Adjei
Senior Member
I don't think she's the transportation planner.
If he doesnt already, Tory must absolutely dispise everything about Keesmaat right now. This is going to play out just like the Ford/Webster saga with Tory doing everything in his power to get Keesmaat out of office. I hope Keesmaat has contacted a lawyer and started prepping for a wrongful dismal case.
But at least she's telling the truth. If Tory thought that he could magically buy up land adjacent to GO corridors, and run his own little sub-sufrace subway network than he's living in fantasy land. But then again, he thought the Eglinton lands were still available because Google Maps said so.
If he doesnt already, Tory must absolutely dispise everything about Keesmaat right now. This is going to play out just like the Ford/Webster saga with Tory doing everything in his power to get Keesmaat out of office. I hope Keesmaat has contacted a lawyer and started prepping for a wrongful dismal case.
But at least she's telling the truth. If Tory thought that he could magically buy up land adjacent to GO corridors, and run his own little sub-sufrace subway network than he's living in fantasy land. But then again, he thought the Eglinton lands were still available because Google Maps said so.
For me, nothing has changed -- these are still spanking new electric GO trains.I can't help but feel like we've all been conned by Mr. Tory. He basically repackaged the GO RER proposal and presented it as his own, new transit solution. It's looking like whatever happens with RER would've happened regardless of Tory's, ummm... cooperation.
SmartTrack was the centrepiece of Tory's campaign. I don't want to say he was elected on false pretenses, but there is something very unsettling about all this.
I'll wait to see the SmartTrack evaluations in the fall before getting too upset over this.
On that subject, it's certainly possible SmartTrack will be using European style EMUs, as Transport Canada appears willing to consider waiving heavy rail FRA requirements.but this is more of a commuter rail transit rather than urban high frequency heavy rail.
-- Metrolinx purchased a large amount of the GO train network enabling good temporal separation options (entire RER corridor ownership)Metrolinx said:Transport Canada has recently indicated that they may be more flexible with the FRA structural strength requirements, which might open opportunities for GO to study a broader range of European and Asian EMUs and DMUs. Specifically, they stated their intent to require new GO vehicles to either:
Meet FRA structure strength and crash worthiness for passenger cars, or
Maintain temporal separation from freight and heavy rail passenger traffic, or
Operate under some form of Positive Train Control (PTC) signalling system
Agreed. Plenty of people recognized from the very beginning that Smarttrack was developed on the back of an envelope in the strategy room of a candidate running for office, and nothing more. We knew that when the concept eventually was tested by actual planning studies and professional analyses - which is different from having other candidates challenge it in a mayoral debate - some parts would hold up and other parts would not. Now we get to see if it's viable or not. Personally I'm glad to see we are moving into a more professionally driven, fact based debate.I don't think "we've all been conned" is accurate. Many people were skeptical. Many people like me thought itwas RER with a few extra stops, better buut not a DRL replacement. Then there are theones who letthemselvesbelieve this was possible. t.
But in either case, Eglinton along this stretch is a lost opportunity because of the previous short-sighted regime and there's no way Smarttrack will work along this stretch as the upcoming study will illustrate.
Believe me, the previously vacant land north of Eglinton between Royal York and around Widdicombe Blvd would have been sufficient for a trench. Fitting in a station a various points would have been a little tricky, but definitely doable.I don't think anyone (except maybe Mayor Tory) thinks that heavy rail will work along Eglinton West. Even without the townhouse development, it probably would not have been possible. But a poster suggested that there wasn't even room for a trenched or elevated transit line and I think that's wrong.
As I put some more thought into it, move the line to the south side of Eglinton West of Kipling is not that bad. The townhouse construction finally shows up on Google, so I can consider some options. The "S" curve (with 100m radius curves) to switch from the North to South side will take about 90 to 100m. A pier would be needed in the median of Eglinton to make the spans a manageable 50m.
I can't help but feel like we've all been conned by Mr. Tory. He basically repackaged the GO RER proposal and presented it as his own, new transit solution. It's looking like whatever happens with RER would've happened regardless of Tory's, ummm... cooperation.
SmartTrack was the centrepiece of Tory's campaign. I don't want to say he was elected on false pretenses, but there is something very unsettling about all this.
I'll wait to see the SmartTrack evaluations in the fall before getting too upset over this.