North America's Newest Tram is Here! | Finch West LRT
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
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The Finch West LRT is a new 10km modern tram line in Toronto that will tie together a number of key destinations and underserved communities. We got an incredible tour of the project from the trams, to a simulator, the maintenance depot, and even the underground terminal connection to the subway! So come along with us and see the Finch LRT!
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Ever wondered why your city's transit just doesn't seem quite up to snuff? RMTransit is here to answer that, and help you open your eyes to all of the different public transportation systems around the world!
Reece (the RM in RMTransit) is an urbanist and public transport critic residing in Toronto, Canada, with the goal of helping the world become more connected through metros, trams, buses, high-speed trains, and all other transport modes.
1:10 Tram yard. 🛤
4:00 Car interior. 💺
I wish the seats were built for comfort in mind, but that just me and I know it is not going to happen because it is not about the comfort and companies are that not nice to do that anyways lol.
I lived in the Finch West area for about ten years. Nowhere else in Toronto is in more need of a project like this. I'm really glad to see it finally happen, even if I no longer live or travel to that area regularly these days. Maybe when it's open I'll find an excuse.
Eglinton was & still is in far more need of proper transit options especially considering they are tearing out multiple lanes of traffic for oversized (and frankly useless) bike lanes & undersized parking spots (that leave cars jutting into the street) even while the (already over capacity) line remains ‘under construction’. Finch’s new line will be great but it is in no way the most pressing or important transit corridor in the city in need of support and the failures of the Eglinton LRT project prove that.
@@adellis24 The 36 Finch West is by far the most over-capacity route I've encountered in the whole city, and it has been like that ever since I first moved to Toronto in the late 90s. The only piece of TTC transit infrastructure that's more overburdened than that bus is Bloor-Yonge station.
@@rantingrodent416 That's nice that's how you feel but the facts support the Eglinton corridor as being the busiest Bus route in the city. Finch is typically either #2 or #3 and y'all just got a brand new subway station so its your turn to wait at the back of the line, Eglinton needs and deserves proper facilities after putting up with the past 13+ years of chaos & destruction.
@@adellis24 I'll be a bit more precise about what I mean. Busiest and most overburdened are not the same thing. I only have anecdotal evidence to support this, but I believe the average trip length on Finch is much longer, because Finch has a lot of very low-density development with big pockets of high density, and the highest density is towards the western end of the route. Finch serves fewer passengers than Eglinton, but those passengers are, generally speaking, crowded together on the same bus at the same time in greater numbers.
@@rantingrodent416 I will bring your points to parliament at the next sitting. ..(my soon to be fullfilled dream)
Great video! This channel is a constant reminder that it is OK to retain some optimism for Toronto transit, despite all the current challenges.
Well said!
There is no other city int he western world building more transit than Toronto currently.
and this makes me optimistic for Canada! Toronto and Montreal are pulling in the right direction. If our largest and most productive metro/economic hubs are not doing well, the country won't do well. Now if we could reform zoning laws and densify on a human scale...
@@TheTroyc1982Surely Paris builds more.
For North America, I think that many Canadian cities are more advanced with transit projects. Most US cities lag far behind and Mexico City needs to do a lot to expand service (which I understand that they are in the process of doing that).
There is a lot of scope for Mexico City to improve transit. It has wide streets that could be used for trams. There are already bus lanes but trams could offer more capacity and improve frequency, while taking capacity away from the private vehicles that are choking the city.
Unfortunately there are a lot of ultra backward asleep, stagnant, regressive newly elected politicians in the US that are harmful to any new forms of transportation fearing it's too as these idiots call it " woke " . They are too car centric because that's what the backwards mindset of them are .
I hear what you are saying, but NYC recently literally deployed new trains into the city that are longer plus have more features.
I love Toronto but I had to snap back into reality quick.
Mexico City could really afford to update their existing system. Its woefully out of date.
@@drew9934 Deploying new trains with new features comes naturally with running any transit system. It‘s good that New York did it, but it‘s also a necessity.
It was good to see the knock-out panel for eastern expansion at 9:30. Since the 1960's, the people of Toronto have been promised an LRT line along the Finch Hydro Corridor. This will go all the way across Toronto and it is time for it to be finally built.
The Cummer GO station is in the hydro right of way.
@@jamescobban857 Yes, that is one of the great advantages that has come along since the 1960's. I am looking forward to a seamless LRT/GO transfer opportunity. Same with the Finch Subway Station, the GO regional station at Yonge and as much other connectivity as can possibly be put in.
