lead time project. You can see that already with them trying to rehash Y+B expansion and the recent TTC report on crowding (“everything is fine, ATC will save the day”).

AoD
 

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