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I made a trip on the Barrie line today, and I have to say I was impressed at just how much civil work has fallen into place towards eventual double tracking. With very few gaps, there is now a subgrade fully laid from Davenport all the way to Maple. North of Maple, the work isn't quite as far...

The dimensions are there. Whether the necessary construction plan exists in ML's to-do list is another question. - Paul

It's true that the TBM portion of the Line 5 extension seems to have gone more smoothly than any other recent tbm project in Toronto. I wonder why - different contractor? different design? premium quality central Etobicoke soil ? - Paul

And it would depend on the material condition of those units, and their potential reliability if pressed into service immediately without the investment of a life extending rebuild. My vote says ML is on the right track by wanting to rebuild before putting anything out on the line. Foamers can...

I remain convinced that much of the federal cash flow is a self serving bit of politics and not an economics-driven or redistribution-agenda system delivering economic utility. Ottawa is not taxing Fredericton or Kamloops to fund infrastructure in Ontario. Ontario is paying for that.... but...

The idea was originally pitched as a privatised operation. Private operators don't sell to the masses at transit level fares. The high fare probably had a solid business case, but that's the problem.... no one was planning for the public, only for the business market. - Paul PS - check out...

Thanks for digging out the exact wording. Yeah, I kinda knew that - my question was mostly rhetorical and a bit sarcastic. The axe I'm grinding is how little the taxpayer is told about the spend of the considerable amount of money they are providing. And the charades that are played out in PR...

If you will pardon a dumb question from a city boy who knows nothing of farming.... I'm curious what the value add of the automation is, beyond reducing the wear and tear on the operator. Fuel savings? Faster rate of production? More accurate or better rate of application of seed or...

Glad to see this reaching media awareness. Hope other outlets climb on the bandwagon. One has to ask whether this information should have reached the public record at ML Board meetings. What purpose does its Board serve and what duty does it have to the public ? - Paul

Not really a PTC, but simply a system that only allows the UP trains to be routed onto the spur - to prevent RTC's from erroneously routing other trains up that route. The device had some teething issues that slowed dispatching, but to my knowledge it does not control speed on the spur, just...

Heathrow Express is a fantastic service, but in the context of what we can afford and how much track space we have in Toronto, there is nothing wrong with accepting a more modest system. UPE would not gain much by having no stops and 100 mph top speed - it might be sexier, but the several stops...

I don't take the "human error" label too literally, other than indicating a political desire to assure the public that somebody's neck is getting wrung. When I read @smallspy 's description of constrained speed and headways, my mind can't help but run to "block length" and "stopping distance"...

It was perceived as a better location for a broader catchment area than Etobicoke North. (I'm not saying I agree, but that was the stated rationale) Also has been argued to have better potential as a transit hub and connectivity point, assuming Finch LRT is extended and this becomes the...

The details that we lack (that ML will have the benefit of) are the cumulative ridership figures as trains approach or leave the centre of the city. If enough seats have emptied by the time the notional train reaches Woodbine or Bramalea, it makes sense to use two trains, turning that many...

There are plenty of cheaper POS options than Presto. A simple bank credit card fee is likely 5% or less where Presto can be 15% or more. While I'm not opposed to allowing commuter rides on the Northlander, some business considerations ought to apply, especially demand management. The...

Very interesting. Apparently DoFo runs a leading edge, high tech planning process that uses IT to draw maps, where older generations used napkins ;-: The interesting specific detail for me is the mention of a Lakeview station on LSW. Didn't a local MPP put their foot in their mouth by...

Your gratuitous slagging of boomers is duly noted, and while I won't risk the moderators' wrath by responding to it, you can guess what my emphatic response might be. The point you miss is that two successive governments of opposite political stripes did articulate very similar plans for a...

No emergency exits? A single entrance and exit? So, if you have a car fire, the fire truck comes all the way from Scarborough to Etobicoke? - Paul

One would hope that Alto can manage a mixed reservations-available, but not essential model. Or at least a model that can dynamically assign seats very close to departure time. This is pretty much the world standard. - Paul

"We are closing lanes on the 401 so that we can excavate the vertical shafts needed for the upcoming tunnel" said no surviving provincial government ever. I can't imagine anyone constructing a tunnel under the 401 without requiring highly intrusive work along the route. But in Ford's fantasy...