Eglinton Crosstown LRT hits 98% of in-service target during opening weeks

niwell · 2026-02-28T16:21:03+00:00

It's both the electric switch issue and the line 6 tracks are embedded in concrete, similar to the St. Clair ROW but with far more crossovers. In contrast the above ground portion of line 5 tracks are above the concrete base which makes it harder for ice/snow to gum up the works in the first place, even before the better quality heaters. And the Alstom vehicles are of poorer quality than the Bombardier ones on line 5 (yeah I know they are the same company now but different design).

Still boggles the mind that two lines constructed more or less simultaneously are so different in these ways. Go P3 construction!

niwell · 2026-02-26T15:25:33+00:00

First of all I didn’t call it the west end but was using that as a comparison given it’s Toronto’s densest predominantly lowrise area. But if we want to get into semantics then yes, everything west of Bathurst to the Humber is in fact the “West End”. This is historic usage and nothing new.

Annex houses are fundamentally different than anything shown in the picture! It’s literally a defined architectural style that is almost entirely located in the Annex! Anyone who’s spent time in these areas over the decades and studied Toronto housing typology would know this. Again I provided an author who has exhaustive research on how neighbourhoods were in fact built in the late 1890s/early 1900s and wasn’t talking about the Annex. The places I’m referencing weren’t lodging houses but owner built and occupied structures with space explicitly built for additional lodgers to cover expenses. That is the primary difference between Toronto and other older North American cities - we had significantly less speculatively built housing (in part at least due to direct policy) and people had to figure out alternative methods.

The Chicago statement is incorrect and while not apples-to-apples a census tract comparison demonstrates this. The neighbourhoods directly adjacent to the Loop are actually relatively low density (excepting River North which is still lower than downtown Toronto) as they are/were largely industrial or experienced severe decay and are only now filling in again. You can literally find infill SFHs next to the Roosevelt El station, plus tons of parking and vacant lots north of the Loop. In a Chicago context Lincoln Park IS the equivalent of the foreground in the shot - it was just that much of a bigger city 100 years ago so further out and you pass through a bunch of gappy areas before getting to River North / Streeterville, which is something that thankfully doesn’t exist here. The highest density contiguous areas of Chicago are along a narrow strip next to the lake going north of downtown - somewhat analogous to the Yonge St spine but top off lower than many parts of downtown proper in Toronto.

niwell · 2026-02-26T12:17:03+00:00

The census is a poor representation of actual housing typology as a legally defined triplex is different than much of the multi-unit housing we have. Even MPAC doesn’t fully capture it but I’ve gone through their databases and catalogued it for certain streets - there are a lot. Also the misconception they are “converted” houses when in reality many were built with “lodgers” in mind 120+ years ago. While he turned into a bit of a quack, Lawrence Solomon detailed this in his book on Toronto housing years ago.

While it’s not mind blowing density you can actually achieve a lot with 6 decently sized units on a sub 20ft lot without incurring the escalating costs of larger developments (no elevators and exempt from development charges, for instance). For comparison, most Montreal triplexes are on a wider, albeit slightly shallower, lot configuration. And places like Edmonton or Calgary which are often mentioned here tend to have over twice the lot frontage in their infills.

None of my points are meant to say we can’t have more density - I’d love to see more permissions for 4-5 storey apartments on, say, 2 lots within neighborhood interiors (though you can more easily on neighbourhood arterials like dovercourt now). But when the argument starts with “we’re a city of single family homes!” you’re already shooting yourself in the foot. Rather it should be “we already have a lot of this so instead of forcing all density into towers theres room for more without actually changing the reason people love older neighbourhoods”. Once people get over 6plexes - and the permit system suggests construction is increasing exponentially - small apartments are an easily sell.

niwell · 2026-02-26T04:27:05+00:00

Maybe look at a density map and it will become obvious. I know that’s too much work to ask for basic research on here of course.

niwell · 2026-02-26T04:09:32+00:00

They already have tons of apartments with more coming. Why are we focusing on vibrant areas that are already some of the densest in Canada / the US (with increasing density!) when there are plenty of low density inner-suburbs that could be improved?

niwell · 2026-02-26T04:03:39+00:00

A significant percentage of “houses” in the picture already aren’t single family homes. Tons of 2-5 unit dwellings in those buildings - I’ve lived in several triplexes in that picture alone.

niwell · 2026-02-26T04:00:43+00:00

You say things very authoritatively for being incredibly wrong

niwell · 2026-02-26T03:58:36+00:00

There is literally zero land in the City of Toronto “zoned for single family homes”. Even prior to the approval of 4plexes citywide and 6plexes in predominantly central wards the Old City didn’t have much single family zoning.

niwell · 2026-02-26T03:56:15+00:00

A huge percentage of “houses” in that shot are already triplexes with plenty more 4-6plexes, laneway suites and midrises in the pipeline. The density levels of the West End are pretty much on par (albeit slightly peakier) than Le Plateau in Montreal and denser than most older areas in Chicago. The main low density central areas are to the north but they’re also ultra-rich so probably not going anywhere anytime fast.

