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TTC York University BRT

drum118

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I cannot find the thread on York University BRT and will start one with this if the old one does not surface.

On March 14-09, I shot the whole ROW route of TTC BRT from Dufferin St to York Blvd.

At the Downsview Station, there is construction at the south end of the station and look like a retaining wall for a ramp to get onto the Allen for the BRT from the station.

The BRT will use the HOV lane north of Sheppard Ave.

A new bus lane has been built north from Finch Ave to the Hydro Corridor.

New retaining wall being built at the Hydro corridor area for the new lane as well allowing the bus lane to loop to the east before crossing Dufferin St.

The loop section and lane are completed. This will put to rest the talk of an overpass people have been talking about for sometine for this interchange.

Traffic light poles are up and waiting for signals.

Wide sidewalk at the crossing for the street at this point.

Next to no work west of Dufferin St at this point other than the concrete lane connecting the ROW to Dufferin St.

The ROW is in between the first and second row of towers to the south side.

As the ROW nears Ainess Rd, work is underway for sub grading on the east side where the ROW will swing north between the centre tower and the north tower row.

A Hydro pole at Ainess Rd will have to be move as it is dead cenre of the ROW. Traffic lights are to go up here also.

To the west of Ainess Rd, sub grading is about haft way to the Bradford Line.

For those who think the ROW should be the place for the Finch LRT, look at the video and see what next to it. Other than Long Express service, not a nice place as well causing extra transfers.

At the Bradford Line, the rail track into the storage area has been removed with the line waiting for the snap track that are on site to replace the existing switch.

A new switch to the storage area a has been cut into the passing track at the south end at Finch Ave from what I could see from this location.

Rail and switch have been also removed from another industry on the east side at the ROW to the north.

The rail corridor in this area will support 3 tracks with no problems. Since The Bradford line is grade sperated at the Sinder Sub, work will take place to double track the grade seperation and connect to the siding track for York University GO Station.

I noticed another industry that has it's switch removed, but looks like someone forgot to pull that boxcar out first that sitting at the south end. It's CN 551799 and hidden by density trees. Looks like it been there for years and will have to be scrap on site which has no access to it other than by rail unless the switch is put back in for a company planning on using rail to service it..

No real work for the ROW at the rail location.

Looking west, there is sub grading taking place.

At Keele St, new traffic signal poles are being install with the centre section to be cut to the north.

From the looks of things, the ROW entrance at Keele St will be on a 45 degree angle to connect with Murray Ross Pky.

Just to the west of Keele St, running north off Murray Ross is the first real sign of the ROW nearing completion.

Traffic poles are in place for the intersection waiting traffic signals.

The ROW is pave with a curb on the west side. The east side will be a sloping gravel bank.

Footing are in place for the light mast to light the ROW.

A large number of homes under construction on the west side of a road that will run parnell to the ROW.

They are mostly 3 floors semis.

The houses that are completed are not your standard cookie cutter type as no one house is the same style or finish sitting side by side. No driveway or garage in the front as the garage are at the rear and separated from the house. The garages are access by a wide concrete lane way. The streetlight are not the standards ones found in most area. Last time I saw something like this was in the area where I lived while in Calgary for 5 years. Small backyards.

One hope for higher density near Keele.

At The Pond Road, the intersection is waiting traffic signals.

At the York Blvd, the road does an s snake to line up with the entrance to the parking lot on the north side. Traffic signalers are being install.

Over the next month or two, the ROW on York will be finish and waiting for the first batch of TTC buses to use it.

I shot about 100 photo's and will be posted at a later date.

Video's as follow.

Dufferin St

In the Hydro ROW

The ROW location at Bradford Line

At Murray Ross

At mid block

At The Pond

At York Blvd

One will hope that true transit priority signals are use for the ROW allowing buses ::NOT:: to stop in the name of Traffic.
 
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Looking northbound on Dufferin St
IMG_03-14-09-0006.jpg


Looking south at same locfation
IMG_03-14-09-0005.jpg


Looking north at east side connection at Dufferin St
IMG_03-14-09-0013.jpg


Sidewalk crossing
IMG_03-14-09-0017.jpg


Hydro Pole in the way
IMG_03-14-09-0026.jpg


Bardford Line
IMG_03-14-09-0041.jpg


For gotten Box Car
IMG_03-14-09-0050.jpg


Will support 6 tracks on the Sinder Sub for the Bradford line bridge
IMG_03-14-09-0074.jpg


Keele St looking west
IMG_03-14-09-0089.jpg


Looking east at Keele St to where the ROW connects with Murray Ross
IMG_03-14-09-0090.jpg


New housing by ROW
IMG_03-14-09-0098.jpg


Lane Way
IMG_03-14-09-0105.jpg


At The Pond Rd looking north
IMG_03-14-09-0107.jpg


At York Blvd
IMG_03-14-09-0117.jpg


Subway sign
IMG_03-14-09-0119.jpg
 
Wait, does this mean that they grade separated the Bradford GO line and the busway? That seems to be a bit of a waste of money.
 
