mkjr

sorry, my only point is that lower costs for users means that cost recovery will take longer....and therefore the subsidy would be higher for longer...

so with a higher cost here, perhaps they will recover faster although as some have noted, make it too high and no one will use it.

that's all. i was also actually genuinely curious about the cost in denver of the A line construction.

YYZC2

Agreed. UP is destined to be another bungled Toronto infrastructure project... and I could have been a heavy user. I practically live at YYZ. I really wanted this to work.

PropWasher

I'm partially disabled. It's a long hike.

PropWasher

That's exactly what I did.

Edit. I took the elevator to platform.

PropWasher

In theory but not in practice. I'm not a newby when it comes to riding the shuttle between terminals/Viscount road. