From Cork to Toronto

During the 2006 Commonwealth Games, a Melbourne tram was "made over" by a Pakistani group as a showcase of their culture. Check it out.

In a speech to Bombardier employees in Thunder Bay, Dalton McGuinty floated the idea of powering the next generation of GO trains by hydrogen rather than electricity. This is surprising considering his recently launched MoveOntario2020 plan proposed to use... electric locomotives. Bombardier don't care which technology is used - the passenger cars they make will probably be identical either way. The accompanying analysis included one stunning mistake: "Most trains in the world use either greenhouse-gas-emitting diesel engines or electricity, which is cleaner but is still often generated using greenhouse-gas-producing coal plants . A train that uses a hydrogen fuel cell to combine hydrogen with oxygen to create the electricity needed to run its motor would essentially be a zero-emissions vehicle, producing only water vapour, proponents say. The trains might run on hydrogen produced by Ontario's nuclear plants . Point 1: Ontario's nuclear plants do not produce hydroge...

Apparently TTC are making big changes to Broadview and Kennedy stations this week. But hey, why bother telling anyone on the Service Disruption page (which seems to be down anyway), even if it means people who didn't bother getting transfers to Kennedy now need one. Apparently the powers that be don't even tell the drivers. Can we please hire whoever does passenger information at GO Transit? At least they seem to be trying . Meanwhile months after Adam Giambrone solicited ideas for the TTC website, no progress to report.

Yesterday there was a Day of Action by First Nations people which included the closing of Highway 401 and the main railway line at Deseronto by a group led by activist Shawn Brant . I'm not going to go into the specifics of the rights or wrongs of the protest in this post but rather discuss the fact that Canadian National Railway declared that $100 million dollars worth of goods were blockaded due to the protest . Presumably that's $100 million every day the line closes. 5,000 VIA Rail passengers had to make other plans. In recent years CN and CP have been allowed to abandon pieces of railway infrastructure. I don't have a problem with that per se, it doesn't matter to me who owns them, but they should not be allowed to simply be lifted or rust among weeds while the remaining lines become more and more critical. The Government of Ontario should be buying up these lines to either keep them open or to at least preserve the alignment in public ownership so that when ...

We don't know where the money's coming from yet (but that Health Tax is definitely staying now since the Libs haven't the stones to hike fuel taxes) but some of the McGuinty $17.5 billion, 902km plan (on the Premier's website , not Transportation!) is not just welcome but stunning :  the new routes of Crosstown GO, Bolton GO, and Havelock GO the extensions to Lakeshore East, Richmond Hill and Stouffville Transit City suddenly has a pulse Electrification of Lakeshore opens the door to future electric VIA Rail or electric local rail in the 416 Other bits I'm less enthused by -  most important - no sign of a ministerial signature yet on the Simplified Transit Environmental Assessment another subway to York Region - which presumably Toronto will pay any losses for, again. the seeming resurrection of SNC-Lavalin's divisive Blue 22 , but hopefully the EA will demand it be a GO train with a Weston stop. Sheppard East LRT (merely preserves the Don Mills mode change an...

Here's the CBC on it . Now if they could only find a way of showing... oh let's pick something random... why the subway is running slow and hundreds of people are stuck on hot platforms from Queen to Wellesley.

To any CIE types reading, here's a primer .  God knows after various past fiascos one would have thought you'd have taken notice, but here we are, back in court . Mr Dunne (54), of Rowlagh Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin, told the court yesterday that he had found the lands "wild" in June 1977 ànd had placed his horses there after erecting fences, poles and wire. Over subsequent years, he built stables for the horses and stored hay and feed. He said the local children called him "Dinty" and described the land involved as "Dinty's field". There have been various dark mutterings on message boards about possible encroachments on the Claremorris-Collooney railway line - maybe that's why the new government has declined to commit to its construction?

According to Steve Munro's informative post , this TTC Commission Report thinks so, with the majority being incurred by the section in York Region and yet Toronto is on the hook for all of the shortfall. This subway extension above York U is looking like a worse deal every day.

