MASc. Candidate
@CivMin
researching public transport fare and service integration
@TAL_UofT
. Like trains and buses and trams and people. Urban Transit Planning.
I must emphasize that commuter rail can come awfully close to matching rapid transit, we just don't to that traditionally in North America but other places do
Sydney Trains T4 Eastern Suburbs has mainline 8 car double deck trains every 3 - 10 minutes on a two track line. 5am-1am.
@Navglad
@julestrainman
You can't replicate rapid transit headways or 24/7 service on commuter rail lines, it'll be far more expensive per rider to even try, and as a separate issue I'm fully in support of an east/west line in the Bronx
@JosephPolitano
Your regular reminder that the Gordie Howe International Bridge is fully funded and owned by the Government of Canada with ZERO US or Michigan funding.
Transit nerds help me. I’m on the 2109 Niagara Falls GO train back to Toronto. And the cab door is opened and unlocked. Can I go in to the cab and look out the back window. Can I sit there? Or is it a no-no
@GOtransit
.
Transport for NSW wayfinding is a tour de force. All modes are identified by a uniform symbol and color
T (trains) is orange
B (buses) blue
L (Light Rail) red
F (ferries) green
M (Metro) turquoise
Premier Danielle Smith is Canada's most social/political conservative premier and she is pro rail and just unveiled a rail plan for the province (which currently has none). Is there a US state with a staunch republican governor and legislature who unveiled a rail plan!?
I live in your riding, near Bloor Street, and love these bike lanes.
You need to actually focus on healthcare, road safety, and housing not bike lane petitions.
Proposals for a new name for Science Centre Station. Remember this a future station on the Ontario Line as well. And no, Don Mills South is not acceptable. Don Mills Eglinton could work but is unwieldy.
Don Station could work. Other suggestions?
Rode an obscure new
@TTChelps
bus route today: 203 HIGH PARK. Running every weekend from today to Labour Day from High Park Station every 20 minutes between 8am and 7pm using WheelTrans community buses. Shoutout to the lovely driver Sonya who had over 30 riders during the day.
@LauraGMitchell
Jesus said love your neighbour and put yourself in their shoes. I wonder what Jesus that church is preaching (I know they have good intentions but still)?
It seems the motorist not in church knows more Jesus (or road rules)!
Some of the demands seem fine: like better benefits and wage increases.
But some of them threaten any hope of fare and service integration: stopping the TTC from letting neighbouring agencies like MiWay and TTC operate service in Toronto but force us to wait for a TTC bus.
#TTC
workers are fighting to keep transit public and protect TTC service levels in Etobicoke, North York, and Scarborough.
Across Toronto, transit riders are calling for a fair deal now!
Contact TTC CEO Rick Leary and decision-makers before midnight!
@CityNewsTO
This is not the last of this.
@ATUlocal113
@TTChelps
Stand behind your operator and fight this ticket. They should not be penalized for doing their job in a city that does not support them on a street where the laws are not enforced.
West Coast Express by
@TransLink
(who is the operator?) with 8 bilevels hauled by an MP36. They have old style cab cars and some quads have tables, a foreign luxury for GO passengers. Rode it Waterfront to Moody Centre with free transfer to SkyTrain.
See how that screen design is so much more confusing than Sydney Trains portrait orientation with single vertical list of stations. Three columns of stations — this is a station screen not an essay!
Thanks all for your advice. I went and told the Customer Service Ambassador in the accessibility coach and she was very appreciative and raced back to close the door.
Of course, I didn’t go into the cab let alone touch anything! I’m a transit MASc student not an idiot.
@CHogarthPC
I live in your riding, near Bloor Street, and love these bike lanes.
You need to actually focus on healthcare, road safety, and housing not bike lane petitions.
Old fashion dispatching at Sydney Trains with a guard, a dispatcher, a white flag of surrender, and a whistle. Every departure. Every direction. And the guard hangs out open door while train arrives and departs. Not sure how Alstom or ONXpress would feel about that
@WBMetro62
I was up on Eglinton Avenue and saw some Flexity Freedom Light Rail Vehciles testing at Mount Dennis Station and the Mount Dennis Portal.
