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Metro Magazine - The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) began notifying affected non-unionized employees that their positions at the TTC are being eliminated in an effort to help balance its 2012 operating budget. The TTC also announced a voluntary separation package for eligible non-unionized employees.

 

Earlier this month, the Commission approved the 2012 operating and capital budgets. The TTC’s 2012 budget process began with a $101 million operating budget shortfall, including its Wheel-Trans budget. A series of measures were recommended to balance the budget, including the elimination of 482 unionized and non-unionized positions.

 

Frontline, unionized positions will be eliminated through attrition, as those positions will not be required when the TTC adjusts service to achieve a balanced budget next year. Layoffs should not be necessary.

 

All non-unionized employees were also notified of an opportunity to apply to voluntarily leave the TTC, receiving four weeks’ pay for every year of service, up to a maximum of 26 weeks. Applications will only be approved if the position of the applicant can be eliminated; their duties consolidated; and/or if there is another employee that can be placed into the position, such as an employee whose position is being eliminated. Eligible employees have until mid October to apply for this opportunity.

 

With ridership projected to grow to 503 million in 2012, the TTC operating budget attempted to preserve all routes with service to accommodate the projected ridership levels next year, though it will revert to its pre-2004 loading standards.

 

Read more here!

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"The airport rail link from downtown will take a step forward when construction begins next spring for completion before the 2015 Pan Am Games, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Monday.

 

The line — which piggybacks most of the way on the existing GO Train tracks to Georgetown — will include a new 3-kilometre spur line branching off to Pearson’s Terminal One. The project is pegged at a cost of $128.6 million, creating about 1,200 jobs, and will whisk passengers from the airport to downtown in 25 minutes.

 

But there’s still no firm timetable or cost estimate for the promised conversion of the rail line from controversial diesel trains to electric ones that pollute less."

 

Canada News: Construction to start in spring on airport rail link - thestar.com

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"The airport rail link from downtown will take a step forward when construction begins next spring for completion before the 2015 Pan Am Games, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Monday.

 

The line — which piggybacks most of the way on the existing GO Train tracks to Georgetown — will include a new 3-kilometre spur line branching off to Pearson’s Terminal One. The project is pegged at a cost of $128.6 million, creating about 1,200 jobs, and will whisk passengers from the airport to downtown in 25 minutes.

 

But there’s still no firm timetable or cost estimate for the promised conversion of the rail line from controversial diesel trains to electric ones that pollute less."

 

Canada News: Construction to start in spring on airport rail link - thestar.com

 

 

I am sure our friend from Toronto the AverageJoe has something to say on this.:eek:

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I am sure our friend from Toronto the AverageJoe has something to say on this.:eek:

 

Sumitomo cars have been ordered for the line, 12 A cars (ends) and 6 C (middle cars) ordered.

 

http://www.sumitomocorp.com/file/DMU.pdf

 

Also the Georgetown line has been renamed the Kitchener line due to the expansion to Kitchener.

 

The raillink will replace a private bus service called Airport Express to the downtown core provited by Pacific Western Transporation

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Practical fixes for Toronto’s transit system

 

 

If I were Toronto’s Transit TSAR (Transit Supremo having All Responsibility), with no commissioners or councillors to worry about — just the job of providing users with the best possible transit system given available resources, here’s what I’d do.

 

First, I’d set performance targets for the regular system. (WheelTrans, the service for people with disabilities, would have comparable targets.)

 

Within five years I’d ensure that for most hours of the day every transit trip within Toronto of up to five kilometres could be done in less than 30 minutes, including wait times. The time limits for trips of up to 10 and 15 kilometres would be 45 and 60 minutes. Normally, trips would take less than half these times.

 

Throughout Toronto, there would be a transit stop within 300 metres (a four-minute walk).

 

Every part of the transit system would be immaculate and well served. I once asked the head of Zurich’s transit system, Europe’s busiest per capita, to tell me his secrets. He said there were two: make sure transit vehicles are never more than seven minutes apart, and make all transit vehicles, stops, walkways, etc., acceptable to a bank president (of which Zurich has many).

 

Second, and almost as important, I would set financial targets. One would be to have the system cover its annual operating costs within seven years. The other would be to have the system cover its new capital costs within 15 years. The TTC would then be subsidy-free, as it was until the 1960s. Freedom from subsidy would mean relative freedom from political meddling. It would allow a focus on meeting the needs of users, who already provide by far the largest part of the system’s revenue.

