Power Failure on Bloor
This has nothing to do with LRT, but since I have not seen the discussion on any other sites, I thought I would throw it out here…
As we all know by now, there was a major power failure in the west end last night with much of it continuing well into today. The Bloor-Danforth subway operations were not effected directly, since propulsion and signalling power were not lost. However, stations between Jane and St. George lost power. Last evening, operations could continue with the emergency lighting at these stations, but as this is from battery power, it was gone by the morning.
The morning rush hour saw service split with one section operating from Kipling to Jane and the other from Kennedy to St. George, with shuttle buses between Jane and St. George. There were unconfirmed reports that trains actually ran through, out of service, between Jane and St. George.
My question is, “Why did they not run trains express between Jane and St. George?”
Shuttle buses would still be needed for people needing access to and from the intermediate stations, but the number of shuttle buses needed would have been less. Furthermore, the great majority of passengers who were travelling all the way through the effected area would not have been inconvenienced with the need to change to a shuttle and back to the subway again. In fact, their trip might have been a couple of minutes quicker!
Somebody please give me a logical reason why this could not have been done!
January 17th, 2009 at 11:24 am
The similar electrical problem could occur with the Eglinton LRT subway, when it is finished. While solar skylight tubes could be built into the underground stations, it would only be of benefit during the daylight hours. Express service going through the blackouted stations should be considered for all underground station, HRT or LRT.
Cal’s comments: A wide enough blackout (think August 2003!) will even shutdown train movements. In any case where the trains themselves can still operate safely, regardless of what type of train they are, why should passengers needing to pass all the way through the problem area have to switch to shuttle buses? It would be easier for everyone, including the TTC, to express-run those that need it and deal with shuttling the people who need intermediate stops.
Do the people at the TTC think too much of the public are just too stupid to understand what is going on? Do they think people will suffer a breakdown if they are on a subway that does not stop in a station it passes through? After all, during the weekend diversions in 2007, trains passed through lower Bay without stopping. In Melbourne, their rail system (think of a hybrid between HRT and commuter rail) has a loop downtown with part of it underground. One station on the loop, Flagstaff, is closed on weekends and public holidays. Trains just pass through this underground station without stopping and nobody suffers.