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news

Link, Link, Nudge, Nudge

By Marc Lostracco

HKairporttransit1.jpg
In typical fashion, we’ve all been talking for decades about a fixed rail link between the busiest airport in Canada and the busiest surface transit hub in Canada, but despite near-universal agreement on its necessity, the project is still vapour. The $200 million+ Blue22 plan designed in the mid-’90s was originally slated for completion right about now, but endless disagreements about how to implement it, who pays for it, and whose property values it threatens have prevented any shovel from breaking ground.
About sixty major cities have dedicated premium rail transit from the airport to their city centres, and Europe and Japan have boasted solid systems since the ’80s, but Hong Kong’s Airport Express is brilliant in its sheer simplicity of use.


HKairporttransit4.jpg
Now in service for a decade, the Airport Express plan had the luxury of being designed in conjunction with the massive, US$20 billion(!) Hong Kong International Airport project (both opened simultaneously). The system was designed to allow the trains to arrive directly at the terminal every twelve minutes, letting customers off right at the check-in area or picking them up from the arrivals lounge. The obvious benefit of this door-to-door service is not having to haul luggage very far, although free porters are available to help.
Tickets are easily purchased at touchscreen terminals for HKD$100 (about $17) by cash, credit card, or the ubiquitous Octopus card, the latter of which is accepted on almost all public transport in Hong Kong. Some airlines even support automated check-in, so travellers can grab their boarding passes while they wait for the train, which comes every twelve minutes.
HKairporttransit3.jpg
The GTAA says that Toronto’s new Terminal 1 has been designed with the future rail link in mind [PDF], and it would arrive at the facility’s existing LINK tram station, which currently connects satellite parking lots by cable-pulled train to Terminals 1 and 3. Since there are no existing train tracks that go as far as the airport, a new spur would need to be built, likely from the Woodbine terminus, located about 3 km from Terminal 1.
Proposed stops on Toronto’s plan include Union Station, Dundas West TTC station (GO’s Bloor station), and one near Woodbine Racetrack at Highway 427. The Hong Kong line has also kept stops at a convenient minimum, and the trains feature an LED progress bar that shows where the train is in relation to the next station—something peripherally discussed for future TTC subway cars.
HKairporttransit2.jpg
The trains on the Chinese link are manufactured by Montréal-based Bombardier, which builds TTC subway cars and is one of the bidders for the Transit City Light Rail Plan. These electric “A-Stock” trains are specifically customized for airport travellers, with wide aisles, generous leg room, and large baggage racks beside the doors. Large flatscreen panels announce current and upcoming stops and display short ads and lifestyle clips in between.
Brand-new track for Hong Hong means a faster, smoother ride—something that Toronto won’t be able to fully realize, since most of a 25-kilometre Pearson link would exist on the current rail corridor on segments owned by CN and GO Transit. Most conspicuously, the trip between downtown Hong Kong and the airport is dead silent. Unlike the subway or GO train, there is no significant side-to-side rocking or screeching, making for some welcome decompression time after a long day of travel. And, oh ehm gee, there’s WiFi.
Though running a shorter distance, a Toronto link would take about the same time—about 22 minutes from airport to downtown, versus 24 minutes for Hong Kong, and trains to Pearson would operate every 15 minutes. Transport Canada estimates that a direct rail link here would eliminate 1.5 million car trips in in the first year.
HKairporttransit5.jpg
Like many other relatively new surface transport stations, Hong Kong’s Airport Express employs full glass safety barriers, which only allow ingress and egress when the train has fully stopped and do not allow access to track level. This type of barrier is one of the options examined by the TTC, but it will probably prove too expensive of a reno.
As for advertising, the Airport Express has it, but it’s restrained and relatively subtle. In every case, directional signage takes priority, comforting tourists and giving the platforms and trains a cleaner, uncluttered look.
Hong Kong’s system parallels those in many other countries, and there isn’t really much to complain about—the journey is basically seamless, comfortable, and idiot-proof. With talks ramping up again this summer about getting a Union-Pearson project back on track (albeit one likely to be operated by the private sector), planners could crib much from Hong Kong’s sophistication. But, jeez, let’s get on with it.
Photos by Marc Lostracco.

