Favourite and least favourite transit systems/stations

[matthew6]

A minor complaint about the Toronto subway from a Montreal metro user. A lack of maps. I couldn't find one anywhere on the platform. So I wasn't even sure I was going in the right direction. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right spot?

[Doug]

Originally Posted by matthew6

The official reason that the Montreal metro has to close is for cleaning. Apparently they have special cleaning carts that do the rounds - and this explanation does seem plausible to me as the Montreal metro does indeed have clean tunnels. I recall using te NYC subway for the first time and being shocked at the amount of debris/garbage strewn around the tracks. I think I even saw a jacket in there.

Wouldn't outdoor systems require even more track maintenance and cleaning?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Doug

Wouldn't outdoor systems require even more track maintenance and cleaning?

I don't know about every other system, but in Ottawa the O-Train seems to have a plow at the front and the stations are very small, so easy to maintain. As far as I know, that's it for maintenance.

From Wikipedia showing the plow. Sorry for the size of the pic;



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenboro_Station

[VIce]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I don't know about every other system, but in Ottawa the O-Train seems to have a plow at the front and the stations are very small, so easy to maintain. As far as I know, that's it for maintenance.

From Wikipedia showing the plow. Sorry for the size of the pic;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenboro_Station

I believe that has to do with the commuter-rail origin of the OTrain DMUs. GO-Transit, AMT, and the West Coast Express locomotives all have similar plows. Meanwhile, similar devices are absent on the CTrain, ETS LRT, and SkyTrain.

[And_Berth]

Just wanting to give my 2 cents here:

The Azur metro are surely the STM's biggest blunder.

Being the only public transit system in the Montréal area, they pretty much have the monopoly on the "game" of public transit and therefore can pretty much do whatever they want without ever taking into consideration the users.

The Azur métros may appear to be a wonderful new replacement from the trusted décades-long classic métros, but as a daily user of the STM, I can assure you that not everything is fine and dandy.

1) They are too loud: the Azur's P.A. system seems to have been cranked up to the Spinal Tap eleven on the volume dial; everytime the automatic station announcement comes up, it sounds like someone is screaming at you. Plus the Azur métros have speakers at every 3 or 4 feet which makes boosting the volume as much as they do feel like overkill.

2) They are too bright: The Azur métros are equipped with those "new" LED / LCD bright lights all over, which helps to contribute to the supression of melatonin and in doing so, aggravate sleep disorders. The sheer brightness of the Azur métros regularly cause me nausia and migraines even if I wear sunglasses when riding the metro.

Sure, some folks will say the Azur métros are more "quiet" when riding them inside (except for the aforementioned P.A. system), but whenever you are on the boarding pier, the sound of the Azur métros coming and going is incredibly loud.

I have attempted to contact the STM for years now to ask them to tone down the lights and sound in their Azur métros, but they have never responded. Even older transit buses which are years behind the "technological marvel" of Azur métros have a light switch/modification (i.e. they can change their regular lights to a "night mode" of sorts) so surely these Azur métros can have a dimmer on the lights and on the P.A. system.

Essentially, since I have no alternative to using public transport and that the STM makes no point in listening to their users, my daily commute has become a very aggresive ordeal.

To put it bluntly, the Azur metro system is an attack on the senses!

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by And_Berth

To put it bluntly, the Azur metro system is an attack on the senses!

I disagree completely and I would even dare to say that these are the best metro train sets I've been in (and don't say that I haven't been visiting...)

Even during intense heat and without AC, it doesn't even feel that hot inside. It's not because you complain that it's a valid complaint. If the majority prefers the current system (I remember there were polls), why would they change the setup only for few?

[1overcosc]

It is a general theme that things have become "brighter and louder" over the years in our cities. It seems to be what people like, although there is a minority (like the above poster) that don't and are really sensitive about this, noticing it seemingly everywhere. One of my exes was like that. When travelling between Kingston and Toronto, he actually preferred the bus over the train (the only person I've ever met who says that; everyone else would choose the bus only because it was cheaper), because, in his words, trains are "loud and bright" while buses are "dark and quiet".

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

It is a general theme that things have become "brighter and louder" over the years in our cities. It seems to be what people like, although there is a minority (like the above poster) that don't and are really sensitive about this, noticing it seemingly everywhere. One of my exes was like that. When travelling between Kingston and Toronto, he actually preferred the bus over the train (the only person I've ever met who says that; everyone else would choose the bus only because it was cheaper), because, in his words, trains are "loud and bright" while buses are "dark and quiet".

Yikes, it must have been pretty bad to make that choice! I refuse to even board an intercity bus now.

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by And_Berth

Being the only public transit system in the Montréal area, they pretty much have the monopoly on the "game" of public transit and therefore can pretty much do whatever they want without ever taking into consideration the users.

The Azur métros may appear to be a wonderful new replacement from the trusted décades-long classic métros, but as a daily user of the STM, I can assure you that not everything is fine and dandy.

1) They are too loud: the Azur's P.A. system seems to have been cranked up to the Spinal Tap eleven on the volume dial; everytime the automatic station announcement comes up, it sounds like someone is screaming at you. Plus the Azur métros have speakers at every 3 or 4 feet which makes boosting the volume as much as they do feel like overkill.

2) They are too bright: The Azur métros are equipped with those "new" LED / LCD bright lights all over, which helps to contribute to the supression of melatonin and in doing so, aggravate sleep disorders. The sheer brightness of the Azur métros regularly cause me nausia and migraines even if I wear sunglasses when riding the metro.

Sure, some folks will say the Azur métros are more "quiet" when riding them inside (except for the aforementioned P.A. system), but whenever you are on the boarding pier, the sound of the Azur métros coming and going is incredibly loud.

I have attempted to contact the STM for years now to ask them to tone down the lights and sound in their Azur métros, but they have never responded. Even older transit buses which are years behind the "technological marvel" of Azur métros have a light switch/modification (i.e. they can change their regular lights to a "night mode" of sorts) so surely these Azur métros can have a dimmer on the lights and on the P.A. system.

Essentially, since I have no alternative to using public transport and that the STM makes no point in listening to their users, my daily commute has become a very aggresive ordeal.

To put it bluntly, the Azur metro system is an attack on the senses!

Dear God.

I thank the heavens that I'm not that sensitive to my environment.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

It is a general theme that things have become "brighter and louder" over the years in our cities. It seems to be what people like, although there is a minority (like the above poster) that don't and are really sensitive about this, noticing it seemingly everywhere.

While I'm not sensitive to it, from a purely aesthetic and atmospheric standpoint I too bemoan the loss of these "dark and quiet" spaces.

Riding on one of the old TTC H-series trains with their soft light, tactile materiality and warm palette made for a much more pleasant experience than the harsh lighting and high contrast design of the newer T-series trains. Same with the old CLRV streetcars vs the new Flexity models, or the old "fishbowl" buses vs any of the new ones.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:T...4_Interior.jpg


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Subway8.JPG

[saffronleaf]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

While I'm not sensitive to it, from a purely aesthetic and atmospheric standpoint I too bemoan the loss of these "dark and quiet" spaces.

Riding on one of the old TTC H-series trains with their soft light, tactile materiality and warm palette made for a much more pleasant experience than the harsh lighting and high contrast design of the newer T-series trains. Same with the old CLRV streetcars vs the new Flexity models, or the old "fishbowl" buses vs any of the new ones.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:T...4_Interior.jpg


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Subway8.JPG

You have a point but those are misleading comparables. The old TTC streetcar pic is taken in the day time and the new TTC streetcar pic is taken in the night time.

I have some nostalgia for the old TTC streetcars but the new ones are pretty sweet even for someone like me who is pretty sensitive to light. When I'm waiting for a streetcar I always hope it's the new one coming. Spacious, great view outside, clean, less things going on.

