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Miscellaneous TTC Discussion & Questions


Orion V

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So all Horizons can imitate a Titan (minus the higher resolution) by having a white LED sign panel without spending the (presumbly higher cost of the Titan sign). lol

What are MST and SMT Horizons? I got these terms from the cptdb on HSR, Brampton, Burlington, Oakville and DRT. From pictures, they all look white to me.

The one I know that is totally different is the Luminator Spectrum which is full colour LED that GO has on their newest E500 batches.

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Do you know why some of the routes have very weird schedule??

http://ttc.ca/Schedule/schedule.jsp?Route=50E&Stop=e.b._on_Mill_Rd_at_Markland_Dr_(Silverthorne_C.I.)&Day=Monday_To_Friday

For example, 50 Burnhamthorpe, a route which I use often.. has very very weird schedule and headway allocation.

1. The headway during the daytime (9am to 3pm) is really weird, as the headway during the weekend daytime (every 15 minute on Saturday, and 17-18 minute on Sunday) is better than the weekdays (every 30 minute) 

2. I have no idea why the headway during the weekday evening (between 7-9pm) is better than afternoon rush-hours.. It is every 17 minute during the afternoon rush from 3pm to 7pm.. and it becomes every 15 minute from 7pm to 10pm.

 

I have no idea how the TTC is allowed to organize such a weird schedule like that? 

 

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1 hour ago, raptorjays said:

I have no idea how the TTC is allowed to organize such a weird schedule like that? 

Why wouldn't they be allowed? It's their route, who's going to tell them off for it?

1 hour ago, raptorjays said:

2. I have no idea why the headway during the weekday evening (between 7-9pm) is better than afternoon rush-hours.. It is every 17 minute during the afternoon rush from 3pm to 7pm.. and it becomes every 15 minute from 7pm to 10pm.

If you look at the service summary, you will notice that they use the same number of buses during the afternoon rush hour as they do during the early evening. Usually the superior headway is because there's less traffic the longer the day drags on, so the same amount of vehicles can complete the round trip in a lesser amount of time.

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On 2/25/2021 at 9:16 AM, bus_7246 said:

This is wracking my brain right now! There is a handful of pics on the inter web of the TTC New Flyer ‘TUF’ demonstrator (early version of the D40LF), but I can’t seem to find them. Does anyone know where I can find these hard to find gems?

I know this comment is old as hell but I found one in my camera roll. Not sure if posting this is against the rules so feel free to delete this if need be. But yeah I can't seem to find any either.

22075537616_5c8df12d5b_b.jpg

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14 hours ago, raptorjays said:

Do you know why some of the routes have very weird schedule??

http://ttc.ca/Schedule/schedule.jsp?Route=50E&Stop=e.b._on_Mill_Rd_at_Markland_Dr_(Silverthorne_C.I.)&Day=Monday_To_Friday

For example, 50 Burnhamthorpe, a route which I use often.. has very very weird schedule and headway allocation.

1. The headway during the daytime (9am to 3pm) is really weird, as the headway during the weekend daytime (every 15 minute on Saturday, and 17-18 minute on Sunday) is better than the weekdays (every 30 minute) 

2. I have no idea why the headway during the weekday evening (between 7-9pm) is better than afternoon rush-hours.. It is every 17 minute during the afternoon rush from 3pm to 7pm.. and it becomes every 15 minute from 7pm to 10pm.

 

I have no idea how the TTC is allowed to organize such a weird schedule like that?

There are a number of things at play here that all combine to see what you are seeing.

 

- The loading standards are different - and higher - for peak periods than non-peak. This means that each, single vehicle is allowed to carry more people during rush hours before an additional vehicle is required.

- Run times are different during different periods. They are usually longest during peak periods, and especially the afternoon rush, when traffic is at its worst and vehicle loading is at its highest, and usually shortest during the evenings and nights when traffic is lightest and ridership is at its lowest point.

- Over the past 15 years, the trend is that off-peak ridership has increased at a greater rate than peak ridership, and weekend ridership has increased faster than weekday off-peak.