 

How would these apparent miracles be achieved? By applying best practices from elsewhere, and with some innovation. Here are five of the ways to go:

 

• I would privatize the operation of Toronto’s transit in the way Sweden and other places have done it. Sweden is the most left-wing rich country. Nevertheless, transit there was privatized in 1989 in order to maximize the quality of this essential service. Routes are franchised in batches that mix the profitable and unprofitable. Potential operators bid to provide strictly enforced high levels of service for the lowest subsidy. Public costs are down. Service has improved. Users and transit employees are happier.

 

• Cab companies provide transit service in 10 low-density parts of Montreal, in shared cabs on demand between designated stops, for a regular transit fare. The “taxibus” system provides a good service for residents of low-density areas at much lower public cost than a regular bus service. Using such a system, transit service could be extended to every part of Toronto.

 

• Vancouver has North America’s largest fleet of electric trolley buses, recently renewed, which provide excellent service at one-tenth of the capital cost of an on-street light rail system. Montreal is moving toward using trolley buses to improve service and lower fuel and other costs. For the same reasons, and to reduce pollution and noise, Toronto should reintroduce trolley buses even more widely than before they were removed in 1992, in exclusive lanes where feasible.

 

• Vancouver’s Canada Line — half of which is below ground with most of the remainder elevated — provides subway-quality service between the airport and the downtown at less than a third of the estimated capital cost of the proposed Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown line, and at a much lower operating cost because the Canada Line is completely automated. During the 2010 Olympics, the Canada Line — in its two-car but frequent trains — carried almost as many daily passengers per kilometre as Toronto’s full-scale subway system. Such a “mini-metro” could be a model for Toronto, running under Eglinton Avenue from Black Creek to Kennedy station, then along the existing elevated way to McCowan Avenue. In Rennes, France, the smallest city in the world with a subway (about 210,000 residents), a second underground mini-metro line is being installed at about the same per-kilometre cost as the Canada Line.

 

• The current plan to serve Toronto’s fast-growing East Harbourfront and to-be-developed Port Lands by light rail is not working out well because of light rail’s costs and the challenges of providing a terminus at Union Station. These areas provide a good opportunity for Canada to move to the leading edge of innovative transit technology. A call for proposals would produce extraordinary and productive responses, including proposals for a monorail such as the one Bombardier is installing for São Paulo, Brazil, and even better options.

 

I would take the job of transit TSAR only if I also had the power to facilitate intensive development at and near the stations of expensive transit lines (subway, mini-metro, light rail, monorail). This would be done by creating development corporations — such as the one for the Docklands in London, U.K. — that could expropriate land for double its current market value, dramatically raise permitted densities, and do everything possible to make transit-related development attractive.

 

Ensuring such development would be an essential requirement for meeting the above performance targets. It would also help the City of Toronto double its share of the Toronto region’s population growth, thereby reducing sprawl and a myriad of costs to government.

 

Richard Gilbert is a consultant focusing on transportation and energy with clients on four continents. He was a Toronto councillor from 1976 to 1991.

 

 

Practical fixes for Toronto

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Union Station flooding disrupts network

 

 

TORONTO - A burst water main at Union Station is keeping TTC subway passengers off the rails until at least 9 a.m. Sunday, a spokesman has confirmed.

 

Jessica Martin said tons of water gushed onto the tracks around 10:30 a.m. Saturday after an Ellis-Don crew hired by Toronto Transit ”ruptured a water main at track level” while working on the second platform.

 

Yonge line service was halted in both directions south of Bloor St., but trains were running on the University line between St. George and Osgoode stations, she said.

 

During the underground shutdown, Martin said 32 shuttle buses were provided for passengers between the Bloor and Osgoode stations. Streetcars still operated on the Queen’s Quay line into Union Station, but riders were alerted to the lack of transfers to the subway lines.

 

She could not predict when full subway service will resume, since switches and electrical systems must be checked for damage after the water is removed. The city of Toronto shut off watermains to the site during pumping-out work.

 

Although exact numbers of affected Saturday passengers were not known, “thankfully it’s fewer than on a weekday,” Martin said.

 

There were also fewer rider demands with the Leafs playing in Montreal, and no Raptors at the Air Canada Centre, where only a lacrosse game was scheduled. Toronto Rock met the Washington Stealth at 7 p.m.

 

The TTC had to bypass Union Station on Feb. 12, 2009 after a water main broke in the late evening and the platform level was flooded. Shuttle buses provided service.