Line 5 is looking good
@Metrolinx
!
Here’s a Toronto one.
@Metrolinx
should take over and seize the assets of all transit agencies in the Golden Horseshoe, reducing them to contractors operating services on behalf of Metrolinx and paid by the province. Service standards and fares would be set by Metrolinx.
1/n
@TMrakas
Four storeys is NOT a tower. Aurora is about to get massive increases in GO frequency on the Barrie Line, it must have denser and more development to make use of and justify this increase in service.
Great start but let's do this quickly. Bus and streetcar only lanes can be rolled out very fast. Just pour the red paint! We also need to ask the province to permit automatic camera enforcement of bus lane driving offences, allowing law enforcement to focus on bigger concerns.
70% of TTC rides start or end with a bus or streetcar. Unpredictable schedules and slow service are a headache that impact thousands every single day.
Today, we moved to start work to speed up TTC buses across four of the busiest routes with priority lanes and signalling.
Via Rail’s practices basically do the opposite: take everything you hate about planes (but would love about trains 🤣) and combine them on a train. So boarding queues and ticket checks before even reaching the gate (train platform), weighing luggage, and delays.
Introducing LNE-Air, the latest innovation in travel.
We've taken everything you love about trains (and hate about planes) and combined them to bring our first class service off the tracks and into the sky.
Watch and learn more...
Why is
@TTChelps
still blocking off the ends of trains on Line 2 with the yellow tarp? Curious why this is still being done well after COVID concerns have reduced.
Day 4.5 of asking for King Street to become a pedestrian transit mall like Sydney’s George Street (but with overhead wires). Access for select parking garages/ loading bays is still maintained with short sections. NSW emergency services also use it to go to incidents quickly.
Day Four of asking for King Street to become a pedestrianized transit mall! This time like Bourke Street in Melbourne!
Both King and Bourke are key transport and pedestrian corridors, but Bourke is prettier and much more human centric!
@robby_rumble
Call 311. The storm drains cannot take engine oil, and it can be a threat water ecosystems. This is serious.
Stormwater is not necessarily treated to the safe degree as sanitary effluent (toilets, etc) due to wastewater treatment capacity limitations during large storm events
Maybe these have been posted already but these are some site plan submissions to the city for
@ScarbSubwayEXT
. First: Lawrence East Station which will have a small unpaid bus loop for local buses and two elevators per wide side platform. Roomy station!
@_ChanFace
Life will be a living hell the next little while, but it will be done quicker and sooner than otherwise and the reward will be great. Better infrastructure tomorrow is painful today!
I like to say that our transit being better than that in the USA is equivalent to a sports team winning the provincial championships. What does a sports team do then, compete in the nationals and worlds? So we need to aim to be world best, comparing against Europe and Asia!
5) Aiming Higher - The culture of transit in Toronto is too much the usual Canadian culture of “we’ve the US, that’s good enough”. Constantly benchmarking ourselves against American cities and transit is not helpful!
TTC surface route reliability (headway regularity and service speed) is one of our biggest problems and is holding the entire network back.
@TTChelps
@MayorOliviaChow
Pushing 35 minutes and still no eastbound 504 King at River
@TTChelps
. It’s great that we have North America’s largest street railway but sucks that it is managed so badly. You can literally watch people on their phones switch to Uber.
Yesterday afternoon, I ventured out to the T3 Bankstown Line. This Sydney Trains Line will be closing permanently by the end of this year for conversion to metro (as part of Sydney Metro City and Southwest). But works are already underway on the line by
@SydneyMetro
.
@TVO_CMG
@Melrich24
@Josephdesjar
@HouseOfBlume
@spaikin
@PBS
@mattgurney
TVO had 8.1 million Ontario viewers (2020-21). Ontario had 14.7Million residents in 2020, meaning more than 50% of Ontarians watch TVO. Most government services don't have that much use. More than 50% of residents don't use ODSP or have house fires, but we need those services.