Comments

  • David Toronto

    Similar glass barriers are in use in the Metro in Washington DC and several other cities. We should have it here.
    That’s another example of Americans being different from Canadians. They just go ahead and do things while we tend to debate such things to death and by the time we make a decision, it’s usually too late or ineffectual by its lateness.

  • Gauldar

    We do have too much short term thinking, and when we run into problems just before it’s done there is nobody who wants to take responcibility for it.

  • scottd

    I think you have over simplified the reasons for the link not happening, especially in terms of property values.
    In reality there are serious community access issues for the people of Weston that are not unlike the issues surrounding the Spadina expressway in the early 70′s (except that Weston is by far more working class than the Annex was).In an area that is already transit challenged these are real concerns. If they can do the link, and provide some kind of reasonable local transport for the people of Weston, this could be a great line, one that adds to the community.
    As well, people really need to support the efforts of West End Railpath that a wee bit of space be left for the path to extend south down to the lakefront.
    It is also worth noting that part of the politics is that GO has its own plan and as rail travel becomes important again, for freight and commuters, there are more interests trying to get their fingers involved in these slivers of now prime real estate.
    For the record I support the link but have doubts about whether airport traffic alone will be enough to pay for it.

  • chenyip

    I think David Toronto summed it up best.
    Canadians tend to over-discuss initiatives instead of well, just gitten er’ done.
    That being said, using Hong Kong as a comparison model is flawed. Hong Kong International airport handles roughly 47 million passengers annually and is ranked as one of the top 15 busiest airports. It also serves as a hub that connects all of Asia and the Pacific Rim.
    Pearson doesn’t even show up on the top 30 (except in 2005 and 2006) and its definitely not a hub for all of North America.

  • rek

    Seoul has a dedicated expressway from Seoul to the international airport in Incheon, the bus ride taking about 50 minutes and tickets for ~$10 (as I recall). The expressway also connects to Gimpo airport, making connections to flights within Korea and Japan easy.
    And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a rail connection from the international airport to Gimpo, and from Gimpo into Seoul (in 2010). When I lived in Shinchon I saw the tunnel trench they were digging across Hongdae to connect the rail to the subway system.

  • Marc Lostracco

    chenyip: My using Hong Kong’s system as an example is less of a comparison than a suggestion that its brilliance is in its simplicity and convenience (which isn’t really tied to the amount of passengers it serves, other than financially). London’s airport line, by comparison, is certainly convenient, but it’s also cramped, uncomfortable, sometimes confusing, and kinda clunky.
    Issues of NIMBYism and environmental impacts aside, too many cooks are likely to spoil Toronto’s plan, which should actually be a no-brainer. Business as usual.

  • Bill Taylor

    As a bonus, you can also take one of these wonderful trains – with windows in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head – directly from the airport to Hong Kong Disneyland. Not that I’m suggesting a link from Pearson to Canada’s Wonderland. . .

  • AdamSchwabe

    Seeing other cities’ transit systems makes me sad.

  • Astin

    The glass doors would cause some bigger issues if installed on existing TTC lines, but that’s another post.
    The bigger problem, which might stem from over-discussion, is the lack of long-term planning. Everything done in Toronto seems to be with the idea that the city will never grow, so expansion won’t be needed. Our subway lines are inadequate (there should be a 3rd or even 4th track on the system for express trains, or re-routing around problems instead of holding up the whole line), our expressways are poorly planned, and there’s that pesky land issue between downtown and the airport for a fixed link. One thing that can be guaranteed is that whatever solution they come up with – it will just be adequate for today’s needs, and woefully inadequate in the not-to-distant future.

  • RealityCheck

    Marc: How is Heathrow Express “cramped, uncomfortable, sometimes confusing, and kinda clunky”? I’ve used it frequently and it’s simply amazing.
    The only problems would be due to the layout of Heathrow, which can force you on a Long March from the gate to baggage claim and then to the train.
    The opposition from Weston residents is ridiculous. They already live in a heavily used rail corridor, so traffic and pollution complaints are quaint. The closing of the level crossings has been mooted repeatedly and should happen anyways – they are inherently dangerous and a bad idea in urban environments.
    The opposition is just another NIMBY exercise with a smidge of class warfare for a topping. Regional and National projects will never satisfy everyone and frequently impinge somewhat on a few people. That’s life. Toronto needs to move away from having wards and neighbourhoods possessing vetoes over projects in their vicinity. Decisions need to be made based on what’s best for the city and region, with compensation, if appropriate, to people affected.
    The idea of intermediary stops is also horrific. Union is our transit hub and the costs to everyone of intermediary stops are not outweighed by the small benefit to people who could get to Dundas West faster/easier than Union. There is something interesting in providing a service to Pearson from Brampton, Guelph, KW and (maybe) London through Via/GO if the tracks were interoperable, but you’re not going to grab significant share with an intermediary stop due to the increase in time & hassle of backtracking to the station.