Is this Hydro corridor you mention, that green parks line with all the huge power pylons that runs along the Nickel street - at least its called McNicoll Avenue up in Scarborough - I think it runs parallel between Finch and Steele. I used to live up on McNicholl, right after I got married, way back when (2001-2002) before my family moved to downtown. Thanks.
@@francescathomas3502 Yes, that's it.
Happy to see Finch West gets a LRT.
*cries in finch east*
Nice to see Toronto using the Ottawa LRT vehicles as they were intended and not whatever weird abomination we're using them for. Hopefully they prove to be more reliable in their intended use than what Ottawa has been experiencing so far.
oh oh!
I hope the Otrain can get sorted out one day cry 😢
Definitely hoping to see the Finch West LRT extended down to Pearson Airport and over to Yonge Street sooner rather than later.
Maybe even down to Eglinton and Renforth where it can hook up to Mississauga's RT route.
As a SoCal resident, seeing "Metrolinx" always throws me a bit. 😆 So used to Metrolink..
I work along this route & am stoked.
Congratulations
It will be a big improvement!
Great video yet again Reece, amazing that you keep getting these opportunities now to give us an insight into projects under construction more frequently. Well deserved hopefully even more so in the future keep it up!
how did u comment 8 hours ago
@@awesomeman116a He’s an early video tester thing
@@awesomeman116a I took the hyperloop to travel into the future 🫡🥸
Thanks for watching! It's a lot of fun to get to go behind the scenes like this but a lot of work! Stay tuned for more!!
Would have preferred the iconic red TTC seating. That’s classic to Toronto
This was a really good video Reece! Reminds me of the DART Central Rail Operations Facility (CROF) in Downtown Dallas. The simulator part was so cool, and it gets me wondering on how many other transit agencies in North America have them. Super excited for the other site tours you're planning! Again, great video. Can't wait for more!
I would guess a really large number do! It's a big part of training operators!
@@RMTransit I would also like to congratulate you on 200,000 subscribers! Thanks for doing what you do!
best part about the project is there's a good chance it'll open on time
(knock on wood)
I hope you get around to doing a video on the Hurontario (Hazel Mccallion) LRT.
Yesss!
Stay tuned!
That is why Hazel never got my vote, she did not care about public transit . The Via Rail train , did not stop in Port Credit , it just went through Mississauga , although it did stop in Oakville.There was not any Greyhound Station or Gray Coach , the transit buses were just slow as can be , for Canada's fastest growing city ,the public transit system just sucked .
Nice to see some progression in Toronto transit. I've always thought this city was 30 years behind in meeting the needs of its growing population. If they added one of these to the Scarborough portion of Kingston Rd, it would be huge for the people.
Finch West might actually open before the boon doggle that is Eglinton Crosstown. I know it's quite a bit shorter but it also started construction at least 7 or 8 years later.
1:42 that's a tiny bike locker
And yet it still exists! I'll take progress where I can!
I find it neat that Lines 5 and 6 will be standard gauge when Lines 1, 2, and 4 and all the streetcar lines are Toronto gauge.
Lines 5 & 6 are new from-the-ground-up and have no possible connection to other lines, so they were made standard guage to reduce costs and made compatible with non-customized standard vehicles used on other systems. The soon-to-be-closed Line 3 (SRT) is also standard guage for the same reason. The future new Line 3 (Ontario Line) will also be standard.
It's definitely a fun factoid!
Unlike in the 19th century, when Toronto started deploying street cars, there is no longer a risk of freight railways moving box cars along the streets or LRT lines.
This is really impressive. I love the fact that they actually planned for the future in contrast to Montreal who tries to plan for the past and is constantly trying to correct stupid mistakes that were made decades ago through a serious lack of vision.
Awesome video! For someone like myself who had been living on four winds drive since 1995 it's cool to see in depth progress on the Finch west LRT. Thanks for showing what it looks like underground. I was always curious to know how everything looks underneath as I drive through the intersection almost everyday 👍
9:06 speaking of future proofing, almost every station on the kaoshiung mrt has extra platform screen doors at each end of the platforms that are never used. I’m guessing it was future proofing for a expansion that never came
Or that just hasn't come yet!
@@RMTransit true, true, however, Kaoshiung is focusing more on its circle light rail line rn.
idk when they are gonna kickstart the yellow line.
@@RMTransit but, they are working on the Gangshan extension of the red line!