@JRUrbaneNetwork
I've always said: If misnaming transit systems were a crime, then Australia is the worst offender, facing multiple counts and the longest term in Transit Purgatory Prison. Metro Tasmania (buses), Brisbane Metro (a BRT), Adelaide Metro (transit agency), Melbourne Metro (train).
Based on that metric EVERY TTC bus route with Ten Minute or Better service should have dedicated bus lanes. That would be all of the above routes:
7
22
24
25
29
35
39
42
43
44
45
47
52
54
63
69
76
84
85
86
87
89
94
95
100
102
116
129
165
And streetcars
501
504
505
506
511
Do it!
@DigitalSciGuy
That looks naturally unsafe due to the skew of the road crossing the tracks and the closeness of the following intersection. Florida needs a Level Crossing Removal Program. Can Ron DeSantis learn from Dan Andrews?
@marc_ebuna
@discipleofvivi
I've heard that UK rail operators actually like train nerds hanging around and taking pictures because we're likely to spot unauthorized or terrorist activity (why is that guy who is not wearing a rail operator uniform--seeing as I have all of them memorized-- going in there!?)
@jeremyzorek
@fieldsix
Please add the lost fare revenue and operating costs for replacement bus shuttles and staffing to the homeowner as well. Plus damages for interfering with a rail corridor/critical infrastructure.
But why are the boxes there? That is the question. The same general equipment has to go on other trains but is not in noticeable boxes. Do some trains/operators put less equipment in the undercarriage or roof wells in order to ease maintenance access? Is the cab smaller?
@jdblackiii
@JRUrbaneNetwork
Unfortunately, they are overbuilding, with a giant single bore tunnel, wrongly appropriating the Barcelona innovation meant for dense historic cities to a suburban city.
@KORichardson
@GOtransit
@Torontounion
I wonder if low platforms increase the temptation to cross the tracks. Like if this was Sydney, you'ld risk breaking your leg getting off the high platform onto the tracks and then back up again.
@smuncky
@TTChelps
@TTCNewsroom
@TPSOperations
@TrafficServices
Explain yourselves! Why does a streetcar have to be emptied so the driver can get a ticket in the middle of rushhour? If there has to be ticket, why can it not be mailed to the TTC (who tracks operator-vehicle assignments)
Another Sydney Public Transport project nearing completion down under (also to open this winter). I just want to make sure people know about it not just Sydney Metro City and Southwest (M1).
Note: penalties apply for use of the term transit.
@not_taylorx
Ford comes across to me as a more traditional conservative who is about lower taxes, private enterprise, and not interested in social debates like some other conservatives nowadays.
Toronto uses property taxes to fund services we depend on as a city. And many of those services like the TTC are not keeping up with demand let alone getting any better (faster, more reliable, and more frequent, safer)!
Everyone's talking about property taxes increasing, but not the important services they pay for -- like the
#TTC
.
Can you help speak up for transit & the Scarborough busway? Deadline to register to speak at a Budget Meeting is TODAY by 4:30pm. More info:
@fictillius
Is the
@RTBUnion
trying to bring a bad name to unions everywhere? It is standard best practice to reroute buses to feed new higher order transit lines like metro. In my hometown,
@TTChelps
is known for significantly adjusting routes with new lines, as they will when Line 5 opens.
Upon entering the station, there is a useful local area map and station map (even for simple stations that really don’t need it, like every light rail stop). This helps one orient oneself, especially when alighting at underground stations like Kings Cross.
@the_transit_guy
I would give him a personal cop for protection. Anyone who goes to fast past him or drives to close, automatically gets written up by Constable Telescope Protection.
All-door boarding is ONLY way on streetcar and tram systems and critical for helping speed up buses (along with the QUICK implementation of lots of dedicated bus lanes and transit priority signals). Faregates shouldn't be changed though tap out is an option.
@DhruvJain4DVW
it's a red flag when the only specific transit policies on a candidate's platform are all around fare evasion
in particular, you only have to ride a rush-hour bus or streetcar once to realize "not allowing rear door boarding" would significantly worsen transit for everyone /1
What idealist traffic engineer designed that slip lane, hoping the car would wait behind the white stop line (in what Canada do drivers do that?) until a green light for their right turn movement.