The previous plan to refurbish the existing streetcars seems to be out of favour in favour of low-floor streetcars which will be low-mobility-accessible, unlike the existing models. This alone should have been reason to go for them, along with a modern design (with airconditioning designed in rather than taken out and now being put back) and hopefully quieter operation, especially when stopped. The reintroduction of streetcars in Dublin showed people who would not ride buses would ride the LUAS and it's good to see TTC not yield to the siren song of more buses and one hopes the Budget Advisory Committee will see the sense in this. The important thing to know is that the existing streetcar fleet is 196 strong so 200 cars is a 1:1 replacement. That sounds fine until you realise the new streetcar lines in the waterfront and Scarborough and extensions of St. Clair to Jane and Bathurst up the hill to St. Clair (if it can be done) will result in fewer streetcars running less freque...

I saw this post which largely reproduced this article and wondered about the Toronto subway where in summer the heat and humidity alone can be oppressive at peak, especially since some cars don't have air conditioning. Now I wonder whether the conditions observed in Sweden are true here. If so, I think they increase the case for installing full length screens at all subway platforms. Not only would they increase the efficiency of air conditioning on platforms by reducing leakage into the tunnels but they would be an impediment to suicides and accidental track incursions while permitting the operation of shorter subway cars in offpeak times in a safe manner. (Note: there are operational impediments to 3/4 car operation but that's another matter.)

Via Archiseek among other places I learn the Railway Procurement Authority are looking at a light rail system for Cork . The routes most likely would be on the southwest of the city, taking in UCC and Ballincollig via the " straight road ", a candidate for light rail if there was ever one given its bullet straight alignment, with a spur to CIT and the Regional Hospital - perhaps a loop along Wilton Road, Curraheen Road, Melbourne Road and a new alignment in the area between the industrial estate at Model Farm Road and a junction with the other line at Carrigrohane Road . The tricky part, as has always been the case when discussing south side light rail in Cork (north side is all about steep gradients and rock throwing louts) is what to do about getting it into/out of the city centre and its narrow streets. I'm thinking especially about the bridge here and the route between there and Washington Street which is currently parallel one-ways in part. Then do you route it t...

I came across this google mashup via various blogs including Torontoist . The map includes York Region's VIVA, TTC routes and GO Transit routes. This is just another example of the community stepping in where the TTC and other transit agencies fail to provide, such as the Subway Rider Efficiency Guide or the Subway Buttons . Sometimes this participation comes at risk from snarls from the Commission's legal rottweilers . No sign of Google Transit for Toronto yet despite the TTC discussing it in March . The GTTA will probably spend a billion dollars on consultants and tenders to produce the same thing, as they are bound to with the Smart Card project. UPDATE: Spacing has a post on this , the comments of which include a link to a Toronto Star article which seems to indicate the TTC will not proceed with Google Transit before developing its own solution first. Figures - TTC "made in Toronto" is all too frequently like Tory "made in Canada" environment po...

This was in yesterday's Post and I agree with every word. A policy of making it more obvious where the bathrooms are in each station, as well as not leaving a gap of, say, 5 stations without a bathroom would be good too. At present the policy as I understand it is to have toilets at terminal stations like Finch and junction stations like Bloor - although the last time I needed it damned if I could find the Bloor one. Some more public bathrooms in other parts of the city would be nice too. Friday, December 01, 2006 BANISH THIS: AN OPEN LETTER TO MOSCOE: CLEAN THE BATHROOMS Dear Mr. Moscoe, I am a Thornhill resident and TTC commuter. On behalf of bathroom-using women from all over the GTA, I am now going to give you an earful about the TTC washrooms. I would like to ask why the TTC bathrooms are so revolting. Have you been in any of the TTC bathrooms recently? I am familiar with the bathrooms at Finch Station, Eglinton Station and Bloor Station. They are always dirty and smelly,...

On Metroblogging Toronto a recent post contrasts the award of the TTC's new bimetallic tokens to a US firm with the award of the subway contract to Bombardier. It's worth noting the latter contract will also benefit the US as much of the components for the new cars are made there using existing plant - only 51% of the contract is guaranteed to Thunder Bay. But it struck me reading it that the reason these new, more secure tokens are possible is due to casinos rather than transit operators - the TTC is merely reaping the benefits of gambling investment. Perhaps it's time to examine whether a critical mass exists between the various transit systems and casino operators both First Nations and Provincial to invest in a token mint in Canada. At the same time, the TTC should not use these tokens as an excuse to defer the introduction of a GTA transit card as full integration of TTC, GO Transit and the other regional transit authorities is crucial to avoiding even worse grid...