Behind the scenes is super interesting. It’s not a thing we’d ever see without you taking your camera there, whether it’s by invitation or your request. You must be getting well known by the transit people for your high quality videos. This was absolutely fascinating. I could watch videos like this endlessly. I hope you can take us into hidden places a lot more to learn about the thought that engineers have put into designing these projects. I really like the look of the cars. Too bad Flexity is less modern. I wonder what city in Europe has the best trams and who makes them. I remember a clip of the Paris streetcars at night that looked so striking I wonder why NA has to be just a little almost stodgy by comparison, though Like 6 does look like it will be as attractive as can be presently on this side of the Atlantic. Fairly impressive if not the best on the world stage. A little tweaking that design maybe, but hey, it’s not bad at all! Maybe the next iteration from somebody will be more thought out and 21st century like. I’m already ready for the next video where the public can’t go but where nerds like us would like to. “It’s wheel interesting!”😅
Whenever I see North America, I always know I'm going to learn about Canada, haha. Much love!
It’s great to see Toronto gain some transit lines that haven’t seen much changes since the ill fated Sheppard line. Now we just need to connect all these 1 offs
Having left Toronto in 2005, I'm impressed with the scope of the various RT projects since then. Getting any transit project built back then was almost impossible.
Had no idea it was this far along. It looks great and I'm so happy that part of the city is finally getting this kind of support.
I'm so glad that they're thinking ahead for an extension to finch/yonge (assuming that would be the new terminus for an extension)
Great behind-the-scenes video. I really enjoyed seeing what is coming to the GTA in the next year or so.
Great work as usual Reece @RMTransit, the FW LRT looks amazing. I live nowhere near there but I'll definitely plan to check it out when it opens. Nice to see what a new Toronto transit project without major hiccups looks like.
I live on Finch and am very excited for this project to end. Great BtS video! I might not curse out the project this week when my morning commute gets completely derailed due to construction.
The blue seats make it look like tram made for the UK. Absolutely killed the ttc look.
this is such an exciting thing to see finally almost complete! as someone who spends a lot of time in the younge and keele area im very excited to see when this comes along how much more accessable the west side of the GTA will become
Congrats on the tour!
🎉 Was a lot of fun!
Great video, well detailed and a prelude of what's to come! Love the station layout that incorporates the LRT. I haven't heard much news regarding the LRT extending over to Finch station but I reckon that's wayyy down the line and there's gonna be a series of challenges with that extension (when it happens)
If you can now build LRT lines like these across Toronto, the city will have a great transit system in the future! Subways are expensive, so LRTs in the middle of Stroads are the (cheap) way to go!
Maybe more important than Toronto itself is the GTA. Providing highlevel connections to GO stations will allow better transit Oriented developments through the region and connect the suburbs.
Metro Vancouver also has potential for new LRT lines, but somehow the authorities don't like it.
I don't think trams are the solution for transit across the city, but for busy local routes they can certainly be a nice solution!
Also during a snow storm it becomes useless.
Love the behind the scenes look at everything, I’m *SO* looking forward to this! Hoping it livens up the neighbourhood. Finch and Keele needs a break though. They’ve been under construction since the TYSSE subway and there are few businesses that have managed to survive the CF that is that intersection. Also: Finch West is handy to the massive Four Winds allotment gardens, I’ve a plot there and I know folks who come from deep downtown to their plots.
Thanks for watching!
I've lived on four winds dr since 1995 and still do. These past 13 years has been brutal for drivers like myself in terms of construction but I know it'll be for the better when it's all done. This area is definitely changing in the years to come with the "Keele and Finch secondary plan"
And now the water system replacement is impacting the intersection even more.
This looks really awesome. Thank you for sharing
Thanks for watching!
WOW! 😊
This is a very detailed presentation about the future of Finch West LRT.
Finch west LRT will bring numerous benefits to much neglected jane and finch area we hope. Excellent Video, thanks.
The excitement for dual point track switching is palpable!
Super excited for this!!
Hope you like it!
Great video!
cant wait for all of these lines to be complete and we can enjoy a "fully built" toronto for a bit till the next crane/road digging phase begins. finch west is such a disaster to walk/drive right now, but that's ok, i can't wait to see toronto updated in a decade!
Progress!! This is encouraging right?! Lol! It is actually! So this is a co-production? Metrolinx and the TTC? I think this new arrival is impressive! Simulation fascinates me! The line looks extremely exciting! Great to see! Superb video Reece. Thanks so much. I hope your new city is enjoyable and that you are settling in. Be well. Cheers!! 🙂
Great to see it coming along! The grey-and-black livery is sure depressing, though.
It's really nice to see a project like this become a reality.
Hi Reece! Now that you've seen both the Line 5 and Line 6 LRVs up close, do you prefer the Flexities or the Citadis Spirits more? Personally, I think I like the Citadis more, it has a higher door density and a roomier interior layout. I also like the LCD displays, its pretty egregious that ECLRT, a line opening in 2023, only has dot matrix displays.
