Toronto Crosstown LRT | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

[SaugeenJunction]

I assume your R in LRT is Rapid rather than Rail?

That's a fair interpretation, particularly considering the sister BRT acronym, but doesn't match the lines covered by the much much older R as Rail definition which covers damn near everything a Canadian Light Rail Vehicle (CLRV) might be able to run on.

IMO, we ought to start clarifying our "R"s when using LRT on this forum to prevent a ton of unnecessary "it-is"/"it-isn't" back and forth as we're thinking of 2 different things for the same acronym.

Yes the Greater Toronto area is in kinda a weird bind for nomenclature for transit. The TTC streetcar network is for sure a form of "light rail transit", but when compared to the Crosstown (huge tunnel segment with further spaced stations, signal priority, level-boarding, and multi-car trains), it is hard to justify comparing it to even RoW streetcar lines.

Hamilton did a decent video comparing LRT to streetcar. I like your idea of using Light Rapid Transit as a differentiator.

 

[W. K. Lis]

...
Hamilton did a decent video comparing LRT to streetcar. I like your idea of using Light Rapid Transit as a differentiator.

Need to select and go with an antonym for "Rapid", in place of the "R" in the abbreviation, LRT.

Light ...

• accelerated
• breakneck
• brisk
• expeditious
• fast
• hasty
• speedy
• swift
• active
• express
• fleet
• flying
• precipitate
• prompt
• ready
• screaming
• agile
• double time
• expeditive
• fleet of foot
• hurried
• in nothing flat
• light-footed
• like a house on fire
• lively
• mercurial
• nimble
• on the double
• quick as a wink
• quickened
• really rolling
• spry
• winged

... Transit.

 

[Leo_Chan]

Need to select and go with an antonym for "Rapid", in place of the "R" in the abbreviation, LRT.

Light ...

• accelerated
• breakneck
• brisk
• expeditious
• fast
• hasty
• speedy
• swift
• active
• express
• fleet
• flying
• precipitate
• prompt
• ready
• screaming
• agile
• double time
• expeditive
• fleet of foot
• hurried
• in nothing flat
• light-footed
• like a house on fire
• lively
• mercurial
• nimble
• on the double
• quick as a wink
• quickened
• really rolling
• spry
• winged

... Transit.

Light Subway Transit

 

[Amare]

http://thecrosstown.ca/sites/default/files/cts_newsletter_winter2018_final.pdf

Despite what it says on the Crosstown website, transit priority will be completely in the discretion of Toronto Transportation Services (ie: they have the final call).

Judging from what we've seen from them in the past 20 years, they wont implement it and they'll find a way to screw 200 passengers in a LRV in favor of single occupancy vehicles. Why do I say this? Just look at the Spadina & St.Clair ROW's for further evidence.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Despite what it says on the Crosstown website, transit priority will be completely in the discretion of Toronto Transportation Services (ie: they have the final call).

Judging from what we've seen from them in the past 20 years, they wont implement it and they'll find a way to screw 200 passengers in a LRV in favor of single occupancy vehicles. Why do I say this? Just look at the Spadina & St.Clair ROW's for further evidence.

Recent evidence (King St.) shows that they are becoming a bit more open to it. I find King Street's transit priority quite effective.

It's not going to be 100% priority where an LRV absolutely never sees a red light - but they likely will never have to wait too long for one either.

 

[micheal_can]

Recent evidence (King St.) shows that they are becoming a bit more open to it. I find King Street's transit priority quite effective.

It's not going to be 100% priority where an LRV absolutely never sees a red light - but they likely will never have to wait too long for one either.

I wonder what would happen if all streetcar lines were reserved only for streetcars/emergency vehicles? If they added signal priority to those lines, would there really be much difference between them and the Crosstown?

 

[Leo_Chan]

I wonder what would happen if all streetcar lines were reserved only for streetcars/emergency vehicles? If they added signal priority to those lines, would there really be much difference between them and the Crosstown?

The different will be tighter stop spacing, which can be resolved easily but not without public backlash, there won’t be any centre platforms, the streetcars cannot be connected together, and the platforms cannot board two vehicles at a time as they’re too short.

 

[micheal_can]

The different will be tighter stop spacing, which can be resolved easily but not without public backlash, there won’t be any centre platforms, the streetcars cannot be connected together, and the platforms cannot board two vehicles at a time as they’re too short.

As a casual rider, would you notice the difference?

 

[innsertnamehere]

there wouldn't be a massive difference in quality of service in that theoretical scenario, no.


Stop spacing and stoplight locations are much tighter on legacy streetcar routes though - St Clair is essentially that it operates much slower than Eglinton will. This means that although the fundamentals are the same, service speed is a lot less than the crosstown will be. I'm guessing st. clair averages about 20km/h, the surface portion of the LRTs is supposed to operate around 25km/h from what I remember.

 

[Allandale25]

The Crosstown account seems to be putting out more pictures lately. They just posted this one: "looking out of the excavation happening under the intersection for Science Centre Station. Crews reached a depth of 17 metres last week".

I remember asking someone awhile ago for the reason why this station on the surface portion is underground and I believe I was told it was due to the grades and for a future Relief Line integration. Is my memory correct?

 

[Bureaucromancer]

the surface portion of the LRTs is supposed to operate around 25km/h from what I remember.

Which sounds bad if one is thinking in terms of regional express service, but isn't far off what either the Yonge, Bloor-Danforth or a car in traffic manage.

 

[MisterF]

Despite what it says on the Crosstown website, transit priority will be completely in the discretion of Toronto Transportation Services (ie: they have the final call).

Judging from what we've seen from them in the past 20 years, they wont implement it and they'll find a way to screw 200 passengers in a LRV in favor of single occupancy vehicles. Why do I say this? Just look at the Spadina & St.Clair ROW's for further evidence.

As far as I know council can simply direct staff to implement transit priority. That's not to say that they will of course.

Eglinton and the other Transit City lines really should have been designed like Vancouver's SkyTrain or Ottawa's Confederation Line (complete grade separation) or Edmonton/Calgary LRT (mostly at grade with complete signal priority). So called rapid transit shouldn't have to stop at red lights.

 

[robmausser]

The Crosstown account seems to be putting out more pictures lately. They just posted this one: "looking out of the excavation happening under the intersection for Science Centre Station. Crews reached a depth of 17 metres last week".

I remember asking someone awhile ago for the reason why this station on the surface portion is underground and I believe I was told it was due to the grades and for a future Relief Line integration. Is my memory correct?

View attachment 172547

That and its a major intersection. Just like the elevated transit over Black Creek, which is another major intersection.

 

[innsertnamehere]

it's underground as it's a major transfer location - it's going to have a bus terminal on it for the Don Mills bus, and while grades could allow for a surface station, they do make the underground station easier. A proper, large underground station makes the pedestrian transfer volumes more manageable compared to a surface station.

 

[Leo_Chan]

To be honest, as long as the Leslie intersection had aggressive signal priority, I’ll be fine if the rest of the line had little to none.