@bikey_mike
@bridgetstirling
It's so weird that our transportation experts who love cars so much apparently don't know how cars actually work, or how drivers actually use sliplanes.
@githii
@PicturesFoIder
Did the police chief get what he wanted? The friend deserves jail.
It would freaky for tve passengers and the driver of the bus who may have saw that (there are cameras/mirrors).
We need to amalgamate station names and remove ambiguous duplicative station names across the GTHA so it functions as a single network. This applies to stations like Bloor, Danforth, Main, Dundas West, Oriole, Leslie, Eglinton, and Woodbine.
ONXpress
@DB_Bahn
will use
@GOTransit
expansion as a learning opportunity and model for improving rail service in Germany with Ontario profits going to support German rail improvements.
@fictillius
Double the fine and add jail time. Make sure she doesn't get to enjoy her house that she built on illegally cleared land but can enjoy the fine hospitality of NSW Corrective Services.
@AprilEngelberg
@TorontoStar
Top secret surprise. That is already in design as a stop for electrified local Kitchener Line trains. Here is a link to an exploration of the city's planning website's drawings and renderings from
@Metrolinx
on it. But this won't address immediate traffic.
@Metrolinx
@GOExpansion
Next Station King-Liberty Village (
@Metrolinx
chop King off the name and its perfect). This 'SmartTrack' station will have a single island platform serving the same Kitchener Local tracks as Stockyards. It's a tight space so I don't think there's room for more platforms.
@MassJumbo
I asked my dad (tunneling engineer) about this for reasons: probably has to do with state/city not wanting to have to procure underground easements to tunnel under people's properties, which would cost money. Also avoid NIMBY fear of trains underground being noisy (they're not).
The Front-Spadina station being planned for Barrie Line should serve all lines (call it Cityplace Station) and we need a similar one in the east at Cherry or Sherbourne. At a minimum.
downtown stations in Toronto (Union) vs downtown stations in Philadelphia. GO expansion is a great project, but if we're going to do this much, we should go all the way and build a true S-Bahn station.
@TTChelps
So those seats should now be opened up on Line 2 trains. I haven’t seen that yet so please look into it.
Thanks for the details.
Have a great rest of your day.
@TTChelps
I’m not complaining about the employee or specific vehicle (hence why I didn’t include it). Is it still policy to have the two rows of seats beside the cab blocked on T1 trains as was practice during the pandemic’s height? If so I respect that. If not, I’ve seen it on all T1s.
Most stations have clear and consistent signage designs guiding you to exits and platforms. Since most maps are used by the same trains all the time, displays will show maps and next services for each platform at top of stairs.
@macsquirelera
HMS now stands for His Majesty's Ship with the passing of the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of His Majesty King Charles III
Did some more exploring Toronto AIC this afternoon. Looking at what I could see for other station projects. First up: St Clair Old West GO/SmartTrack station.
While we're at it,
@Metrolinx
this station needs a simple and succinct name reflecting the local area: Stockyards GO.
Maybe these have been posted already but these are some site plan submissions to the city for
@ScarbSubwayEXT
. First: Lawrence East Station which will have a small unpaid bus loop for local buses and two elevators per wide side platform. Roomy station!
@_jameshatfield_
@AmericanFietser
Have you ever been on a bus or train? All modern vehicles have air conditioning except for like the London Underground and systems that can't be bothered to buy a new train.
@FirstClassDuck
@ttcriders
Do you know Toronto? The idea is the neighbouring agencies already run the services but can’t carry Torontonians, so TTC must run its own service. The idea is to keep TTC service to maintain capacity (short term) and let TTC passengers use the 905 buses.
@jedwinmok
@PYZC773
York Region doesn't know how to run buses, they just steal provincial money to build transit temples that they keep clean of transit vehicles (God forbid we contaminate our shiny BRT with actual buses)
@_jameshatfield_
@AmericanFietser
Well, why can't Florida do what Brisbane has done.
Hate to break it to you, Florida is not the only hot place in the world.