 

Lastly, full service was restored in time for Saturday subway runs to begin at 6 a.m. on the Bloor-Danforth line. Partial service was available for Friday rush-hour due to emergency repairs on a broken section of track, with final work completed by 5:40 a.m., Martin said.

 

 

Union Station flooding disrupts network | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto Sun

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TTC tackles train cleanliness, litter

 

 

March 2, 2012

 

Toronto Transit Commission Chair Karen Stintz and Deputy Chief General Manager, Andy Byford, shared details of a new program today at Kennedy Station where TTC workers board subway trains, clearing them of litter before they head back into service. After the morning rush hour at terminal stations (Kennedy and Finch), crews will go through each car and remove newspapers, coffee cups and other litter left behind. Additionally, crews will do spot mopping where needed.

 

The TTC also announced that cleaning crews will now walk through trains while in service between College and Osgoode Stations to collect litter where ridership is at its highest. This will occur between rush hour periods.

 

In addition to a more customer-friendly and positive TTC experience for the 1.6 million customers the TTC carries each day, less litter, especially newspapers, offers the added benefit of reducing the number of ‘smoke at track level’ delays the TTC encounters. Paper left behind can blow to track level and ignite, posing a significant fire hazard. Smoke or fire in tunnels is extremely dangerous, and while most fires extinguish themselves quickly, the resulting smoke requires the TTC to halt service until it can be assured it is safe to proceed, causing delays across a line.

 

The TTC is taking a number of steps to reduce the hazard of track level fires, but is appealing to customers to aid in this effort by taking their litter with them when leaving the system. Garbage receptacles are in all subway stations and on all subway platforms.

 

The TTC is continuing its efforts to ensure cleaner stations and vehicles, in addition to other initiatives, such as remodeled public washrooms. Customers have shared their opinions and concerns with TTC staff around general cleanliness in the system. The TTC is listening and taking

 

 

TTC TTC tackles train cleanliness, litter

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TTC extends customer service hours, establishes new Twitter handle

 

 

March 1, 2012

 

The Toronto Transit Commission has extended its hours of operation for customers who call for information, to share a concern, or to offer a compliment about the TTC. The Commission has also created a new Twitter account – @TTChelps – for customers who have questions or wish to share information with the TTC.

 

TTC customer service representatives are now available to handle telephone inquiries at 416-393-3030, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (improved from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays only).

 

In addition, staff will be responding to tweets sent to @TTChelps. The TTC will continue to issue service alerts on Twitter via @TTCnotices. Customer service staff will monitor that account and respond to queries via @TTChelps. Staff will also reply to emails sent via the web-based form found at ttc.ca.

 

The public has shared their desire to contact the TTC beyond normal business hours. The TTC listened and has taken action to improve when and how customers contact it as part of its revitalized customer service efforts.

 

The in-person Customer Service Centre at Davisville Station (1900 Yonge Street) will continue to operate Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

 

TTC TTC extends customer service hours, establishes new Twitter handle

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Man sentenced to 20 days in jail for threatening death to TTC employee

 

February 24, 2012

 

A 38-year old man has been sentenced to 20 days in jail for threatening death and possession of marijuana.

 

On February 5, a male was in the TTC’s Humber Loop, demanding free rides from TTC operators, threatening to kill them if they did not comply. The suspect was arrested by officers from Toronto Police Service 22 Division and held for a bail hearing.

 

Vangeli Keskinov pleaded guilty to the charges. As well as the 20-day jail sentence, Keskinov was placed on probation for one year with a condition that he not be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while on TTC vehicles or property.

 

On average, two TTC employees are assaulted every day, ranging from punching, slapping and spitting, to threats of physical harm or death. The TTC’s Court Advocates work with Crown Attorneys and the Courts to secure the stiffest penalties possible for those convicted of assault on TTC employees, and continue to seek limits on the use of public transit in Toronto for those convicted of these crimes.

 

 

TTC Man sentenced to 20 days in jail for threatening death to TTC employee

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Man gets 20 days in jail for death threats on TTC

 

February 28, 2012

 

A 27-year-old man was sentenced to 20 days in jail for threatening death towards a TTC Subway Operator and his riders.

 

On Feb. 21, while riding a westbound train at Broadview Station, a man was threatening several customers. When the Subway Operator asked the man to stop his threats, the man threatened to kill the TTC employee and the riders on board the train. Toronto Police from 54 Division were called to the scene and took the suspect into custody. The man pleaded guilty at his bail hearing.

 

On Feb. 23, at College Park Courts, Ryan Boyle, 27, plead guilty to Causing a Disturbance and Threatening Death to a TTC Subway Operator and customers onboard the subway train. He was sentenced to 17 days in jail on top of his three days pre-trial custody for a total of 20 days behind bars.

