Dundas West/ Bloor Mobility Hub +interconnected hub network (Metrolinx)

[dob467]

My prediction of the first city tv news coverage of the opening: passengers with luggage complain about the lack of escalator and the long wait for the elevators.
A week after opening, another news segment talking about the already broken down elevators….

I'm pretty surprised this whole station is so confusing. I've been through it multiple times the last few months, taking TTC, GO, UPX, arriving and getting picked up by Uber. Every time I visit I find the layout mindboggling and unnecessary. Whenever this tunnel connecting the stations opens, I sure hope they have clear signage throughout.

 

[SubHuman]

The section of the path from south side of Bloor to Perth that was closed is now open

View attachment 702565

And now closed again.

 

[Mrgeosim]

I work with construction companies day-in and day-out. They want to get onto a project and finish it promptly because they are, by and large, paid based on project progress.

For the life of me, I cannot wrap my head around the boondoggle that is Bloor Go station/WTR. How are we three years behind schedule on adding a third track and building a tiny connection on Randolph? How did the extension of the path balloon from $23M to $149M and now $170M (and growing). We are paying more per km for this little rail-trail than most jurisdictions around the world pay for high frequency transit. This and similar projects have been such a blow to my confidence in our government. For heaven's sake, they open a path and then close it a few months later. They are intending to do the same thing with the small underpass at Paton, which ALSO is embarrassingly behind schedule. You take all these blunders, the utter waste of resources building the Finch LRT, which is significantly slower than buses, add in the Crosstown LRT, which is six years behind schedule, and you're left asking yourself, will anything get built in my lifetime?

 

[scottd]

I work with construction companies day-in and day-out. They want to get onto a project and finish it promptly because they are, by and large, paid based on project progress.

For the life of me, I cannot wrap my head around the boondoggle that is Bloor Go station/WTR. How are we three years behind schedule on adding a third track and building a tiny connection on Randolph? How did the extension of the path balloon from $23M to $149M and now $170M (and growing). We are paying more per km for this little rail-trail than most jurisdictions around the world pay for high frequency transit. This and similar projects have been such a blow to my confidence in our government. For heaven's sake, they open a path and then close it a few months later. They are intending to do the same thing with the small underpass at Paton, which ALSO is embarrassingly behind schedule. You take all these blunders, the utter waste of resources building the Finch LRT, which is significantly slower than buses, add in the Crosstown LRT, which is six years behind schedule, and you're left asking yourself, will anything get built in my lifetime?

Metrolinx is incompetent is the short answer. In terms of WTR the original 23 M was based on design assumptions that changed. Worth pointing out that the WTR expansion has 4 new bridges and extensive landscape work which were not part of the original vision. Add some land acquisition and post covid inflation and voila. And then add the "Metrolinx premium". I am on the community liaison group for the Bloor project and can point to some specific things that caused delay but overall you are correct; Metrolinx and Hatch are incompetent. Metrolinx keeps all their projects siloed so the TTC connection and the 4th rail realignment had different teams (twice the consultants!) which I think added to the timetable confusion. The messaging to the community has been scattered and inaccurate and timetables have been fluid. Very fluid. I think one of the biggest vibes that has emerged is a sense that Metrolinx just doesnt care that an important piece of public transit infrastructure has been taken out of commission. There is no goodwill left.

 

[facepalming_brooklynite]

Metrolinx keeps all their projects siloed so the TTC connection and the 4th rail realignment had different teams (twice the consultants!) which I think added to the timetable confusion.

This makes a lot of sense. I do wonder whether Metrolinx has even considered the fact that the Randolph entrance will become a major entrance to the subway station, rather than just a substitute for the current platform access to the GO station.

 

[nfitz]

I do wonder whether Metrolinx has even considered the fact that the Randolph entrance will become a major entrance to the subway station, rather than just a substitute for the current platform access to the GO station.

Oh this should be fun.

 

[scottd]

This makes a lot of sense. I do wonder whether Metrolinx has even considered the fact that the Randolph entrance will become a major entrance to the subway station, rather than just a substitute for the current platform access to the GO station.

Good point. When the original entrance was put in all of a sudden Randolph became a parking lot of Ubers backing up. Metrolinx spent zero dollars promoting the drive and drop on the other site in the Shoppers parking lot. I suspect with the potential for access to TTC this may become an issue again.

 

[drum118]

There was a plan at one time to have a second tunnel north of Randolph that would connect to all platforms as well to the plaza. No idea if that is still in play or die considering the major change to the plaza redevelopment.

 

[nickphilipson]

Might be redundant at this point, but is there any progress updates on the tunnel? Is the tunnel opening going to be simultaneous with the 4th track and Randolph exit?

 

[Sauga89]

Might be redundant at this point, but is there any progress updates on the tunnel? Is the tunnel opening going to be simultaneous with the 4th track and Randolph exit?

Metrolinx has a community liaison committee for this project. It posts the slides from its meetings somewhat regularly.