@ScarbSubwayEXT
Next, Scarborough Centre Station which will have a massive bus terminal (w/ washrooms) outside the faregates, wide side platforms with two elevators each (with lots of surge as
@ChittiMarco
notes). This station has the critcal tunnel ventilation equipment.
Sydney Light Rail Tram raising pantograph at Town Hall. Uses Alstom’s ground power system between Circular Quay and Town Hall. Unlike Toronto streetcars, there is level boarding at stops and George Street (where this is) is pedestrianized with general car traffic prohibited.
@blurr_65
@TTChelps
can we have more buses on 510 ASAP. They are absolutely over capacity north from College. I waited for three buses before I could squeeze myself on, in front of the white line.
So true. The One Fare Program is not full fare integration. It excludes
@UPexpress
, as well as fully excluding passes and single tickets. We need full fare integration with a single fare system agnostic to operator and mode!
Torontos one fare system is good except that it leaves GO and the subway as two entirely different fare systems. Squaring this circle is either going to lead to massively underusing GO as with RR systems in the US, or implementing distance based fares on the subway.
So for everyone’s information the following are the Seasonal Bus routes in Toronto
200 Toronto Zoo -Rouge Hill GO
201 Bluffers Park - Kennedy Station
202 Cherry Beach - Union Station
203 High Park (using wheeltrans community buses)
@KennyGoo
@Navglad
@julestrainman
Not necessarily true. Ontario's GO Transit has signed plans to upgrade our network for service every 10 or so minutes, electric trains with fast acceleration/deceleration. European mainline with modern signaling can support smaller 2man crews (one driver and one guard).
@AlexanderGlista
Cars/trucks are provided restricted access to certain garages/bays only accessed off George Street. But in a certain direction/intersection only and no blocking of a tram. At least garage employs aauthorized traffic controller. NSW Police, Fire, and Rescue have unimpeded access.
@PYZC773
On the other hand:
99 B-Line in Vancouver is famously called the busiest bus line in North America (about 30000 daily riders post-pandemic).
Schedule:
Every 3-4 minutes peak, every 6-8 minutes off-peak, every 10-15 minutes late night.
Trains don't take 20 minutes to board. Probably 5 or 10 minutes. You can board through any door along a long platform as soon as the departure platform is announced (15 minutes or so notice). Via Rail Canada and Amtrak are bad examples because of arcane practices lining up.
There is only 1 problem. The vast majority of LA residents would need to drive at least 40 minutes to get to the train in Cucamonga. And then it would take at least 20 minutes to board. So, the actual trip is 3 and a quarter hours from LA.
How long to drive? 3 and a half.
Love this: connection to TTC station coming soon.
@Metrolinx
and
@TTChelps
please arrive at a harmonized station name for Bloor GO - Dundas West Station such as Roncesvalles Junction.
📍 This sign marks the spot!
This is where customers will access the future tunnel connecting Bloor GO/UP Station to Dundas West TTC Station.
Look for it in the concourse at the bottom of the west staircase at Bloor GO/UP! 🚇✨
@Cycling_Embassy
@cityoftoronto
Do this for every intersection of bike lanes in the city! Now we are talking about how streets should be in our city. Thank you so much 🤗
@Simply_Railway
Via Rail is starting up open-access operations in France. Just waiting for certification for their old 1950s coaches and locomotives. They will feature long boarding lineups where everyone's baggage is weighed and only one door to the entire train is used.
@anselsusername
4th and King would be important for interchange to Muni's T line/Central Subway. It seems like basically a shoulder station for the San Francisco CBD, like Toronto's East Harbour or Sydney's Redfern.
@AaronRegunberg
Do you know how trains work? The operator does NOT control the switches, that is controlled by the rail traffic control centre along with the signal system. The driver only controls braking/accelerating.
Look at this. Right now a MiWay bus on Bloor St. West is coming sooner to Dundas and Auckland then the TTC bus. But
@ATUlocal113
and
@ttcriders
supporting them would rather you wait 8 more minutes waiting for the TTC bus rather than get to you destination sooner!