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

Saw a Via blow by Weston UPX west bound a few minutes ago.
 
@TOareaFan I wouldn't know! Not familiar with Via.
Yeah I think if you went to Weston every day at that time you will see a Via train headed westbound and blowing through that station....it's first scheduled stop after Union is Brampton but you can pre-arrange that it stop in Malton if you want.
 
So the UPX today took an incredibly odd and interesting route to get into and out of Union today due to USRC signal upgrades.

Inbound trains from the Weston Sub entered the USRC on the northern track,crossing over the underpass (normally used in the inbound approach route) and passed through Union Station along platforms 7-8 lets call this track 5(?). Then the train switched over to track 1 (north side of east corridor), Then back on track 1, westward into the station. The train stopped in the non-upx platform 3 area and a temporary metal ramp was used to load and unload the train from the western end down to platform level. (wish I took a photo of the ramp... but was running for the train!)

Outbound trains then went back eastward through Union to a cross over which took them to the same track 5(?), clearing track 1 and allowing an inbound UPX train holding further east on track 1 to get to the temporary platform at the end of platform 3. The outbound trains then progressed back west through Union and retraced its steps over the underpass and back onto the Weston sub. I have a map of what happened below. Green is inbound, red is outbound, orange is shared. All around a strange ride and a show of just how important USRC signal upgrades are, and the issue of platform heights, but that's for another thread...;):rolleyes::p

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So the UPX today took an incredibly odd and interesting route to get into and out of Union today due to USRC signal upgrades.

Inbound trains from the Weston Sub entered the USRC on the northern track,crossing over the underpass (normally used in the inbound approach route) and passed through Union Station along platforms 7-8 lets call this track 5(?). Then the train switched over to track 1 (north side of east corridor), Then back on track 1, westward into the station. The train stopped in the non-upx platform 3 area and a temporary metal ramp was used to load and unload the train from the western end down to platform level. (wish I took a photo of the ramp... but was running for the train!)

Outbound trains then went back eastward through Union to a cross over which took them to the same track 5(?), clearing track 1 and allowing an inbound UPX train holding further east on track 1 to get to the temporary platform at the end of platform 3. The outbound trains then progressed back west through Union and retraced its steps over the underpass and back onto the Weston sub. I have a map of what happened below. Green is inbound, red is outbound, orange is shared. All around a strange ride and a show of just how important USRC signal upgrades are, and the issue of platform heights, but that's for another thread...;):rolleyes::p

View attachment 141778 View attachment 141779
I caught it doing this last weekend while heading to High Park.
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I caught the train doing this both on my way to Pearson and back to Union a week later. A few notes:

  • The trip now takes well over 30 minutes.
  • Because of the delay, the trains are packed like 504 streetcars at rush hour.
  • Due to the platform shuffle noted by mrxbombastic above, the train operators have to barge past these passengers and their luggage to reach the opposite end of the train.
  • An announcement is made to passengers travelling from Pearson to explain what's going on, but the announcement isn't given until the train is sitting on the wrong end of Union for 4 or 5 minutes without moving. (I think this is the only notice provided to passengers from Pearson unless they check Twitter or whatever.)
  • At track 1, all passengers exit from the first door of the first car into a bottleneck passageway leading to the skywalk bridge over York St.
  • Presto users then have to backtrack all the way over to the proper UPX platform area to tap off on the silver Presto terminals, which haven't been moved closer to the temporary exit.
  • All of this gets really chaotic when the skywalk is full of Jay's fans and confused tourists.
 
I caught the train doing this both on my way to Pearson and back to Union a week later. A few notes:

  • The trip now takes well over 30 minutes.
  • Because of the delay, the trains are packed like 504 streetcars at rush hour.
  • Due to the platform shuffle noted by mrxbombastic above, the train operators have to barge past these passengers and their luggage to reach the opposite end of the train.
  • An announcement is made to passengers travelling from Pearson to explain what's going on, but the announcement isn't given until the train is sitting on the wrong end of Union for 4 or 5 minutes without moving. (I think this is the only notice provided to passengers from Pearson unless they check Twitter or whatever.)
  • At track 1, all passengers exit from the first door of the first car into a bottleneck passageway leading to the skywalk bridge over York St.
  • Presto users then have to backtrack all the way over to the proper UPX platform area to tap off on the silver Presto terminals, which haven't been moved closer to the temporary exit.
  • All of this gets really chaotic when the skywalk is full of Jay's fans and confused tourists.

What proportion of UPX trains will be affected by the signal upgrades in this way?
 

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