Union Pearson Express

[Shaun]

I wonder how well they would hold up against a dump truck at track speed. Might see one out of service for month? Or derail?

[skyfirenet]

I wonder how well they would hold up against a dump truck at track speed. Might see one out of service for month? Or derail?

Are there going to be any grade crossings left along the line?

[dowlingm]

I'm not sure why they would be having problems. It's not like hydraulic transmission on a DMU hasn't been done before

DEMU is much less common so far as I can see. In Ireland they have a whole bunch of DMU types from CAF, Rotem, Tokyu Car all diesel-hydraulic and the Rotems are good for 100mph. The only DEMUs left on the island are class 450s in Northern Ireland to run a work train. The QSK19-Rs are pretty new though and maybe the transmissions too - need some tuning maybe

[TomW]

DEMU is much less common so far as I can see. In Ireland they have a whole bunch of DMU types from CAF, Rotem, Tokyu Car all diesel-hydraulic and the Rotems are good for 100mph. The only DEMUs left on the island are class 450s in Northern Ireland to run a work train. The QSK19-Rs are pretty new though and maybe the transmissions too - need some tuning maybe

IN Great Britain, any DMU with class number 200-299 is a DEMU. Examples range from this to this . That said, the only recent ones are the Voyager family (Class 22x), which are capable of 125mph running. My guess is that it only makes sense these days for higher-speed units.

Going back to diesel-hydraulics.... although the technology is fundamentally the same as the torque convert in a car with an automatic gearbox, the way it is applied is very different. In particular, there is a lot more 'slippage' with a DMU... so when the engine can run at constant revs, regardless of actual speed. (What you'll hear is constant high revs as it moves off, settling down to constant lower revs at 'cruising' speed).

[Duck]

So it's a hydrostatic transmission then? Diesel engine drives a pump, either with variable displacement or a proportional valve, and there are hydraulic motors in the axles? That's not terribly complicated. As a kid my buddy's parents had a lawn tractor with that setup.

[smallspy]

So it's a hydrostatic transmission then? Diesel engine drives a pump, either with variable displacement or a proportional valve, and there are hydraulic motors in the axles? That's not terribly complicated. As a kid my buddy's parents had a lawn tractor with that setup.

No, it's not a hydrostatic. Unfortunately, that term has been a bit misused to also describe transmissions which also use a hydrostatic clutch - a torque convertor.

It's a diesel-mechanical, where the motor is coupled to a gearbox and a clutch and then a final prop shaft which leads to the drive axles.

Dan

[FlyerD901]

My eyes might be fooling me, but I'm pretty sure I saw a unit at the Markham yard, by Finch & Markham Ave. Someone's going to have to confirm it.

[squircle]

The new train cars will be tested on the Oakville subdivision (Lakeshore West) this Sunday from 0800-1500. (https://twitter.com/UPexpress/status/510513222005587968)

[2044]

Some photos and video of the test run on the UPX Instagram.

[D. DeLarge]

A nice shot of them operating in test service at Mimico, by Alex Titu:

http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=16362

[Guest]

Another 2 UPX units en route:

http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=16806

Should these be entered into the wiki? I'd put them in but I don't have editing power.

[Mr. Engineer]

I didn't know that DMU's could be hooked up to a regular Go set, but here's a tweet from Ann Marie Atkins showing UPX set 1004 hooked up to a GO train at Mimico Go Station.

http://twitter.com/Urban_Toronto/status/528976602030690304/photo/1

[smallspy]

I didn't know that DMU's could be hooked up to a regular Go set, but here's a tweet from Ann Marie Atkins showing UPX set 1004 hooked up to a GO train at Mimico Go Station.

http://twitter.com/Urban_Toronto/status/528976602030690304/photo/1

How else do you think they were shipped to Toronto?

Dan

[TomW]

How else do you think they were shipped to Toronto?

