GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[Northern Light]

I don't think this has been posted, apologies if I missed it.

Innisfil has a tender out for a Grade Separation study:

From here: https://www.innisfiltoday.ca/local-...oad-and-20th-sideroad-delayed-to-2022-3581420

We find:

Aerial Pic of area:

 

[Metroscapes]

I don't think this has been posted, apologies if I missed it.

Innisfil has a tender out for a Grade Separation study:

View attachment 592468

From here: https://www.innisfiltoday.ca/local-...oad-and-20th-sideroad-delayed-to-2022-3581420

We find:

View attachment 592469

Aerial Pic of area:

View attachment 592470

Innisfil's Dufferin Jog.

 

[dowlingm]

A good and interesting myth disspelled.

Not to stir the pot, but my (quick) take is West Harbour should be the future of GO train service in Hamilton from an efficiency perspective. It is the direct line to/from Niagara. Someday, if we ever get serious about achieving common goals of passenger and freight in this country, the Hamilton sub should be abandoned below the brow in favour of a bypass right adjacent to Hamilton Airport (to enable direct or indirect rail-to-air freight). The lower Hamilton sub can then be used as a light rail line between some appropriate point east in the city and Bayview Junction / Aldershot.

When you say "below the brow" can you be more specific for those of us less familiar? The topography in that area is pretty challenging, and the sprawl severs a lot of potential options. Also, how does CP access Hamilton's industrial area and where does its intermodal yard near McMaster go?

 

[generalcanada]

Hmm toronto sun coming out with a useful article? colour me suprised

LILLEY: German firm taking over GO trains promises increased efficiency

The stereotype of German efficiency is coming to the GO Transit train system in four months' time.

torontosun.com

This is actually interesting, though, query in what time frame those 12 trains exist? 12 more at once? 12 more trains per hour?

Speaking with Niko Warbanoff, the CEO of Deutsche Bahn’s international operations, the promise is clear. He says that by applying new IT, built around industry standards, there will be 12 more trains available to service commuters without actually adding any cars to the rolling stock of the Go Train system.



“So, one result will be, and we know that already today, that by using the new IT, that we will be able to have 12 additional trains per day, more on the network than today, and this increase in capacity is without any changes in the infrastructure or anything else,” Warbanoff said during an interview in Toronto last month.

 

[crs1026]

This is actually interesting, though, query in what time frame those 12 trains exist? 12 more at once? 12 more trains per hour?

It is usually hard to decipher jounalists' explanations, but I read this to say that DB believes the planned system can be operated with 12 fewer trainsets than ML would have used, once certain improvements are made. That frees up an awful lot of equipment for further service additions.

- Paul

 

[dowlingm]

It is usually hard to decipher jounalists' explanations, but I read this to say that DB believes the planned system can be operated with 12 fewer trainsets than ML would have used, once certain improvements are made. That frees up an awful lot of equipment for further service additions.

- Paul

I know it is customary on here to assume Metrolinx (and VIA, and Transport Canada…) are a parcel of idiot know nothings, but is this actually plausible?

 

[crs1026]

I know it is customary on here to assume Metrolinx (and VIA, and Transport Canada…) are a parcel of idiot know nothings, but is this actually plausible?

LOL Assumption, or consensus ?

I was amused at how the often strident Lilley walked a fine line, so as to not to throw shade at ML in a way that could be blamed on Ford.

The biggest IT enabled efficiency gain I can think of would be the number of trainsets out of service at any time for maintenance, rather than the number moving on the network. There may be maintenance practices that could reduce that (eg not taking a trainset out of service because one car needs work, or having to bring trainsets from layover yards to Willowbrook instead of doing things in the field locations, or changing service intervals based on better recordkeeping and attention to failure rates, or having to sideline a trainset until parts or workers are available ......)

Wait until the cab car enthusiasts find out that DB doesn't see any need to rush those recently refurbished cab cars into service after all.... ;-)

I do wonder about the number of trainsets that sit in layover yards at mid-day. Perhaps different scheduling processes could keep more in service, or change the deployment somehow..

- Paul

 

[Jonny5]

I do wonder about the number of trainsets that sit in layover yards at mid-day. Perhaps different scheduling processes could keep more in service, or change the deployment somehow..

- Paul

This is what my first thought was about crew scheduling and dispatching services perhaps on in-house built IT systems

I though of it because of recent issues with airlines and their systems developed in-house long ago which were considered a money saver at the time (90's/00's), but in recent years those systems have plagued some airlines that admitted they can never "catch up" to problems because the systems of booking crews and changing flights are so old, so slow and rely on so many manual inputs that even minor incidents cause cascading delays.

More importantly, the software cannot be upgraded because the code is old with so many different people's work added on to it over 20+ years that it requires weeks of work to make sense of to process even a minor change that won't have unintended consequences, or cause the system to stop working entirely, so they simply stop updating it all together.

So maybe DB just has more modern software that can have the scheduling of both crews and trains ported over easily.

