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Toronto Pearson International Airport

urbanfan89 said:
Here's what I would support:

The high speed rail stop will be at Malton, and connected to the airport by extending the cable car train and converting it to ICTS or something similar. GTAA could charge passengers $5 for riding it.

If they go the route of a PPP, GTAA will be allowed to buy a share in the company so that dividends go straight to them.

I hope they don't use the competition to rail as an excuse to raise landing fees...again.
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100% agree with you, Urbanfan.

If we used the georgetown line as a pilot project, then we could have DMU-style trains running every 15 minutes in addition to the full sized GO trains in the peak hours. Half of the trains could turn back at Malton, leaving service every 30 minutes to mount pleasant or Georgetown.

The airport wins, as we get 30 minute running time between Malton & Downtown.
Weston wins, as they get a train they can actually use.
Brampton wins, as they get improved rail service.
The public wins because it would be set up fairly cheaply and only upgraded to electric trains if the pilot project is proven successful.
 
I'm all for intensifying the transit on the Georgetown Corridor, but it seems a bit of a waste to go "oh so close" to Pearson without re-routing the line ever-so-slightly to properly serve the airport.
 
Darkstar416 said:
I'm all for intensifying the transit on the Georgetown Corridor, but it seems a bit of a waste to go "oh so close" to Pearson without re-routing the line ever-so-slightly to properly serve the airport.
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I agree. The airport would be perfect to serve with GO S-bahn.
 
Okay, here's something still related to Pier F.

When do we get to feel the wind on the high-speed walkways? I thought I might back on a YYZ-MEX round trip in March, but nope. In September, I'll be back (for AC YYZ-PEK, and then HKG-YYZ), and hope that time, I will be feeling the wind.
 
I honestly hope every plan to bring a rail connection to the airport fails. I am not impressed with any of them, nor are any truly practical. Why are we so afraid to actually spend some money and build the damned thing right into the basement of the terminal? It makes me sick to no end, that they are even suggesting using 60 year old diesel-locomotives. We truly are a rural backwaters despite everyone trying to convince you otherwise. Global city, right!! We may have 5.5 million people in the GTA, but you would never know it by the way it is run.

Why not make the traveler's journey, who may already have to travel for many hours on a plane, that much more complicated and irritating. Take a 60 year old diesel locomotive to a station, where you will have to change with your baggage to another mode of transport to the airport, where you again will have to get off and wait in line to drop of your bags. This concept is so inane. Developing countries have trains to the airport which are better and more modern than this..

p5 (IT MAKES ME SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
 
^I could not agree more and I have been opposed to any of the airport rail link schemes/scams since day one. I want them to fail. I want to see a plan that is actually forward thinking and really turns a station at Pearson into an integral and celebrated part of the network instead of a horrible after thought consisting of cable cars and retro tin cans. I don't have a lot of faith that will happen. Somehow it seems that a totally useless and bastardized rail link will be built and that it will set back that portion of the rail network in the GTA for at least a decade, if not longer. But here is hoping.
 
I actually totally agree with p5 and Anarcho, although perhaps less emotionally so. There are two primary objectives that could be served by the rail infrastructure: Local transportation needs and city promotion. The second item is something we just don't understand in this city. People from out of town, either for business or pleasure make up a tiny fraction of the ridership of the system but have huge impact on the fortunes of the city. By the pragmatic Toronto mentality many airport links and infrastructure including those in places like Shanghai are absolute boondoogles, and yet in some ways they are such a promotional success that we are talking about them here. It seems as though the Blue-22 will not serve either of the two primary objectives very well.

On an aside p5 I had a funny thought regarding your rant, if Toronto is the sum of so many failed objectives and yet offers one of the highest standards of living in the world, isn't that a fairly strong criticism of the incompetence of human settlements everywhere?
 
On an aside p5 I had a funny thought regarding your rant, if Toronto is the sum of so many failed objectives and yet offers one of the highest standards of living in the world, isn't that a fairly strong criticism of the incompetence of human settlements everywhere?
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I think we should take pride in such findings, but incompetence happens on a variety of levels, and naturally, other cities will fail where we excel. However, with regards to transit issues, such as this one, we are certainly a 'backwater' and continue to fail, when almost every country in the world is both enhancing and embracing public transit. Naturally, we are a city with a strong notion and feel for public transit, and of course have a decent system, but our governments do not!

There are two primary objectives that could be served by the rail infrastructure: Local transportation needs and city promotion. The second item is something we just don't understand in this city.
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I also think your point about transit needs and city promotion are key here. While the airport link is important, it should not be an express line which serves only 10% of travelers, starting in the city and terminating at the airport. I am sure I am repeating what others have already posted , but the link should be something which is a part of the greater transit network, and which fulfills a larger public transit need - going from Toronto to say, Mississauga, and possibly beyond...with a variety of connections and servicing other routes.

This country produces some of the finest trains in the world and yet, we export them and allow other countries to showcase them as public transit successes. Why is that not possible here? I think that this sort of concept eludes 99% of all politicians and naturally business is happy to do it elsewhere.

p5
 
ShonTron said:
Okay, here's something still related to Pier F.

When do we get to feel the wind on the high-speed walkways? I thought I might back on a YYZ-MEX round trip in March, but nope. In September, I'll be back (for AC YYZ-PEK, and then HKG-YYZ), and hope that time, I will be feeling the wind.
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299 bloor call control. said:
Does anyone know if the Pier F high speed walkway is open? I, too, was last there in March and was very disappointed that it wasn't running yet.
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It still wasn't running in mid-August when i got home from a trip, so I called up a friend who works at YYZ and we sat down for dinner...

Apparently the thing is not running yet because they have not figured out how to make it run quietly enough. When it is going you cannot hear PA announcements in the airport, so that's a real no-no. They've tried sound insulation, and may replace parts or motors with ones that operate more quietly. Ah, to be on the leading edge of technology and see all the unforeseen little problems associated with that...

42
 
Could they not just install new speakers for the PA? Maybe ones that hang from the ceiling and come down to just above the walkway.
 
I think it's in progress right now. I don't expect it to move all that quickly though. From what I recall Pearson is now at it's desired/demanded service level gates wise for at least 2 - 3 years. They'll slowly break down T2 and expand as needed, the piers planned to go in the area taken up by T2 aren't that significant anyway.
 
Is anyone aware of what is happening on the north end of the airport lands (Airport Rd. and Derry roughly)? They tore down the old McDonnel Douglas building ages ago and replaced it with a field of dirt and now they are digging around and planting some storage tanks in the ground. I was under the impression that these lands were for future airside and airport business developments..but right now it doesn't seem like that at all. Anyone?

p5
 
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