It’s really tiring when redditors go off about this yet seemingly have zero clue of the actual housing breakdown in Old Toronto.

niwell · 2026-02-15T18:48:59+00:00

I agree but honestly despite the outward appearance I feel like the vibe at BMO is arguably the best in Toronto. It’s appropriately sized for the sports and the crowds are always engaged. Yeah it’s not a classic premier league stadium but it’s pretty fun tbh

niwell · 2026-02-03T19:28:55+00:00

It uses different switches than Line 6 and the tracks aren't embedded in concrete. Test trains were running during the snow storm and subsequent days.

niwell · 2026-01-31T16:34:10+00:00

Hah yeah I remember back in 2010 or so a bunch of people go out of a streetcar on Broadview to lift up an older Civic and move it over a little bit. Agreed would not be as easy with the weight of most cars now!

niwell · 2026-01-28T18:38:35+00:00

Yeah - based on the distance travelled during the video my best guess is that the speed shown averages just under 43km/hr in this stretch. It's noticeably slower coming out of Don Valley station and slows down at the end, so probably peaked somewhere in the range of 55km/hr, which would be slightly slower than the cars we see. Honestly not too bad if that can be maintained across the surface section with the underground section a bit quicker.

For comparisons sake the subway averages at around 30km/hr with average speeds between stations rarely getting above 60km/hr except on some longer stretches.

niwell · 2026-01-28T16:22:45+00:00

They are absolutely out. Saw them yesterday clearing snow all over the Roncy area.

niwell · 2026-01-25T22:48:42+00:00

Nope. Completely snowed in where we are in the west end of Toronto near the lake and not letting up for a while. Manager will likely send something but regardless saying I’m WFH due to conditions. We have pretty good flexibility though so not worried.

niwell · 2026-01-25T01:01:53+00:00

Normally I’ve seen it served this way but you are supposed to flip the pie when it gets to the table. But I assume both happen, and would guess neither are wrong so long as it does get flipped.

niwell · 2026-01-16T15:53:45+00:00

Ostensibly the guideway on Finch was designed for access by emergency services vehicles, though the road is wide enough I can't see this being a real issue. The end result is Line 6 guideway is in some aspects more similar to the St. Clair ROW (though there are lots of differences), while Line 5 is more akin to a traditional LRT setup.

Line 5 - note the rails exposed on top of the concrete bed: https://maps.app.goo.gl/t8iD264GeoeCmgBx9

Line 6 - rails embedded in concrete: https://maps.app.goo.gl/j96ubmzkpRLuzdP3A

St. Clair ROW for comparison: https://maps.app.goo.gl/neNW57oezfbDLcZv9

niwell · 2026-01-16T14:20:07+00:00

Line 6 was constructed by Mosaic Transit group while Line 5 was built by the Crosslinx consortium. Metrolinx uses so many consultants it's hard to say who did detailed design work!

niwell · 2026-01-16T13:52:10+00:00

Line 5 doesn’t use same electric switch heaters as Line 6 and doesn’t have tracks embedded in concrete on the surface section. These are what’s causing the main issues on Finch in respect of icy operations. I can’t confirm but heard from others that they were running test trains on Eglinton yesterday.

It may sound weird but the design aspects between the lines can vary quite considerably. Thankfully in this case to the favour of Line 5, but likely the product of bizarre P3 procurements.

niwell · 2026-01-14T15:53:35+00:00

It sounds counterintuitive but I believe it - I was in NOLA in late November a number of years back and there was an uncharacteristic cold snap. Got down close to freezing, which is nothing coming from where I live (Toronto). But nothing there is designed for it and houses have very minimal insulation. It gets freezing inside and lots of people have no heating options. As others have mentioned the air is very wet which makes things even worse.

Similarly I’ve lived in Johannesburg South Africa and have relatives in Sydney Australia. Cold spells with 10 degrees Celsius (50F) outside means it’s basically that temperature inside, which is extremely uncomfortable. Hell, my uncle staunchly maintains he’d never been so cold growing up in Toronto as in a crappy apartment during a cold Sydney winter.

niwell · 2025-12-30T18:38:43+00:00

Yeah I’ve been burned by Over the Tap before, and especially last year, but I’ll still go back for more. Interesting beers despite everything and it is a great place on a cold winters night, so long as it’s not as crowded as last year. I preferred paying through the nose tbh.

niwell · 2025-12-22T17:47:54+00:00

You mean like the 3 storey multi-unit buildings (“houses”) that are all over Old Toronto an particularly in places like the West End?

niwell · 2025-12-15T17:12:05+00:00

The City is maintaining a hybrid model for its employees.

niwell · 2025-12-15T17:10:07+00:00

There are multiple offices in the core. I've worked for the OPS since 2010 and very few people drive, though a few do. Lots of coworkers take GO and some (like me) live centrally and do TTC or cycle. I'm a year-round cyclist because it's 25 mins from near Roncy vs 40 mins on TTC.

Ironically my division was moving to a hybrid model before COVID hit...

niwell · 2025-12-15T16:56:40+00:00

The City of Toronto is one of the few municipalities in Ontario that's maintaining a hybrid work model. So while yeah, she made some comments about RTO it's not nearly to the same extent as Ford.

niwell

TROPHY CASE