Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited

mdrejhon said:
You're a new visitor.

Imagine you arrive at (imaginary) Republic of Elbownia as a university exchange student, at their prestigious Kneecap University.

You see "BOOT" logos all over the place (their subway network) and you also see "BURP" logos (their commuter network), but they don't interchange well, and the signage is confusing. You'll quickly learn which is which, but you end up having a bad impression and continued difficulties over the year or two due to poor wayfinding at interchange stations. You may end up sticking to the BOOT subway network, never using the BURP rapid transit commuter network even though it may be sometimes a faster way from point A to B.

It's like you've never seen a TTC/GO logo before; "BOOT" is "TTC" and "BURP" is "GO".


About damn time.
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There is this new thing... it's called the internet. I have used it a before travelling to Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul, Dubai, Tehran etc etc. to plan how I will navigate around town.
I suspect it might catch on and other will do the same before visiting here. ;)

On a more serious note... I get your point and there is always room for improving things. However, I suspect that the current sign will work just fine.
 
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You all shouldn't worry so much. We won't be welcoming any non-english speaking tourists, because we aren't world class, because all potential tourists are turned off by the hydro poles. So anyone flying to Toronto will be a local or know a local and will already be familiar with all the local symbols.
 
apayette89 said:
That should be "Trains vers l'aéroport". Metrolinx is terrible with bilingual signage.

Still, glad to see that the station is ready for opening soon!
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I'm not sure it's totally wrong, but including the article would have been nice. It's a little too telegrammatic without it, as if the English were 'Trains, airport'.

Also, does the French trains appear to be missing a dot on the i?
 
Looks like Metrolinx has started advertising the UP Express. My mother sent me this picture of the cover of an 8-page insert in into today's Globe an Mail. Not a bad idea to advertise before launch.
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alexanderglista said:
Looks like Metrolinx has started advertising the UP Express. My mother sent me this picture of the cover of an 8-page insert in into today's Globe an Mail. Not a bad idea to advertise before launch.
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I got this insert in last Saturday's Toronto Star. It's a very interesting and lavish insert, good useful information, a couple of sentences of hyperbole, a bunch of information UrbanTorontoers already know but average GTA residents do not, some new information for us, and also announces the premium lounge concessions like the Mill Brewery and Balzac's coffee for the first time to many people. Premium beer and coffee while waiting for UPX? Not many train/bus/taxi stops offer that. It also highlighted indoor platform edge waiting 365 days a year without getting tired out with the bags in the cold/heat. It does feel like your vacation will start the moment you enter the UPX terminal, and it feels like they're about to deliver on that. (They better not botch the launch...!)
 
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mdrejhon said:
I got this insert in last Saturday's Toronto Star. It's a very interesting and lavish insert, good useful information, a couple of sentences of hyperbole, a bunch of information UrbanTorontoers already know but average GTA residents do not, some new information for us, and also announces the premium lounge concessions like the Mill Brewery and Balzac's coffee for the first time to many people. Premium beer and coffee while waiting for UPX? Not many train/bus/taxi stops offer that. It also highlighted indoor platform edge waiting 365 days a year without getting tired out with the bags in the cold/heat. It does feel like your vacation will start the moment you enter the UPX terminal, and it feels like they're about to deliver on that. (They better not botch the launch...!)
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Yeah the indoor waiting situation is a really good perk for winter trips. With PATH and the subway it'll be pretty cool the amount you can get around without going outside.

Imagine the 2016 NBA all star games in Toronto in February. Visitors can land, take UPX downtown, get to the ACC, the Eaton Center etc, fully underground.

It'll also be really convenient this year for visitors going to Caribana or TIFF, which draw large amounts of international visitors.
 
You know, that's true.
There will be tourists and business travellers who spend a whole week in Toronto without ever stepping outside.
Conventions, sports events, TIFF, multiple hotel-resorts, flagship mall, College/Bloor (subway and eventually PATH), even future connections to Aquarium, etc.

It could easily overload the UPX during the airport landing surge moments of a big convention, when many airplanes of businesspeople or eventgoer tourists land consecutively. I think Metrolinx will quickly announce an electricified full-length 3-car fleet with 10-minute headways, once the system overloads during the surge moments. That might dynamically go to 15-minute cycles during offpeak, perhaps with extra trains on reserve, based on monitoring the arrivals. Average passenger traffic do not fill 3-car trains, but airports are surge prone (747/A380!) and that's what needs to be designed for.

Every full train would be profitable at current UPX prices, so there's every incentive for Metrolinx to have a peak-surge plan, while accomodating those mostly-empty moments (e.g. early mornings). So there might be incentive to add surge service capacity to UPX.
 
