TTC: Streetcar Network

[T3G]

The TTC could have used the same workers who strung the overhead on the surface section of Line 5, but they would have to pay them. The more workers one uses, the more your pay.

Except, no, they couldn't, because Line 5 is being built by Crosslinx, and not by TTC employees.

 

[DSC]

The TTC could have used the same workers who strung the overhead on the surface section of Line 5, but they would have to pay them. The more workers one uses, the more your pay.

Apart from the fact that Line 5 is not a TTC project, if a job takes 5 days to complete using 10 workers, it can probably be completed in 10 days by 5 workers. The staff costs would be identical. That is not to excuse the glacial pace of TTC overhead conversion but THAT'S another discussion.

 

[jmi22]

Queen’s Park needs to invest several billion dollars into modernizing the streetcar network. The TTC and City and broke. Drawing blood from a stone will bare no fruit.

The streetcar network is as important as any subway line, and critical for the vitality of our regional and national, so I don’t see why this should be an issue for QP. Just drop several billion dollars into the network and get the job done.

yep, the king streetcar alone is the third busiest transit line in Ontario. King street transit priority project should be extended to the entirety of the line and have level boarding, signal priority and all the other perks a major transit line gets

 

[T3G]

Is it even possible to have level boarding on the legacy streetcar network? I get the impression that the swing out doors on the Flexitys jut out just enough so that there'd be a pretty large gap.

Accounting for that, is it possible to deploy the wheelchair ramp horizontally only rather than also vertically?

 

[smallspy]

Is it even possible to have level boarding on the legacy streetcar network? I get the impression that the swing out doors on the Flexitys jut out just enough so that there'd be a pretty large gap.

Accounting for that, is it possible to deploy the wheelchair ramp horizontally only rather than also vertically?

To a degree it is possible, and it's been done in a number of locations on the network.

The ramps can deploy in one of 2 modes. One mode is a full extension down to the roadway. The second is a shorter intermediate extension to a raised platform.

Dan

 

[jmi22]

Is it even possible to have level boarding on the legacy streetcar network? I get the impression that the swing out doors on the Flexitys jut out just enough so that there'd be a pretty large gap.

Accounting for that, is it possible to deploy the wheelchair ramp horizontally only rather than also vertically?

i mean the door does not swing out so low that it would touch any raised surface thats up to the level of the streetcar floor

 

[Voltz]

The streetcars don't have load levelling suspension. so the floors would not be at a consistent enough height to have level platforms. Stations like Bathurst and Spadina should have at least have had platforms raised up to sidewalk height.

 

[drum118]

The streetcars don't have load levelling suspension. so the floors would not be at a consistent enough height to have level platforms. Stations like Bathurst and Spadina should have at least have had platforms raised up to sidewalk height.

I would go further than that and say all Subway Station streetcar platforms should be raise to be level as possible. TTC is not the only system with slide out doors and those systems have level platforms that I can recalled.

 

[reaperexpress]

Is it even possible to have level boarding on the legacy streetcar network? I get the impression that the swing out doors on the Flexitys jut out just enough so that there'd be a pretty large gap.

No. The suspension does not maintain a constant floor height like subway trains do (and the CLRV/ALRV did). It is better to have a full step up to enter than be slightly off in height as the latter creates a tripping hazard. Neither option meets accessibility requirements for wheeled mobility aids anyway.

Accounting for that, is it possible to deploy the wheelchair ramp horizontally only rather than also vertically?

No. Unfortunately there is a narrow tolerance for the vertical height of plarforms for the mini ramp, and that height is standard curb height, not the height of the floor.

Our best bet for the time being is to build as many curb-height platforms as possible. Then maybe the next generation of streetcars will be specified to maintain a constant floor height rather than the lowest possible floor height.

For example Queens Quay station has a ground level platform, requiring the full ramp. Raising it to curb height would then only require the mini ramp, which is faster to deploy.

 

[DSC]

Steve Munro posted a map of the conversion a few weeks ago, from the January Board meeting. (I cannot see it on TTC website). As Steve notes, it is not 100% accurate! See: https://stevemunro.ca/2023/01/13/ttc-subway-streetcar-infrastructure-projects-2023-24/

View attachment 454082

The section of Church from Queen to Dundas now has street markings for installation of new (metal) poles so they are (slowly) continuing to work on extending the new overhead to all of Church St. (the short block of Church from King to Adelaide is also not converted according to the map but it looks done to me and certainly got new metal poles last year.)

 

[JSF-1]

New video up, this one looking at the Carlton Streetcar.

 

[drum118]

Feb 12

TTC has installed the ROW support system on Wellington between Church and just east of Yonge with no wires. Rest of Wellington wait for what every is to happen to it.

King is finally seeing new OS starting at KQQR for a short section and then the old style to about a block away where Kings turns east. New support wires are roll up on the poles where the old OS exist. All the OS has been removed for the curve area and up to Dowling.

Roncesvalles is ready for the OS to be reinstalled as the trackwork is 100% complete, Not sure on a few poles if the OS can be reinstalled at this time.

 

[DSC]

Feb 12

TTC has installed the ROW support system on Wellington between Church and just east of Yonge with no wires. Rest of Wellington wait for what every is to happen to it.

King is finally seeing new OS starting at KQQR for a short section and then the old style to about a block away where Kings turns east. New support wires are roll up on the poles where the old OS exist. All the OS has been removed for the curve area and up to Dowling.

Roncesvalles is ready for the OS to be reinstalled as the trackwork is 100% complete, Not sure on a few poles if the OS can be reinstalled at this time.

The TTC poles and wire-supporting equipment on Wellington east of Yonge has been there for several months - there are photos on the St Lawrence thread. On Wellington west of Yonge they actually removed the wires (which seemed to have been converted several years ago) so god knows what they are up to. Maybe they need new poles??

 

[drum118]

The TTC poles and wire-supporting equipment on Wellington east of Yonge has been there for several months - there are photos on the St Lawrence thread. On Wellington west of Yonge they actually removed the wires (which seemed to have been converted several years ago) so god knows what they are up to. Maybe they need new poles??

Late Dec was the last time I was in the area that saw the poles were up, but only a few have brackets on them.

The OS for Wellington been gone for some time. Driving the route today, I got the impression new poles need to be install to match what has already been installed or brackets added to the existing ones. At the same time, it looks like they plan on carrying on to York St to match what has been built so far As to when and if so, who knowns these days as I have stop guessing.

 

[smallspy]

(and the CLRV/ALRV did).

The CLRVs and ARLVs had load weighting and leveling, but not platform matching capability. This is the same as the Flexities.

Dan