TFCNU

@Steve_Dangle Thoughts on Italy missing the World Cup?

LFR TOMORROW (technically today) LFR QUESTIONS?

What do you mean we have to live in a world where Vic Rauter isn't calling curling? How is that possible? Congratulations on a fantastic career, Mr. Rauter.

And I think we should do the same thing in the east from McCowan: a northern branch out to Malvern and a southern branch out to UTSC.

I fully endorse this. Although, my ideal version of Line 4 branches at Sheppard West. One branch along the alignment here and the other going through Downsview Park station and then west to Keele/Sheppard and Jane/Sheppard.

@doconnoronca That's not the loop I have an issue with (although it is just 20 years old itself). If they're going to extend the line to the McCleary District and East Harbour, the loop they're building on Ookwemin will become redundant.

@TFCNU2 It is expected to be extended to cover the whole Eastern waterfront so the new Union terminal loop has to have the capacity to handle that, or it would have be rebuilt again in 50 years.

The population projections continue to make no sense. There are not going to be 150k people living between the Ferry Docks and Ookwemin Minising.

@kaptrice But the LRT doesn't go to East Harbour!

@TFCNU2 I think it makes some very optimistic assumptions about employment numbers at the East Harbour site

@cselley Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

But of course, Air Canada is part of the consortium behind Alto. That's how you know it's a very serious effort.

Kinda odd to see the Liberals apparently enthusiastic about expanding Billy Bishop Airport when they're trying to sell us on high-speed rail, which would eliminate a huge chunk of YTZ's current business and free up a lot of slots at Pearson too.

@ArfinNathaniel Why?

I believe in Brendon Little.

@cselley @MattSpoke Shanghai to Beijing is a 4.5 hour trip. It's just over 1300kms of rail. So, just shy of 300km/h including a couple of stops along the way.

@MattSpoke What do you mean by "average speed"? No train in the world *averages* 300 kph between two points.

The biggest problem with Alto high speed rail (beyond the fact that it’s unlikely to get built before we burn $100b) is that it’s not even an ambitious project. By global standards, it is not even a “high speed” train. Its projected average speeds are below 200 km/h, a full 100 km/h slower than peer systems. In reality, through design, we’ll likely compromise even more on speed by introducing onerous safety limits and add more stops. We’ll be lucky if this thing goes 150 km/h by the time it’s done (IF it ever is).

Just for reference, the largest developable area around the LRT is Ookwemin. That's supposed to be 15K people at full build out.

@PHfloor But they can't take it because no one is willing to pay it. Or else they'd actually be building. And they already paid for the land.

Remember folks, builders are price takers not price setters. If the builder can take $731k they will take it.

A Cavalry man goes to the league doctor: I have been unfairly red carded! League Doctor: I have just the thing! Go to Tommy Wheeldon Jr. he can challenge your red card! Cavalry man: But I am Tommy Wheeldon Jr.!

@JeffMarek You misspelled Meghan

Another name to consider based on what Keith Pelley was talking about yesterday - John Chayka.

It works if we have Moise Bombito not Joel Waterman at CB. That's the good news and the bad news.

@MattSpoke The exact same argument was made against the government twinning the Trans-mountain pipeline. It will never get done. It's too expensive. Does anyone think we're worse off for building it right now?

Like most Canadians, I would like to have nice big infrastructure projects to be proud of and that could help grow our economy. That said, I’m a realist like Pierre. This train will either never get built (after spending tens of billions) or will get built after spending hundreds of billions. Someone needs to start highlighting how bad we are at building things in this country.

@MikePMoffatt @EricDLombardi @RichardDias_CFA If you don't have vision, you view this as a one-off project and don't hire anyone in-house.

@TFCNU2 @EricDLombardi @RichardDias_CFA I am. But we can't move forward on those reforms if we think the underlying problem is a lack of vision.

This is a false choice. We can and should build both. The biggest problem for HSR in Canada right now is the political vision is actually too small.

@MikePMoffatt @EricDLombardi @RichardDias_CFA Then advocate for more in-house work on HSR. Metrolinx has started moving things in house for exactly the reasons you describe. And while it doesn't show up in the bottom line, the new projects seem to be going far better than the Crosstown or Hurontario lines.

@TFCNU2 @EricDLombardi @RichardDias_CFA That's how transit works *now*. Multiple projects are built, and each one, consultants are brought in through an RFP process, and our governments never build any kind of capacity.

@MikePMoffatt @EricDLombardi @RichardDias_CFA The whole point of forming Alto is that it's not going to be one and done. Toronto-Windsor. Calgary-Edmonton. There are future projects to be done. But you have to start somewhere.

@TFCNU2 @EricDLombardi @RichardDias_CFA Governments *haven't* built that kind of capacity in the projects they do. Rather, they have outside consultants do all the heavy lifting, at a massive markup, and then they start from scratch on the next one. But maybe I've just spent too much time on OC Transpo.

@MikePMoffatt @EricDLombardi @RichardDias_CFA The way you build state capacity is by doing things and doing things consistently. You can't gain the state capacity for building high speed rail without building high speed rail.

@EricDLombardi @RichardDias_CFA No, it's that we need to build up state capacity. Which we're not doing. Instead we have a completely misguided belief that we can wish things into reality.