  • Paul Kishimoto

    Ignorance is truly bliss. The more I learn about public transit overseas (Hong Kong especially), the further I am depressed by the TTC, GO and other GTA transit.
    To wit: I passed through Museum Station today on the way to Union and noticed, six months after the end of renovations:

    • unpainted, exposed electrical conduit on the white platform ceiling,
    • concrete walls merely painted the same colour as the new cladding, and
    • the ugly juxtaposition of the older yellow tiles in the stairways and the purple walls

    …which leave me with low expectations for the other parts of the TTC’s Station Modernization Project. Others have been similarly underwhelmed (note Steve Munro’s remarks).
    I admit to being totally baffled by the mediocrity of the commission’s ambitions. Are they actually ignorant of the state of the art as practiced in HK and elsewhere? Do they believe these half-measures are actually earning them new riders, or satisfying current ones? That the current equipment, facilities and services will serve indefinitely with only cosmetic changes? That service will magically become profitable without transformational changes? I just can’t figure it out :(

  • David Topping
  • Sean Marshall

    Blue 22 was a huge mess when first proposed (SNC Lavalin was both the proponent and the environmental assessment consultant! Wasn’t that brilliant?). I think when it returns, under the Metrolinx banner, it’s tied with the Brampton “Express Rail” plan, which will mean frequent service, possibly even electrification, that Westonites can use. With an amended plan for Weston itself, I think the opposition will be softer.
    I’ve been through Hong Kong’s Airport, but didn’t use the Airport Express, I took a ferry direct to the airport from Shenzhen. That was really convenient, even though it meant a short bonded-bus ride from the airport ferry dock (where you can check your baggage and go through security). Hong Kong’s airport is very accessible – and there’s buses going throughout the SAR as well as the rail link and the high-speed ferries to Shenzhen and Macau.
    The MTR is a nice system – with the amalgamation with the Kowloon-Canton Railway and its light rail, it serves most of the populated places in Hong Kong quite well. We’re getting the “snake trains”, but don’t hold your breath for glassed-in platforms – that only works well if your stations are well-ventilated (most MTR stations are airconditioned) and the tunnels set up for it, unless you do half-height screens, and that means automated control. The TTC, like most systems outside of Asia, predates that.
    I didn’t see any glass barriers in Washington when I was there about this time last year.

  • Bill Taylor

    RealityCheck: I agree with Marc about the Heathrow train. The last time I took it, in April, I had to make a very tight rail connection at King’s Cross station. I caught the airport train by the skin of my teeth – Heathrow being one of the worst in the world to negotiate – only to find it wasn’t an express at all at that time of the morning, but a commuter train, becoming more and more jammed with people as it made local stops.
    The London Underground (many aspects of which make our subway look SOOOO good) was running at half-speed and there was a huge lineup for taxis at Paddington. I caught my King’s Cross train by the skin of my teeth, too, but only by bribing a cabdriver who was dropping someone off.

  • wardnikoff

    Just like every other doomed before it starts good idea such as revitalisation of the waterfront, subway expansion doesnt happen due to ineffectual political will. Anyone and everyone who has been to other urban areas is almost always blown away by the transit system when compared to Toronto. No east west line below Bloor? Thats INSANE.
    Of course, you want to stick a condo somewhere..? Go right ahead…always time and money for that.

  • Marc Lostracco

    My Heathrow train experiences parallel Bill Taylor’s, plus the trains are boiling hot in the summer, too cramped for comfort (not being designed for luggage or even large tunnels), and it’s confusing for tourists to know what to do or how to use the Underground if they’re unfamiliar with it.
    I think everyone would agree that Heathrow, as an airport, is a nightmare. I have yet to have a positive experience there, or to change gates without feeling like I’ve gone on a three day hiking expedition.