 

On average, two TTC employees are assaulted every day, ranging from punching, slapping and spitting, to threats of physical harm or death. The TTC’s Court Advocates work with Crown Attorneys and the Courts to secure the stiffest penalties possible for those convicted of assault or threats against TTC employees, and continue to seek limits on the use of public transit in Toronto for those convicted of these crimes.

 

 

 

TTC Man gets 20 days in jail for death threats on TTC

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Man gets night-time TTC ban and 21 days in jail for assault

 

January 5, 2012

 

A 19-year-old man was sentenced to 21 days in jail, and banned from the TTC between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., for assaulting a TTC uniformed supervisor.

 

On Dec. 29, just after midnight, a TTC supervisor was called to the Long Branch Loop to check on the well-being of a man who had passed out on a streetcar. When the male was woken up he was found to be in possession of a half bottle of liquor. He was asked to leave the vehicle.

 

Once off the streetcar, the man attempted to re-enter, spitting in the face of the supervisor. He continued to spit at the supervisor from the sidewalk. The man was arrested by Toronto Police on the scene and charged with assault.

 

On the morning of Dec. 29, at his bail hearing, 19-year-old Emmanuel Yihun entered a guilty plea to the assault charge. He also received 18-months probation, and a ban from being on the TTC with any alcohol or illegal drugs in his system.

 

On average, two TTC employees are assaulted every day, ranging from punching, slapping and spitting, to threats of physical harm or death. The TTC’s Court Advocates work with Crown Attorneys and the Courts to secure the stiffest penalties possible for those convicted of assault or threats against TTC employees, and continue to seek limits on the use of public transit in Toronto for those convicted of these crimes.

 

 

TTC Man gets night-time TTC ban and 21 days in jail for assault

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Metrolinx approves 4 LRT lines for Toronto

 

 

Toronto could have an extensive light-rail transit (LRT) system within the decade now that Metrolinx directors have unanimously approved a new transit plan Wednesday as expected.

 

On Wednesday, the board of Metrolinx — the provincial agency that oversees transportation in the GTA — passed the resolutions included in a staff report endorsing the construction of four lines.

 

The $8.4-billion plan, also approved by city council, effectively revives former mayor David Miller’s Transit City, which his successor Rob Ford attempted to quash.

 

"Our government respects the will of the city's democratically elected councillors," said Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli. "This plan reflects input from the city of Toronto based on the position adopted by council.

 

"The McGuinty government has made a firm, $8.4-billion commitment to these projects. Our focus is on getting shovels in the ground and delivering much-needed public transit projects for the residents of Toronto."

 

Toronto city councillor Doug Ford spoke out against the decision.

 

“Some councilors down here, and obviously the province, are ignoring the people once again. The people want subways and they’re totally ignoring them. So let’s wait until the election,” said Coun. Doug Ford.

 

“It’s definitely a war on the car. When you want to St. Clair-ize the whole city, turn Sheppard into the disaster on St. Clair, turn Eglinton into the disaster on St. Clair, that’s a war on the car.”

 

Here are the new timelines:

 

  • Eglinton Crosstown LRT from the Jane Street/Black Creek area to Kennedy Station: in service by 2020.
  • Scarborough RT replacement and extension to Sheppard Avenue: construction starts in 2014; in service by 2019.
  • Sheppard East LRT from Don Mills Station to east of Morningside Avenue: construction starts in 2014; in service by 2018.
  • Finch West LRT from the Toronto-York-Spadina Subway Extension to Humber College: construction starts in 2015; in service by 2019.

 

The board will now advise the province to approve the LRT plan and allow Metrolinx to move forward with construction.

 

 

http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/202515--metrolinx-approves-4-lrt-lines-for-toronto

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TTC bus collides with truck on Hwy. 427

 

Crews freed a TTC bus driver who became trapped after driving into the back of a transport truck on Highway 427 Wednesday morning.

 

The driver couldn’t get out because his compartment door was bent in the crash, which happened in the southbound collector lanes near Bloor Street West around 7:30 a.mParamedics took 12 people to local hospitals, most complaining of neck and back pain, and assessed the driver at the scene.

 

Twenty-one other passengers were transferred to another bus to continue their trip.

 

Traffic was backed up in the area for more than two hours.

 

http://www.citytv.co...ruck-on-hwy-427

 

 

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/25/ttc-bus-in-crash-with-tractor-trailer

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