Finch West Line 6 LRT

[Rainforest]

However, if the TSP alone does not help enough, then some harder choices will have to be made if we want this LRT line to become appealing for the riders. Either the operational practices will have to change: faster acceleration, top speed wherever possible, minimal waiting etc. Or, the number of stops has to be cut dramatically. Basically, stopping at the major intersections only. In the latter case, a reasonably frequent parallel bus service will be needed.

Obviously, TTC does not want to spend money on both the LRT service and the bus service in the same corridor. However, one should remember that slow LRT operation ties up more drivers than necessary. Speed up the LRT, and you have enough drivers released to run the buses.

 

[6ixGod]

Line 6 Finch West: No service between Martin Grove and Humber College stations due to a mechanical problem. Shuttle buses are on the way. says TTC.ca…proudly displayed at the top of the website in bright yellow caution background.

Tell me more about how LRTs work great in Toronto. And you have people on this forum threatening me to be quiet and not say anything because it annoys them. Imagine being a resident of Jane & Finch and having to ride this joke everyday….imagine how annoyed they must feel.But who are we inferior peons of the outer boroughs? We don’t count apparently….no….we’re told to SHUT UP and take it.

Shut up we won’t. This is Toronto whether you like it or not. Deal with the fallout for your decisions now and put up with people who demand basic functioning public transport.

Is that TOO MUCH to ask?

 

[T3G]

Line 6 Finch West: No service between Martin Grove and Humber College stations due to a mechanical problem. Shuttle buses are on the way. says TTC.ca…proudly displayed at the top of the website in bright yellow caution background.

Tell me more about how LRTs work great in Toronto. And you have people on this forum threatening me to be quiet and not say anything because it annoys them. Imagine being a resident of Jane & Finch and having to ride this joke everyday….imagine how annoyed they must feel.But who are we inferior peons of the outer boroughs? We don’t count apparently….no….we’re told to SHUT UP and take it.

Shut up we won’t. This is Toronto whether you like it or not. Deal with the fallout for your decisions now and put up with people who demand basic functioning public transport.

Is that TOO MUCH to ask?

People don't argue with you because you want basic functioning public transport, and no one is threatening you to be quiet. We want you to be civil and polite to people who disagree with you, and to engage in arguments that are not based on partisanship and emotions. How do we know this? Because this entire post that seeks to discredit the concept of an LRT because of a mechanical problem - during inclement weather, no less - completely, totally, utterly ignores the fact that any subway operation that is not in a tunnel - and this includes the elevated rail this forum loves to hold up as an example of great urbanism - will ALSO be subject to problems because of the weather, and all types of subways experience mechanical problems, generally.

How hard is it to have a coherent set of facts at hand before getting to your soapbox? You are by all means entitled to your opinion, but you are NOT entitled to make up facts to suit your agenda, nor do you get to be ageist or call people "timid" or "small minded" because they dared to have a different opinion or you, or play the victim because you were called out for not debating like an adult. Grow up!

 

[JasonParis]

I've decided to ride Line 6 again this afternoon. I'll report back how it went... in 2027.

I've added my Christmas Eve Eve journey to my existing opening day Instagram story, if anyone wants to check it out here. And yes, it was moderately better.

 

[Burnt creek]

There is another major downside in this service is the sheltering at the station stops. I rode a portion of the line Wednesday (just to see it for myself) and on the return trip i had to wait at one of those stops for about 5 mins and i kept wishing that the stops would protect me from the weather as well bus stop shelters. You get much better sheltering from the elements at a bus stop than at the Finch LRT stops. The typical bus stops, though smallish, protect you well from the wind and precipitation when you go deep inside it. Whereas these stop shelters on this line barely protect you from precipitation and leave you fully exposed to wind and cold. ;

 

[Amare]

There is another major downside in this service that i haven't seen any mention of and that warrants serious discussions. And that is: the sheltering at the station stops. I rode a portion of the line Wednesday (just to see it for myself) and on the return trip i had to wait at one of those stops for about 5 mins and i kept wishing that the stops would protect me from the weather as well the shelters for bus stops. You get much better sheltering from the elements at a bus stop that than at the Finch LRT stops. The typical bus stops, though smallish, protect you well from the wind and precipitation when you go deep inside it whereas these stop shelters on this line barely protect you from precipitation and leave you fully exposed to wind and cold. ;

The shelters installed on the Finch and Eglinton LRTs are useless in every way shape and form. Implemented by clowns who have no concept of how adequate shelter from the elements should be designed and put in place.

The one's being built on Hurontario are just as useless as well.

 

[JSF-1]

The shelters installed on the Finch and Eglinton LRTs are useless in every way shape and form. Implemented by clowns who have no concept of how adequate shelter from the elements should be designed and put in place.

The one's being built on Hurontario are just as useless as well.

Welcome to the world of "value engineering". The government will spare every expense possible or a specific subset of voters will blow a gasket. From shelters that lack indoor space, to perpetual promises of platform doors, to always picking the lowest bidder and never learning from that mistake, to whatever the hell GO RER has become (not even Metrolinx knows anymore), if there is money to be saved the government will cut it in an effort to look "fiscally responsible".

 

[6ixGod]

Line 6 Finch West: No service between Finch West and Humber College stations due to a mechanical problem. Shuttle buses are running between Finch West and Humber College.

It’s a FESTIVUS for the REST-OF-US….who would like to start the airing of grievances?