Opinion | The Shameful Open Secret Behind Southwest’s Failure (Published 2022)

The recent meltdown was avoidable, but it would have cost the company.

www.nytimes.com

 

[dowlingm]

i feel like this transition will have a ton of delays and disruptions which will be forgiven because DB is new and German, but if Metrolinx had tried to introduce the same software and practices with the same result but also the same benefits after the few weeks of pain, it would end up as the “hello, Human Resources?!” meme

 

[crs1026]

i feel like this transition will have a ton of delays and disruptions which will be forgiven because DB is new and German, but if Metrolinx had tried to introduce the same software and practices with the same result but also the same benefits after the few weeks of pain, it would end up as the “hello, Human Resources?!” meme

There's often benefit in bringing in fresh eyes.... while I agree with Lilley that ML's operational performance is already pretty good, there are always things that become ingrained habit that become difficult for the old guard to challenge or move away from ( cough TTC cough).

New management generally is given a bit more leeway to act - they've been given the keys to the truck, so the top of the house has to let them take their best shot. That may be frustrating to the old guard (who may have wanted to make improvements, but weren't allowed to, or weren't given the same funding) but that's just how corporate life works I guess.

The measure of whether OnExpress does things better won't be taken for several years - any newcomer to a job or business will blow their own horn about how they walked in and things got better.... more likely there will indeed be a period of discovery and things that may work badly for a time before they are adjusted to work well.

I share the skepticism about IT based "solutions"..... too many experiences with software that was bought because it was working perfectly somewhere else.... but there were just enough differences and imperatives in the new environment that led to the software not meeting expectations, or requiring costly software revisions before it fit the new context. IT implementation is seldom a silver bullet, but maybe DB have some processes that are worth adopting.. It will be interesting to watch.

- Paul

 

[generalcanada]

This is what my first thought was about crew scheduling and dispatching services perhaps on in-house built IT systems

I though of it because of recent issues with airlines and their systems developed in-house long ago which were considered a money saver at the time (90's/00's), but in recent years those systems have plagued some airlines that admitted they can never "catch up" to problems because the systems of booking crews and changing flights are so old, so slow and rely on so many manual inputs that even minor incidents cause cascading delays.

More importantly, the software cannot be upgraded because the code is old with so many different people's work added on to it over 20+ years that it requires weeks of work to make sense of to process even a minor change that won't have unintended consequences, or cause the system to stop working entirely, so they simply stop updating it all together.

So maybe DB just has more modern software that can have the scheduling of both crews and trains ported over easily.

Opinion | The Shameful Open Secret Behind Southwest’s Failure (Published 2022)

The recent meltdown was avoidable, but it would have cost the company.

www.nytimes.com

The term you are looking for is "brownfield" vs "greenfield"

Granted metrolinx probably built their systems in 2012/2013 so it's not that bad but for an org of that size, I'd bet there are legacy things they would love to be able to replace.

 

[Mihairokov]

Hmm toronto sun coming out with a useful article? colour me suprised

Won't believe this story unless someone else comes out with it. Labour Day Sunday is such a strange time to break this.

 

[TheHonestMaple]

Won't believe this story unless someone else comes out with it. Labour Day Sunday is such a strange time to break this.

The Sun is far more reputable than the rag that is The Star or CBC.

 

[generalcanada]

The Sun is far more reputable than the rag that is The Star or CBC.

LMFAO WHAT

 

[ShonTron]

I am loathe to defend Bloomington - it's an overbuilt station most certainly. But pushing the tracks that far up the line made sense, to try to draw cars off the 404. A much more modest station was all that was needed.

The Bloomington design actually predates the current government, btw. There was a period where the previous government was endorsing all sorts of grandiose stations, mostly because stations can be built faster than tracks and they simply wanted things for photo ops. Hamilton got its share in that era, as evidenced by the Pan Am games emphasis that made West Harbour a priority. (and yes, once the games were over, ML did seem to forget about completing the work, and both the station and the triple tracking from it over thru Bayview sat half-done for years thereafter).

More recently, Ford has not shown an interest in Hamilton mostly as it was NDP territory.... the cancellation of the LRT and Minister Mulroney's cowardly backout of that public meeting certainly speaks volumes......but to make the picture complete, Hamilton Council has sent all sorts of messages over the years that it didn't want that transit either.

The recent bit of track and signalling at Aldershot at least enables more frequent service than hourly when ML is ready to offer it. The Hunter Street tunnel is a some-day proposition. I would put extensions to the Grimsby line beyond Stoney Creek as more deserving of scarce funding. Confederation could certainly be advanced faster.

So while I can't say that Hamilton has escaped a few low blows, I would not say the city has been singled out. There is certainly an opportunity that is being missed - to intensify and upscale Hamilton as a cheaper and better way to add density in the GTA than trying to force it into a reluctant Toronto. I would support a concerted effort to drive growth in Hamilton. But - be careful what you ask for - where does Hamilton stand on the yellow belt issue? Is Hamilton ready to build 4-plexes as of right?

- Paul

For decades, it was Brampton that was left out of GO Transit service and infrastructure. I still remember when there was only a Union Station bus every three hours. Hamilton had it pretty good with the QEW bus in comparison.