Great video, I hope to see more behind-the-scene projects soon!
I'd definitely lean to the Citadis, I agree the Flexity feels a bit dated and basic
@@RMTransit I wouldn't keep your hopes up, it may feel nicer, but the Flexity isn't a lemon.
Jane and Finch. My old stomping ground. Great video!
Oh dang, it looks so comfy and such a cute tram, nice upholstery too
Great video! Super excited for it to open
An extension east should already be under serious planning for immediate construction after this line is open.
Agreed. Continued construction of transit projects once others are near completion is important these next 2 decades.
That was great Reece. I wanna see more!
Nice to see more aesthetically nice looking streetcars instead of the usual metal cans!
Ooooh I love a behind the scenes construction video! This was like a B1M crossover
Dual point switches mentioned twice...👍👍. Great video.
I had to make sure to get it in there!
Great to know that they are future-proofing their projects.
So glad this is looking great. Toronto will have awesome transit if they ever finish building it (looking at you, Eglington Crosstown!)
I love trams, especially the classic 1990s batch of rolling stock. They are just so convenient. Though not as efficient as the newer models, they still perform well in many tram lines around the world.
Great video! Note that the signalling system is designed by engineers at Thales Canada, which is based in Toronto!
Yep! I visited them years ago! Search foru Thales visit!
Watching with anticipation to see if YOUR LRT project rolls out better than OUR LRT here in Ottawa.
What a gong show ours was...
I'm looking forward to it's completion. This will be great for Finch west side
The grey and black reminds me of the old Gray Coach buses I'd see as a youngster in the 70s. And nice that I see they've used some TTC font for station IDs. At least it appeared that way.
Now that I've seen the Finch West Line and trams I'm impressed with the trams and how they built the interchange with the Finch West subway station. But I think the line could have been built / could be extended to Finch East at Younge.
Ditto a Shepard Line extension to Shepard West I would like to see in the future. 😊
Very insightful look into Finch West LRT! As awesome as this project is, do you think it was a missed opportunity to extend the line to Finch (on Yonge)? There is a pretty significant population of people who commute between Finch and Finch West not just for Humber College but also to connect with York University, among other reasons.
Nicely done Reece.
Great work!
Well If the Finch line will be extended east, it better be underground going all the way to Finch Station
Very unlikely it would be underground
@@TheTroyc1982 Why? It’s already overground for like almost the whole line
Great video Reece
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video thank you
This was a great behind the scenes video.
Wild Video ,, Nice job
I remember my first time arrive at Finch West station because I was so shocked, not having any idea the station existed! It was around 12 PM, cold, I was really sleepy so when I had hopped on the bus I thought to myself “this is going take about an hour to get to Finch station” and like 15 minutes later, the bus takes a right turn and I was just so confused! When we get to the station I ask somebody “what is this” and they told me it was the subway station. Man I was so happy that I didn’t have to take that long bus ride to Yonge and Finch, plus I got to see a new station that I’ve never seen before. 😊
Great video as always Reece. Was wondering if you had any exclusive updates on line 5. Haven’t heard anything in quite a while
Not yet but who knows what might happen in the future!
the interior on the new rolling stock looks great. i really wish they had retrofitted more screens and replaced the dotted screens with led screens though
Did you have a chance to ask about the traffic signal priority at intersections? Will the Finch trams get actual signal priority at every opportunity like how they properly do it in Europe or pathetic no priority signals like in York Region? Thanks
Toronto Road Authority has stated they will not allow traffic signal priority on Line 5 or 6. The technology was paid for and installed by Metrolinx but it will be disabled.
On my next trip to Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦. I got to ride on this system.
There are my favorite rm transit videos
I'm so happy to hear that😊
@@RMTransit yep and was glad when i heard more videos in the works
I hope a video like this will come for crosstown. So many stations are now complete. They say its not the construction thats the problem. Their words - "very focused on right now with our contractor is getting a robust and credible schedule to get through. Not the construction so much anymore - we can see the end in sight on the construction - but it’s the testing and commissioning activities that are absolutely critical, and it’s not something we can shortcut." I heard it will be running for the public in October 2023, and that is what they are aiming for but they don't want to make it public.
Who knows what might happen down the road!
@@RMTransit I think you mean down the track!
Brilliant video, can you ask the TTC if you can visit one of there subway maintenance yards, would be cool to see behind the scenes?
Very nice!
Amazing in Quebec we are still waiting for the REM --- supposed to be ready last year -- I will wait patiently till 2030 :) :) :)
I was at finch station 10min ago and youtube recommended me this video. LOL
Thanks!
Thanks for watching and the support!