There is another major downside in this service that i haven't seen any mention of and that warrants serious discussions. And that is: the sheltering at the station stops. I rode a portion of the line Wednesday (just to see it for myself) and on the return trip i had to wait at one of those stops for about 5 mins and i kept wishing that the stops would protect me from the weather as well the shelters for bus stops. You get much better sheltering from the elements at a bus stop that than at the Finch LRT stops. The typical bus stops, though smallish, protect you well from the wind and precipitation when you go deep inside it whereas these stop shelters on this line barely protect you from precipitation and leave you fully exposed to wind and cold. ;

They were built like that because the geniuses behind “TrAnSiT cITy” didn’t think people would be waiting very long outside for a grey streetcar to arrive, one that’s completely at the mercy of left-turning cars and has effectively zero signal priority. “You’ll get from Finch West to Humber in 35 minutes!” they said. “Why would anyone need proper shelter?”.

Meanwhile here’s what the VIVA BRT shelters look like.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/MajorMacKenzieVIVAStation.jpg

 

[Burnt creek]

Line 6 Finch West: No service between Finch West and Humber College stations due to a mechanical problem. Shuttle buses are running between Finch West and Humber College.

It’s a FESTIVUS for the REST-OF-US….who would like to start the airing of grievances?



They were built like that because the geniuses behind “TrAnSiT cITy” didn’t think people would be waiting very long outside for a grey streetcar to arrive, one that’s completely at the mercy of left-turning cars and has effectively zero signal priority. “You’ll get from Finch West to Humber in 35 minutes!” they said. “Why would anyone need proper shelter?”.

Meanwhile here’s what the VIVA BRT shelters look like.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/MajorMacKenzieVIVAStation.jpg

The Mississauga BRT has actual stations whereby you can wait inside

 

[Burnt creek]

Speaking of Mississauga BRT, that service and route is perfect candidate for an LRT service. You have proper stations, You have good spacing of stops (one km plus for each stop), you have complete grade separation, its a road that is used only by City buses, and you have the right density for an LRT. LRT's do have place and that's perfect place to put a proper LRT. Just not in Toronto.

PS.: I recall hearing that there is already been talk of doing just that with that route and that it was built with future LRT service in mind.

 

[6ixGod]

The Mississauga BRT has actual stations whereby you can wait inside

View attachment 705193

This is precisely how the Hurontario LRT should have been approached. Trench it, keep it fully separated, and place the stations under the intersections, just like the Mississauga Transitway. That project literally existed as a ready-made case study, built in the same city, under the same climatic conditions, and for the same type of suburbia demographic.

What makes this even more baffling is that Mississauga clearly understood the principle. They recognised that buses could not function reliably in mixed traffic, so they gave them their own dedicated right-of-way with proper stations where people can wait indoors. If that logic applied to buses, how did Metrolinx conclude that surface-running LRTs interacting with traffic with useless shelters be appropriate or sufficient?

Hurontario is a stroad….it has the space, the width, and the precedent. Instead of building on a proven model, they opted for street-level LRT with intersections, signals, weather exposure, and conflict points baked in from day one. That wasn’t a technical necessity, it was a policy choice. And this ties into the bigger problem. We now have three failed LRT examples in the GTA showing the same pattern:

LRTs consistently fail to live up to how they’re marketed. They’re sold as “rapid transit,” but function like upgraded streetcars. They’re sold as cheaper and faster to build, yet they drag on for years and deliver compromised speed, capacity, and reliability. At some point it becomes clear the issue isn’t execution alone, it’s the mode choice and the way it’s being sold.

 

[ThenWhat]

Speaking of Mississauga BRT, that service and route is perfect candidate for an LRT service. You have proper stations, You have good spacing of stops (one km plus for each stop), you have complete grade separation, its a road that is used only by City buses, and you have the right density for an LRT. LRT's do have place and that's perfect place to put a proper LRT. Just not in Toronto.

PS.: I recall hearing that there is already been talk of doing just that with that route and that it was built with future LRT service in mind.

That seems like a good approach. Why don't we see more of such projects that start as BRT which can be converted to LRT if that turns out to be appropriate 15 or 20 years later?

 

[Bordercollie]

Snow on switches caused it to be shut down as well as communication issues.

Maybe it would be a good idea to have crews actually proactively clean the switches. It's not like they didn't know it was going to snow.

Seems like a no brainer

 

[McGillicuddy]

Tell me more about how LRTs work great in Toronto. And you have people on this forum threatening me to be quiet and not say anything because it annoys them. Imagine being a resident of Jane & Finch and having to ride this joke everyday….imagine how annoyed they must feel.But who are we inferior peons of the outer boroughs? We don’t count apparently….no….we’re told to SHUT UP and take it.

Shut up we won’t. This is Toronto whether you like it or not. Deal with the fallout for your decisions now and put up with people who demand basic functioning public transport.

Is that TOO MUCH to ask?

You are taking this snowstorm extremely personally.

 

[Steve X]

That seems like a good approach. Why don't we see more of such projects that start as BRT which can be converted to LRT if that turns out to be appropriate 15 or 20 years later?

I doubt the Mississauga Transitway will ever get converted to a LRT in out lifetime. Mark my words. Feel free to quote 50 years later. It is not seeing the success the Ottawa Transitways saw.

As for Finch West, it would also work well if they build it as an express bus line with curb bus lanes. Sheppard East would do just fine too with a curb bus lane. The city just went with LRT to improve midrise development. Giving how well the current lines are functioning, the 986 express bus route would probably be faster the Eglinton East LRT.

I also have to say Line 6 has been a lot worse than most of us LRT supports have wished for. It painted a very bad image of the technology. Especially when cities out there such as Houston has a similar system build over 2 decades ago and yet this city can't copy an existing model.