 

The 50 is not unique in this regard, not by any stretch of the imagination. If you scour the Service Summaries, you'll see all sorts of routes where these three things apply.

 

Dan

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The bus entry and exit to Islington station is now off Islington, at the south end, roughly opposite Bay 6. The entrance on Bloor appears to be fenced off. There is new paint on the roadway in a "do not block" pattern that is sure to be ignored. There was a Toronto Police officer standing around, presumably on paid duty to help buses enter and leave the station.

Come on down and see those sweet, sweet CLRV-painted hand-me-downs go someplace they haven't gone before!

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15 hours ago, Ed T. said:

The bus entry and exit to Islington station is now off Islington, at the south end, roughly opposite Bay 6. The entrance on Bloor appears to be fenced off. There is new paint on the roadway in a "do not block" pattern that is sure to be ignored. There was a Toronto Police officer standing around, presumably on paid duty to help buses enter and leave the station.

Come on down and see those sweet, sweet CLRV-painted hand-me-downs go someplace they haven't gone before!

Turns out I was wrong, as well as right. I had a better look this afternoon.

The opening on Islington is for bus entry only. The old gate is still open and used for exiting. The area south of the bus bays that had been used by Missy Transit is being repaved, hence buses have no way to get from the Bloor gate to the entrance of the bus bays.

I was also right, in that the pavement striping was ignored by all the SUVs who were also waiting for the light. Some of them may even have wondered "huh, why is the pavement all stripe-y??" but I think most were oblivious as usual.

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On 8/26/2021 at 8:40 AM, Ed T. said:

Turns out I was wrong, as well as right. I had a better look this afternoon.

The opening on Islington is for bus entry only. The old gate is still open and used for exiting. The area south of the bus bays that had been used by Missy Transit is being repaved, hence buses have no way to get from the Bloor gate to the entrance of the bus bays.

I was also right, in that the pavement striping was ignored by all the SUVs who were also waiting for the light. Some of them may even have wondered "huh, why is the pavement all stripe-y??" but I think most were oblivious as usual.

As of yesterday (Saturday) it was repaved and back to normal.

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How do TTC drivers sign up to serve on planned subway closures? I'm curious because there doesn't seem to be a planned schedule for them. Because of this, how are connections to the last daytime buses handled when subway service closes for the night and there is a closure?

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3 hours ago, blue.bird.fan said:

How do TTC drivers sign up to serve on planned subway closures? I'm curious because there doesn't seem to be a planned schedule for them. Because of this, how are connections to the last daytime buses handled when subway service closes for the night and there is a closure?

Subway shuttle buses do not run on a schedule. Supervisors pick several buses to be last few buses to operate from either end. They have a specific departure time. Last bus leaves after passengers from last train are on the bus. If leaving from the end of the line like Finch station, last bus leaves when last southbound train would have left. They drive until all passengers are off the bus. 

As far as connecting with scheduled buses its no different then trying to catch the last train. If you miss it, you have to take the night bus. 

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6 hours ago, blue.bird.fan said:

How do TTC drivers sign up to serve on planned subway closures? I'm curious because there doesn't seem to be a planned schedule for them.

The high amount of subway closures for maintenance over the past couple of years is one of the biggest reasons why TTC now has a sizeable amount of "Run As Directed" (RAD) buses built into their service requirements. This way, the subway shuttles can be crewed with drivers at "regular" hours. When there is no subway shuttle (or a shorter one), the RAD buses get dispatched to fill in on regular routes.

Prior to the existence of RAD buses, all subway closures were staffed with drivers on overtime. On busy shuttle weekends (like this weekend, with extra buses required for the 504), they continue to have overtime available that drivers can sign up for at their divisions.

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21 hours ago, Articulated said:

The high amount of subway closures for maintenance over the past couple of years is one of the biggest reasons why TTC now has a sizeable amount of "Run As Directed" (RAD) buses built into their service requirements. This way, the subway shuttles can be crewed with drivers at "regular" hours. When there is no subway shuttle (or a shorter one), the RAD buses get dispatched to fill in on regular routes.

Prior to the existence of RAD buses, all subway closures were staffed with drivers on overtime. On busy shuttle weekends (like this weekend, with extra buses required for the 504), they continue to have overtime available that drivers can sign up for at their divisions.