The Telegraph reports that UK Chancellor Gordon Brown plans "green taxes" among which an tax hike on the existing 5 pound sterling tax on shorthaul flights and 40 pounds on longhaul. If Brown had real concern for the environment he would commit to putting all aviation tax above the cost of maintaining aviation infrastructure and security into improving high speed rail links within the UK and to Belgium and France via the Channel Tunnel. Instead the tax will surely pour into the gaping maw of the Treasury. This doesn't make it green - just greedy. Taxes on long haul flights tax on the other hand lacks any alternative route to steer people to short of putting people on rowing boats - paying for facilities to tow and start up aircraft near runways rather than having engines idling on the tarmac should be where such taxes find a home, as well as punishing older aircraft harder than newer more economical ones. There is a case to increase some taxes on flying here in Canada...

(This is a follow-on to Porter 245 ) I had left my return a little later than anticipated but thought leaving at 7pm for a flight 90 minutes later from an airport 14km away wouldn't be much of a problem. I decided to give Ottawa transit another go. First problem was making exact change for the 97 again. Second problem was having obtained said change (and a coffee from a nearby Starbucks) I saw the bus disappear into the distance. Oh well, I thought, there's always another one on such a major route right? However, frequency being about every 15mins, journey time nearly 30mins and allowing for one service not happening left things too close for comfort and so I hailed a taxi as one nervous breakdown per day was enough. The fare was, well, substantially higher than $3. Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier is a modern well appointed building in my opinion. Gate 18 is fairly isolated and quiet but it's just another gate. Unlike City Centre there are no lounge facilities and wifi is...

Just back from Ottawa on a day trip for work, flying from Toronto Island Airport with Porter Airlines . Those who have read my previous posts about the airport, the airline and the Mayor will know that I am generally supportive of the airport but this was the first time I had a chance to fly from there without it costing more and at less convenient times than equivalent flights from Pearson as it was in the bad old days of Air Canada Jazz. I picked the cheapest flights available that gave me enough time to complete my business - the 0700 leaving Toronto and the 2030 leaving Ottawa. This cost $333 ($109 out, $142 back and the rest in charges and taxes), the same as Air Canada (although taking flights reflecting the longer travel time from East York to Pearson) and more expensive than WestJet ($298) but without the taxi ride I would have undoubtedly taken to get to Pearson for an early flight. I have taken TTC to Pearson but for an evening flight with plenty of time to spare. I had c...

Reading TTC General Manager Rick Ducharme's resignation letter and the response from Bob Kinnear (head of the union local that walked out on a smog day) I can't help but borrow my title today from Edward James Olmos .

From the Toronto Star : Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker pointed out that the nine-member commission of city councillors is very much pro-union. "I'm 100 per cent pro-union, so is Howard Moscoe, Joe Mihevc, David Miller," said De Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre). "The employees of the TTC will never have more sympathetic people than the commission is now. " And let's not forget TTC vice-chair Adam Giambrone, whose other job is Federal NDP President. Hizzoner stacked the TTC with his pals - it's not like he's having to deal with the Lastman rearguard like the Police Services Board in his first year as mayor. Now he's going to have to take responsibility. Sadly Pitfield in her response continues to appear no more than an opportunist rather than someone with a real alternative to offer. As for Local 113 - they walked out on a day when the humidex hit 43C - something well forecasted. There is no excuse - a couple of days would have made n...

As the Tory transit tax credit draws near, I'm looking into getting a metropass. So I took one of the application forms from the subway car and read it en route to my stop. In addition to a (marked voluntary) section on my existing commuting habits and whether I have a car, there's a section which is not marked voluntary asking for my driver's licence number and my date of birth. Now, this form is used for student and senior passes so in theory it could be linked to that but you can order multiple passes with one form so that's a no. The idea of a transit authority looking for a licence they are in theory supposed to replace at least in part bugged me so I decided to read the accompanying fine print. The metropass is paid for with pre-authorised payment with penalties of $25 for having insufficient funds. However it seems the TTC also conducts credit checks: 12... (continues) The customer hereby consents to the TTC conducting credit checks and other financial verifi...