Testing, testing, bump
Meet Link. He'll give you a bit of a bumpy ride, but he's a lot more convenient than taking a bus from a distant parking lot to Pearson airport.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority yesterday staged a trial run of its three-station automated people mover — nicknamed Link. About 250 volunteers rode the 1.5-kilometre elevated-train system, offering their thoughts on what kinks need to be worked out before the $150 million system opens July 6.
The bumpy ride dominated the post-trial run conversation.
"I like the trains, but the ride needs a lot of improvement. It's very, very rough," said Gary Douglas, 48, an accountant, who thought the TTC subway was smoother.
"For elderly people, on days when it's going to be packed, that's a rough ride, and you have luggage falling over, people falling over."
"The trains are nice, but they're shaky. It's not a smooth drive," said Iqbal Bhutto, 50, a mechanical engineer.
"If you were someone who wasn't stable on their feet, you'd have to sit down," said Brampton's Kathryn Hodsoll, who came with her husband and two sons. "They almost need to warn people that standing is not recommended."
Others commented on the lack of clocks in the three stations, the lack of seating in the stations, loud air conditioning, and inability to hear public announcements.
Link project manager Gerry Winters said his staff would go through all comments.
"We're opening on 6th of July unless there was something catastrophic that came of this," he said.
People liked the openness of the stations, the countdown to the time of the next train, and the convenience.
Each train consists of six cars, each car can seat eight people, with standing room for 17 more including plenty of space for luggage.
There are two trains in total, each operating on their own track. Link can handle 4,300 passengers an hour.
It takes 3 1/2 minutes for Link to run from a discount parking lot off Viscount Rd. to Terminal 1, with a stop at Terminal 3 in between. The train doesn't go to Terminal 2 since it will soon be demolished as Terminal 1 continues to expand as part of a $4.4 billion redevelopment of the airport.
The trains were built by and will be operated by Doppelmayr Cable Car using cable-car technology. Unlike a streetcar, which has an onboard motor and wheels in a track, Link is merely pulled by a cable much like an elevator going sideways. There's also no operator on board.
Winters said that makes Link cheaper to build and operate than a light rail system.
Source:
The Toronto Star