Great video, always love to learn more about trams. In Israel, the first tram/light rail line is about to be opened in may after 18 years of construction. You should do a video about the public transport system in Israel, the plan is to build 3 metro lines and 3 light rail lines in the next 30 years, the plan is supposed to end in 2050. I don't see this happening After 18 years of building one line, but it's good to hope.
What do you mean the first light rail line? What do you call the line on Jaffa St in Jerusalem that even runs the Bombardier trains? I did however see construction in Tel Aviv on Ben Yahuda street for another light rail line. I called it "Israel's Eglinton line" the street was such a mess when I was there in January.
@@JRCentrex they call that one the first light rail line in Palestine ;)
@@JRCentrex I call it the first line in Israel because I don't live in jerusalem. The line that is about to be opened (also called the “red line) will serve several cities, it goes through the tel aviv metropolitan area, half of the population lives here. The one in Jerusalem only serves the people of the city and not near me, but you are correct, it is the first. what you saw in ben yehuda street is actually not the “red line”’ it is the “purple line” scheduled to be opened in 2027, although i don't see it happening before 2030 and yes, the street is still a mess.
@@f.g.9466 Then it would be in a tunnel
18 years: HS2 *laughs*
I really hope they quickly expand to the east and meet up with Yonge and Finch. I know of many people who live along Yonge, and have to "ride the U" so to speak to get on the University/Spadine side. So being able to cross to the west with this (or the future Eglinton line) would greatly reduce crowding along Yonge
Can u talk about the Southwest LRT in Minneapolis? It’s an incredibly interesting topic; a very necessary and important extension, but it misses key neighborhoods and is years overdue and a $1.5 billion dollars over budget.
Dallas is finally building the Silver Line (formerly Cotton Belt) expected to open Fall of 24. Maybe you could come and advise on it.
I would love to see a project like this in Boston, the silver line desperately needs to be replaced by LRT
Excellent point there but how are you going to deal with the Interstate 90 Massachusetts Turnpike New York State Thruway tunnel section used by Silver Line. LRT exists in Boston the Green line
Delivered and marshalled many of these trams during my career at CP Rail.
Great video! Do you think you'll do one on Edmonton's Valley Line Southeast when it launches this spring/summer? Or are you going to wait until the west portion is done too?
That's the plan!
Great video. However one big critical sticking point is the shelters built. In freezing weather, those shelters will be useless. Metrolinx should have used the same enclosed design that Viva uses in York region. 😢
if it's warm and nice in the winter, you will have homeless and drug users sleeping there
Hi Reece! Awesome video detailing the LRT. Was wondering: does this have level boarding?
Yes! All of the new lines we are building have great level boarding!
2:17 - Auckland's electric trains have a similar staff-only platform at their depot near Puhinui station. They even have onboard announcements to make sure passengers don't get confused when the AM units have to stop there.
Also, how come the trams will only run on 750 volt DC? Is that normal for modern tram systems?
love the video.
question for you. What do you think about a proposal for Line 7 Jane LRT that would run North and South connecting Line 5 Eglinton LRT to Pioneer Village? The Jane LRT would also have its own lane (grade separated). Jane is a heavily congested route with future growth expected. Your thoughts?
Also what about a line 8 for Keele LRT replacing already overcrowded artic buses? With LRT a single computer A.I. could control and monitor all the LRT lines and trams as well as transit signals at intersections this would improve the overall transit experience and it would be fully electric. Your thoughts on these?
Flexity does also have a 50 meter variant, it is currently being produced for Berlin.
@Golden Auto A comment on Reece's American tramways video mentions that it's because of different regulations across the pond.
@@MarioFanGamer659 not really the case, Edmonton also has a longer variant of the Flexity!
@@RMTransit Yeah, but I was mainly commenting on why the US and Canada use custom vehicles and I remember a comment mentioning standards like crashworthiness - the length of the vehicles is irrelevant in this case.
If anything, you further proved Golden Auto's point: In case of the Valley Line in Edmonton, it will use the Flexity Freedom which are deployed in Canada, not in Europe.
well done
OMG the same tram in Dubai Marina 🤩🤩🤩
So toronto insanely purchased the same lemon of a train we have here in Ottawa.............Can't wait for the first breakdown during rush hour in that part of toronto. Sure hope the line is perfectly straight end to end otherwise enjoy the constant issues........oh and if the weather is hot, cold, sunny, rainy, snowy, perfect or terrible, good chance it will break HAHA
Ikr. Personally, I kind of wish that they chose Siemens or Kinkisharyo to supple vehicles because they seem much more durable and reliable that anything Alstom or is bombardier have been able to make
Great video. Is there a designated parking area on the tram for bikes?