Dan

Buffer vehicle ... http://www.flickr.com/photos/39678100@N00/7068416085 (London subway trains being delivered.... although UK does not have standardised couplers, unlike North America.)

All UP Express pictures on RailPictures.ca: http://www.railpictures.ca/searchresults?query=Union+Pearson+Express

[D. DeLarge]

Buffer vehicle ... http://www.flickr.com/photos/39678100@N00/7068416085 (London subway trains being delivered.... although UK does not have standardised couplers, unlike North America.)

All UP Express pictures on RailPictures.ca: http://www.railpictures.ca/searchresults?query=Union+Pearson+Express

1000 internet points to the first person who shoots a dead UPX train being rescued by a GO MP40 running rear-end first.

[Tramguy]

An absolutely dreadful colour scheme probably chosen by some colour blind executive. Looks like a military train. I expect to see soldiers jump out when the doors open. Are those doors narrow or was it the angle the photo was taken?

[lip]

Turns out the UP Prices have been set, and Metrolinx is a delusional as everyone thinks they are. UP is officially the most expensive air-rail link in North America and one of the most expensive in the world (for the type of service offered). Always good to see transit infrastructure paid for by public money will benefit all the suits who use the service. The Conservatives must be proud of the Liberals for this.

[nfitz]

$19 seems reasonable to me and less than I was expecting. I wasn't expecting anything better than $22.50.

And only $15.20 from Bloor (and $11.40 from Weston, if anyone actually ever does that ...). And the $13.75 (actually $27.50 return) if you are just going to pick someone up seems like a bargain!

It's cheaper than the airport bus was. And cheaper than 2 in a taxi.

The monthly pass option for airport workers isn't much more than current Uniion to Malton monthly rate ... it's hard to imagine it would ever be lower than that!

Best of all, think of how much green house emissions will be cut with less people driving to the airport! That will keep the environmentalists happy.

I'm sure there'll be some who will whine though ...

[williampaul]

$19 seems reasonable to me and less than I was expecting. I wasn't expecting anything better than $22.50.

And only $15.20 from Bloor (and $11.40 from Weston, if anyone actually ever does that ...). And the $13.75 (actually $27.50 return) if you are just going to pick someone up seems like a bargain!

It's cheaper than the airport bus was. And cheaper than 2 in a taxi.

The monthly pass option for airport workers isn't much more than current Uniion to Malton monthly rate ... it's hard to imagine it would ever be lower than that!

Best of all, think of how much green house emissions will be cut with less people driving to the airport! That will keep the environmentalists happy.

I'm sure there'll be some who will whine though ...

very reasonable - why do lots, including Munro, whine about the cost?

these trains are not built to be convenient (and cheap) for employees, rather they are for the people that do not mind

spending 1500bucks to visit Aunt Martha or the biz people that write it off, or get reimbursed anyway.

If you can afford a grand to fly to Montreal to watch the Leafs play you can afford 30bucks for the UPE or for parking

(BTW I believe LHR employees only get 1/3 discount)

[DavidH]

very reasonable - why do lots, including Munro, whine about the cost?

these trains are not built to be convenient (and cheap) for employees, rather they are for the people that do not mind

spending 1500bucks to visit Aunt Martha or the biz people that write it off, or get reimbursed anyway.

If you can afford a grand to fly to Montreal to watch the Leafs play you can afford 30bucks for the UPE or for parking

(BTW I believe LHR employees only get 1/3 discount)

10 years ago when I lived in Long Branch, I used to pay $30 for a quick 10 minute cab ride down the 427 from the airport to my house. I don't think the UPX fair is unreasonable at all for a rapid train trip downtown, particularly when - as you mentioned - added onto airfare.

Among the many problems the GTA has in thinking about transit is a stubborn insistence that if a transit solution doesn't solve MY problem, it's useless. The responses on this seem to be another example of this thinking.

As for the "why was this our first priority over other lines", I think we're capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time. The problem isn't "why did this get built over other lines", but rather "why haven't we started on (for example) a DRL?".