Wait, does this mean that they grade separated the Bradford GO line and the busway? That seems to be a bit of a waste of money.

No.

Standard road crossing here with gates and flashers.

The grade separation is at the Sinder Sub north of here.
 
No.

Standard road crossing here with gates and flashers.

The grade separation is at the Sinder Sub north of here.

Gates across the tracks? Wow, that's that first! A train waiting as the bus, with the right of way, crosses the tracks.

Kidding. I know the bus will have to wait at the gates. That also means each and every every bus will be stopping at the rail crossing, opening their doors, listen, and then proceed if safe (in theory).
 
Wait, does this mean that they grade separated the Bradford GO line and the busway? That seems to be a bit of a waste of money.

I hope you'll excuse my ignorance but this is the first I've heard of this BRT being developed. Is it just temporary until the University-Spadina line to VCC is complete? Because if it's not, I don't see how it makes sense NOT to grade-seperate the BRT and tracks.
 
When the subway extension is in place, local bus services will continue to use the busway to
bypass chronic traffic congestion and provide customers with more-reliable and faster service.
There are four TTC routes which are expected to continue to make use of the busway, and these
are shown in Figure 2, attached:

1). 117 ALNESS: This bus route serves the industrial/commercial area on the west side of
Dufferin Street, south of Steeles Avenue West. This service now operates via Dufferin
Street/Allen Road and connects to the subway at Downsview Station. With the subway
extension in operation, this route would use the busway in order to connect with the new
Finch West Subway Station.

2). 107 KEELE NORTH: This bus service serves the industrial/commercial area west of
Dufferin Street/Allen Road, between Sheppard Avenue and Finch Avenue, and currently
operates via Finch Avenue and Keele Street, north of Finch Avenue. This route would be
modified to make use of the busway as shown in Figure 2.

3). 36 FINCH WEST: A branch of this route could use the busway to avoid chronic traffic
congestion which is characteristic of Finch Avenue West.

4). 105 DUFFERIN NORTH: This bus service operates from north of Steeles Avenue via
Dufferin Street connecting with Downsview Subway Station. This route would continue
to use the busway in order to take advantage of the bus-only lanes on Allen Road and the
more-efficient bus entrance into Downsview Station which is part of the busway facility. They're also investigating the use of the busway post-subway opening for buses running into Finch West Station from the northeast.



http://www.york.ca/NR/rdonlyres/gl5...pjxdqcosyehlqef5zh/Jan+18+Downsview+att+1.pdf
 

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I hope you'll excuse my ignorance but this is the first I've heard of this BRT being developed. Is it just temporary until the University-Spadina line to VCC is complete? Because if it's not, I don't see how it makes sense NOT to grade-seperate the BRT and tracks.

Mostly because:
1. Yes, it is kind of temporary.
2. There are only about 10 trains a day (or less) that use those tracks. 8 of those are GO which will delay a bus for less time than your average traffic light cycle.
 
Thanks. :)


If it's the case that the ROW will be used indefinitely, is it not then a waste of money to not grade-seperate the Bradford Line and the BRT?

Increased train service (eventually) should necessitate this now instead of the ROW being shut down at a later point in time when they realise it should have been done when they were building it.

Or is that too much foresight given that we're playing with taxpayers' money here?
 
Mostly because:
1. Yes, it is kind of temporary.
2. There are only about 10 trains a day (or less) that use those tracks. 8 of those are GO which will delay a bus for less time than your average traffic light cycle.

Apparently, it's not temporary.

We already have the Sheppard subway fiasco....can we do one thing right in this town and have a proper BRT?

I mean, I know the impact would be minimal at first, but given increased, all-day service on the train line and the amount and frequency of buses using this ROW, it makes sense to grade-seperate.

Let me ask you this: if money was of no concern, would you support the idea of grade-seperation here?
 
Even with expanded GO trains on the line, frequencies will still only be 4 trains per hour per direction, or 8 trains per hour.

No matter how you cut it, this is not enough to necessitate grade separation.
 
Geeze, you guys. Can I get flying buses then? :)


I actually dream of one day being wealthy enough to finance public works projects and have them done the way they should be without money being a problem.
 
No, I don't see any need to grade separate the busway for the 117 Allness bus, because that's essentially the only route that it makes sense to use it once the Spadina extension opens. Actually, looking at the map it would make more sense to combine the south end of the 107 with the 117 and not serve the busway at all.

The hydro ROW is very wide. The busway wouldn't have to be closed in order to build a grade separation if they want to add one in the future.

I guess I don't see a level crossing as being a big deal. The volumes are low enough on both lines not to require one. The engineers have clearly studied the issue and decided that a grade separation is not necessary, and I agree with them.

If they are going to spend some dough on a grade separation, separating the BRT from Keele St would have a greater impact on improving reliability and travel times and could be rejigged to allow buses speedy access to the future Finch West station.

I've heard people call this busway a waste of money since the Spadina extension is going to happen anyway. I disagree, I think this is a good use of money where improvements are needed today.

And if money was of no concern, clearly I would build a Maglev instead. :D
 

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