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Is it just me or have we moved the UPe discussion from the "white elephant" days to "this thing is going to be overcrowded" in record time?

;) ;)
 
Love or hate it, some of us hate how stupendously (or stupidly) expensive UPX is, but it's here now. It's great. Many of us will love it anyway.

We now have to fight over its relative merits and how to properly milk a popular train we're stuck with. Get the waiting people at Pearson a UPX seat as quickly as possible as every single full train becomes profit at those luxury fare prices (that many will certainly pay anyway), with extra trainsets if needed. Naysayers will point out how empty the trains are all day on a slow Tuesday in late January, while cheerleaders will point out the numerous complaints made by standees on 3-car trains during a major event.
 
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mdrejhon said:
Love or hate it, some of us hate how stupendously (or stupidly) expensive UPX is, but it's here now. It's great. Many of us will love it anyway.

We now have to fight over its relative merits and how to properly milk a popular train we're stuck with. Get the waiting people at Pearson a UPX seat as quickly as possible as every single full train becomes profit at those luxury fare prices (that many will certainly pay anyway), with extra trainsets if needed. Naysayers will point out how empty the trains are all day on a slow Tuesday in late January, while cheerleaders will point out the numerous complaints made by standees on 3-car trains during a major event.
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Honestly though, any other city it costs what, 8-15 dollars to get to the airport (and that's American dollars)? Personally I only fly at most once or twice a year, so the $19 dollar fare a few times a year doesn't seem like a huge amount, especially compared to the rest of the expenses like airplane tickets and hotels.
 
mdrejhon said:
You know, that's true. PATH is one of the largest contiguous underground pedestrian networks, rapidly expanding to College (and maybe Bloor within our lifetimes, with the condo/tower boom along Yonge). There will be tourists and business travellers who spend a whole week in Toronto without ever stepping outside. Not even to wait for a taxi/bus.
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The PATH is a great asset: I love that instead of bundling up and trudging through overcrowded sidewalks when it's -30 outside people can go directly from their apartments to their offices (or grocery store, or whatever) in complete comfort. It's too bad that it's only been tepidly endorsed. Jane Jacobites hate it because it takes people off the street, pinkos don't like that it's a commercialized space where the homeless aren't welcome. A lot of chances to expand it in recent years have been delayed or thwarted (negotiations with Ryerson for the second Dundas exit at the sam the record man site, northwest path expansion from union, Aura's connection, etc.) I think the city's official plan also states that they're trying to avoid expansion to the entertainment district. It needs a strong champion and a dedicated fund to make sure it keeps expanding. Ideally all new development in the vicinity should be required to either make a direct connection, or leave a provision (knockout wall) and contribute funds to a PATH expansion fund.

mdrejhon said:
It could easily overload the UPX during the surge moments, and Metrolinx needs to ugprade it to 10-12 minute headways with full length 3-car trains. Nevermind the empty 2-car trains in early mornings/late wee hours, the surge moments of landings need to be accomodated for, during major events. I think Metrolinx needs a plan for 10-minute headways for UPX during "peak" events.
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The UPX isn't like the Lakeshore line. I cannot picture many people flying in to Toronto to watch a game directly from the airport, then going directly back to the airport afterwards.

Improving the headway AND moving to 3-car trains is way beyond what is projected. Steve Munro has a detailed breakdown of Metrolinx's projections, and even their projections show a very low market share for the service compared to other airports.

Regardless of what I think, I guess we'll see the real data when the PanAm games happen and UPX is open and filled with tourists.
 
aquateam said:
The UPX isn't like the Lakeshore line. I cannot picture many people flying in to Toronto to watch a game directly from the airport, then going directly back to the airport afterwards.
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I could imagine some people doing a business deal/meeting or something like that and flying back the same day, or people flying in to do recruiting/interview events or conferences from the rest of North America.

Not a huge amount of people, but business travel will probably be a significant amount of ridership.
 
ehlow said:
I could imagine some people doing a business deal/meeting or something like that and flying back the same day, or people flying in to do recruiting/interview events or conferences from the rest of North America.

Not a huge amount of people, but business travel will probably be a significant amount of ridership.
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I've heard of many a business meeting in the Airport Sheraton where people fly in for a meeting, and never leave the airport.

Now these folks can pop into Toronto for dinner, or just a quick look-around for only $13.75 each.
 
Oliver Moore ‏@moore_oliver · 5m5 minutes ago
Media invited to ride UPX with premier tomorrow morning from dowtown to airport. #onpoli
 
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