There aren't that many rad buses on these shuttles. Majority are operators that are doing overtime. 

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9 hours ago, Someguy3071 said:

There aren't that many rad buses on these shuttles. Majority are operators that are doing overtime. 

If we’re talking unplanned subway closures, then I can see why RAD buses might be used over pulling buses off of regular routes as was done previously.

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1 hour ago, TTC Guy said:

Not short on buses, rather crews not showing up for work. Then rads get put on in replacement. 

 

? This. The driver shortage at Queensway has been an ongoing issue for a while now, it's just not been as visible because over the summer Queensway had a high amount of RAD buses, meaning that whenever a Queensway driver was missing, the run would be filled by a Queensway RAD. But if you looked into the route tracking data, you'd see 3 or 4 buses filling the same run over the course of a day (morning driver takes a bus out, no afternoon relief so the bus is run in and replaced by a RAD driver with their own bus, then the evening driver takes out their own bus when reporting to the garage while the RAD runs in).

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How do you know which bus is out which garage from the TTC?

I work for the City Of Ottawa and have access thru our city internal network that I can access certain parts(not all) of OC internal web site which I can see which buses are packed there(only bus fleet #'s, not which routes our out of that garage), just wondering how you know which bus out which garage.

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1 hour ago, MCIBUS said:

How do you know which bus is out which garage from the TTC?

I work for the City Of Ottawa and have access thru our city internal network that I can access certain parts(not all) of OC internal web site which I can see which buses are packed there(only bus fleet #'s, not which routes our out of that garage), just wondering how you know which bus out which garage.

Buses and routes are assigned to different divisions depending on their capacity and area served. You can tell which bus is assigned to a specific division by the bus or route number though some get shuffled between garages from time to time or to cover streetcar shuttles. Service summary which gets published is the accurate document which publishes this info. You can always consult the wiki and check the fleet or route number to know what bus is assigned to what garage.

Subway lines have their own yard except Sheppard which uses Davisville shared with Wilson subway yard. Line 1 Yonge-University and Line 4 Sheppard use only Toronto Rocket trains which has open gangways so you can walk from end to end (5381 to 6196).

Line 2 Bloor-Danforth is T1 (5000 to 5371) based out of Greenwood. 

Line 3 Scarborough RT (3000 to 3027) is based out of McCowan for minor maintenance and cleaning. McCowan is part of Greenwood which if major work needs to be done on the cars.

Roncesvalles is a separate yard where as Russell Division covers Leslie Barns. Streetcars are pretty much shared on all routes from the three divisions usually so they can appear at any division. 

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1 hour ago, MCIBUS said:

How do you know which bus is out which garage from the TTC?

I work for the City Of Ottawa and have access thru our city internal network that I can access certain parts(not all) of OC internal web site which I can see which buses are packed there(only bus fleet #'s, not which routes our out of that garage), just wondering how you know which bus out which garage.

Bus routes in Toronto are typically only operated by one division, and buses usually stay on the same route for the length of their shift; this makes it relatively easy to determine garage allocations. This differs from Ottawa, where buses tend to interline between routes frequently, meaning buses from any garage can appear anywhere in the City.

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17 hours ago, MCIBUS said:

How do you know which bus is out which garage from the TTC?

I work for the City Of Ottawa and have access thru our city internal network that I can access certain parts(not all) of OC internal web site which I can see which buses are packed there(only bus fleet #'s, not which routes our out of that garage), just wondering how you know which bus out which garage.

Go to the Planning section on ttc.ca:

https://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Transit_Planning/index.jsp

A ways down you will see the heading Service Summary and below it are the links to one or more of the latest service summaries. The service summaries will tell you all this information.

There are lists of routes and which divisions, both alphabetically and by route number.

image.thumb.png.617961bab7c152fdcb63505ff2543d64.png

There is a list of interlined routes:

image.thumb.png.dea3d93713f6925e1b6afa1512598058.png

 

And there is a list of buses by division:

image.thumb.png.56a00408eaf3aad304d846af13648864.png

 

 

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