  • Rachel Lissner

    David Toronto, where are the glass barriers in the DC metro? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.

  • RealityCheck

    Marc and Bill: It seems that you’re talking about the Tube connection at Heathrow. That is horrific, because it makes stops along the way and services commuters.
    I’m talking about Heathrow Express: http://www.heathrowexpress.com It is VERY different from the Tube and the cars are specifically designed to accommodate bags. They have Wi-Fi and phone reception, TV… Plus it connects to Paddington. The one problem is that Heathrow has so many transit connections you may have gotten lost and taken the wrong train, thus the horrible experience.

  • Vincent Clement

    wardnikoff: I think you mean Queen or some other east-west road, because the last time I looked Bloor had a subway running beneath it.

  • Greg Smith

    “Do they [the TTC] believe these half-measures are actually earning them new riders, or satisfying current ones [or that] service will magically become profitable without transformational changes?”
    @Paul Kishimoto: Hardly. The fact that they are cheaping out on station modernization would seem to indicate the opposite, that is, that service will obviously not “become profitable” and so spending as though it might would be irresponsible. And more riders? The last thing the TTC needs is more riders, especially at peak given the current congestion. The TTC needs more money to expand first, but that’s got nothing to do with profitability or how pretty the stations are.
    It’s interesting that a post about an explicitly non-TTC transit issue (Blue 22 / express rail connections to airports) has worked its way into yet another TTC-bashing discussion…

  • Greg Smith

    @Vincent Clement: I’m sure wardnikoff means “no east west line below [as in south] of Bloor”.

  • Svend

    Go ahead and do it, ignore the NIMBYs.
    Building this is nothing like having the Spadina expressway extended down through the Annex.
    How will a narrow rail system running every few minutes result in more traffic or divide Weston?
    I’d like to see various prices though, more if you’re travelling to the airport from Union Station and less if you connect from Dundas West.

  • Sean Marshall

    The Weston NIMBY smear is just that – read their arguments and you’ll see they’ll be happy with more trains through their area – as long as the community shares some of the benefit, and that the effects on the community are mitigated. The original EA was a wash – it proposed closing streets completely, and had the stench of a conflict of interest, and at the time, promised very little in the way of GO improvements – not even all-day, two-way service.
    Now, a trench, that will keep most of the streets open is proposed, and there are the plans for “express rail” in the 15-year Metrolinx plan, which will help the community with S-Bahn like train, much like a subway level of service. Many, if not most, of the residents who packed the local megachurch will be much happier.
    They’re not simple NIMBYs like the anti-Minto crowd in North Toronto.
    As for Heathrow, I did take the Piccadilly Line, and avoided the Heathrow Express for two reasons – the cost (it would have added $20 or so to my trip), and I was not headed for Paddington Station, which isn’t quite central London. I was headed to a suburb north of the city, so I had to take a train from Liverpool Street Station, so it made sense to change trains at Holbourn – it meant the same number of transfers, and I avoided the notoriously unreliable Circle Line. Heathrow to where I was headed (just outside the 6-zone TfL system) was a single ticket as well).
    Since then, they’ve added a third option, Heathrow Connect, a somewhat more local version of Heathrow Express, and a much lower price. That could be the model.

  • Sean Marshall

    The most comical part of all of this was that SNC Lavalin was promising not sleek Heathrow or MTR airport coaches, but former VIA railcars not used since the Mulroney era.
    I am hopeful that the revised plan will satisfy the need for proper transit on the corridor, a reliable and comfortable rail link, the ability for passengers from Brampton and points west to access the aiport, and a pricing structure that suits business travellers, tourists (where a couple or a family would be much better off in a taxi otherwise) and airport employees.
    I’ve had a tune (to the tune of the Flintstones theme) going for a while, inspired by the ancient proposed railfleet. The last verse has altered several times along the way.
    Rail link, airport rail link,
    You’ll be riding through his-tor-y
    Pearson to Union Station
    On a 60-year-old R-D-C!
    Tough sh-t to nabes along the way
    $20 is the least you’ll have to pay
    When you’re, on the rail link
    It’ll be a swell time
    A private rail line
    It’d be a planning crime!
    Yabba-dabba-doo!