[Ed T.]

very reasonable - why do lots, including Munro, whine about the cost?

these trains are not built to be convenient (and cheap) for employees, rather they are for the people that do not mind

spending 1500bucks to visit Aunt Martha or the biz people that write it off, or get reimbursed anyway.

If you can afford a grand to fly to Montreal to watch the Leafs play you can afford 30bucks for the UPE or for parking

(BTW I believe LHR employees only get 1/3 discount)

Because lots and lots of public transit infrastructure money (paid for by you and me, ultimately) has been spent for the benefit for people who do not mind spending 1500 bucks to visit Aunt Marth or the biz people who can write it off or get reimbursed? Instead of being spent building transit improvements that would benefit people who actually live in the GTA and need more and better transit?

That even at the current high fare, it probably will run a deficit anyway, thus moving more transit subsidy (paid for, ultimately, by you and me) for the benefit of the world travellers and biz people, and less for the transit service used by residents, i.e. you and me?

If this was a private venture, they could charge $220 a ride; I wouldn't care. If it fails in short order, I wouldn't care. Instead, we, the taxpayers and transit users, are left paying for this foolishness.

I've talked to people from Rochester who, years later, can still get vehement on the folly of Rochester paying to create a ferry service to Toronto. UPX is the Toronto version of this.

[crs1026]

Among the many problems the GTA has in thinking about transit is a stubborn insistence that if a transit solution doesn't solve MY problem, it's useless. The responses on this seem to be another example of this thinking.

As for the "why was this our first priority over other lines", I think we're capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time. The problem isn't "why did this get built over other lines", but rather "why haven't we started on (for example) a DRL?".

Fair enough, provided we actually finish the job. Improving transit to the airport area (not just the terminal, but also the job-intensive industrial areas around it) is a priority and needs to stay on the agenda. We have a habit of spitting the gum out and moving on to other candy.

- Paul

[Xtrazsteve]

The UPX prices are fair for those indented to go to the airport and back.

The big fuss is that it is not rapid transit. It is not something someone would take as part of commuting. Tory's SmartTrack idea but to the airport or Vancouver's Canada Line is closer to what people want. Most of us can't afford to spend $38 everyday to use it.

[nfitz]

The UPX prices are fair for those indented to go to the airport and back.

The big fuss is that it is not rapid transit. It is not something someone would take as part of commuting. Tory's SmartTrack idea but to the airport or Vancouver's Canada Line is closer to what people want. Most of us can't afford to spend $38 everyday to use it.

Why would you take it everyday unless you were working at the airport? And if you were, why not use the monthly pass, which isn't much more than the current GO monthly rate to Malton station.

If you are using just Weston or Bloor station, then you'd use the GO trains instead.

[Xtrazsteve]

Why would you take it everyday unless you were working at the airport? And if you were, why not use the monthly pass, which isn't much more than the current GO monthly rate to Malton station.

If you are using just Weston or Bloor station, then you'd use the GO trains instead.

Except there is no GO trains from Weston or Bloor to Union except the AM rush when trains run every 30 minutes. That makes you point invalid and why people are talking about this issue.

You should probably know that GO Trains aren't rapid transit. They have very limited runs (Lakeshore line being the exception) and usually unidirectional. You can't just decided that I'll pay a few bucks more and take the GO. Their headway are insanely sparse making the bus ride to the subway faster if you missed a train. Now, if we had a subway like train that ran every 10-15 minutes to Union during most times of the day, that would be much more appealing and can be used as an alternative to TTC subways.

Right now there is a huge distinction between the TTC and Metrolinx. Our system is setup that GO Trains are for commuters in the 905 region. The TTC subways are for commuter/leisure travel within the 416. This type of planning prevents GO Transit from growing with the 416. The main reason is obviously Queen's Park doesn't want to subsidies 416 riders.