[J.OT13]

My issue with the new stock (at least buses it Ottawa) is reliability. We use to run buses for 20-35 years and, form my point of view, there were few issues. The new, modern buses are prone to breaking down and have to be changed after just 10 years (or less).

I agree with MonkeyRonin that the old designs were warmer compared to these sterile new vehicles.

[wave46]

The TTC subway. It, along with the Montreal Metro gives me the vibe of being in a (largish) city.

The TTC wins it by a nose just for the tri-tone chime.

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by wave46

The TTC subway. It, along with the Montreal Metro gives me the vibe of being in a (largish) city.

The TTC wins it by a nose just for the tri-tone chime.

No dou-dou-dou love

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by saffronleaf

You have a point but those are misleading comparables. The old TTC streetcar pic is taken in the day time and the new TTC streetcar pic is taken in the night time.

Day or night the point the still stands: (actually, it's probably even more noticeable when the only illumination is coming from within the train)



https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/thread...crapped.18416/

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by casper

Metro Vancouver has my vote. I have used the Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto system.

Selling point for Vancouver:
- Airport connection
- Open glass station
- In part responsible for the creation of regional town centres and interconnecting them effectively.
- The only automated driver less system in Canada. (Something that Toronto and Montreal should eventually move towards.

I like the Vancouver metro system but the Airport connection is my least favorite part. The layout of the trains are pretty bad for anybody with large luggage, the trains are too small to accommodate people at rush hour and airport commuters and even off peak hours I generally find the connection aggravating.

Are there any plans in the future to expand it to Horseshoe Bay because that "express" bus is an overcrowded nightmare for the same reason. Too many people using it to shuttle to and from the core and Park Royal while people with luggage heading to the ferries struggle to squeeze on it.

[333609543]

I'm somewhat strange, because my favourite and least favourite transit system is the same one: The TTC. The TTC has good coverage of local transit, as stated earlier in this thread, but getting across long distances via the TTC takes *forever*. Delays are frequent, service suspensions happen every so often, and in the past few months the TTC has become incredibly unreliable. But it is also my favourite, Despite many shortcomings, the TTC is still among the better transit systems of the world, and it has SO much potential. But at the current point in the TTC's much needed expansion, we need not focus on one sole means of rapid transit. Different communities would benefit greatly from LRT and High capacity subways. We also need to look to the future, we need to make our current transit far easier to convert to higher capacity when the city grows further. The Eglinton Crosstown's underground portion would be incredibly easy to convert to heavy rail when demand calls for it. Some routes like the DRL NEED to be subways, all the way north to Line 4 to be fully effective. The Finch West LRT is the best option for the corridor, it's not particularily dense and its 2 primary purposes are servicing one of the poorest communities in the GTA (Jane & Finch) and to service U of Guelph Humber/Humber College.

[TorontoDrew]

I liked the original red ones.

source: https://farm5.staticflickr.com

[le calmar]

^ That one doesn't look too bad. But let's be honest, the other pic above is beyond ugly. I know they are somewhat more welcoming than the new ones, but it doesn't change the fact that the colours make them look bad. They remind me of the old streetcars in Eastern Europe (Bucharest, etc.).

[Nouvellecosse]

I used to crave the softer, dimmer, more atmospheric environments that some people here love, but as I get older I find I prefer clean, fresh and bright. I tend to associate
dimmer spaces with the past and brighter spaces with the future, and what used to seem cozy and nostalgic now seems dingy and dated, while what used to seem impersonal and devoid of character now has taken on a futuristic excitement. Like many people, I seem to crave what I'm most lacking and take for granted what I have in abundance. When i was younger and therefore newer, I craved anything that gave a sense of the retro, historic and nostalgic since I had mostly future and little past and what came before me was mysterious. Now, my future is still probably longer than my past but it no longer seems endless as something one would take for granted.