Category Archives: Infrastructure

O-Train impressions: this is what LRT looks like

Posted on October 4, 2019 by

Confederation Line train approaching Tremblay Station Last weekend, I visited Ottawa to check out the new Confederation Line LRT. Canada’s newest rapid transit line, delayed by two years, finally opened on Saturday, September 14. It is the second LRT to … Continue reading →

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Dysfunction junction: the Union Station malfunction

Posted on August 29, 2019 by

Looking west to Union Station, August 2019 Last year, the City of Toronto hastily installed Jersey barriers in front of Union Station. This was a response to a tragic criminal act on Yonge Street in North York on April 23, … Continue reading →

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Ontario’s new ride: ION LRT opens in Kitchener-Waterloo

Posted on July 9, 2019 by

On June 21, 2019, Ontario’s first modern light rail transit (LRT) system opened to the public. The launch of ION in Kitchener-Waterloo represents an important milestone for both the region and for the province as a whole: additional light rail … Continue reading →

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How the QEW made way for Ontario’s transportation innovation

Posted on June 26, 2019 by

Queen Elizabeth Way looking east towards Dixie Road in Mississauga Eighty years ago, the Queen Elizabeth Way was officially dedicated by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (for whom it was named). The QEW, which connected Toronto with Hamilton and … Continue reading →

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A “fantastic bonanza:” another transit plan up in smoke?

Posted on March 28, 2019 by

“Bonanza’s” opening credits, where a burning map gives way to the show’s cast, is a great metaphor for Toronto’s transit planning. Continue reading →

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Filling the gap in Southwestern Ontario

Posted on February 26, 2019 by

While there’s GO train service between Toronto, Guelph, and Kitchener, it’s inadequate for the regions’s transportation demands  Earlier this year, I took a ride on Wroute, a new service connecting Guelph, Kitchener, and Burlington that has some characteristics of a … Continue reading →

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A year later, progress on Canongate Trail

Posted on February 20, 2019 by

Canongate Trail, February 2019 In February 2018, Duncan Xu, an 11-year old boy, was struck and killed crossing a residential street in North Scarborough on his way home from school. He was one of forty-two pedestrians unintentionally struck and killed … Continue reading →

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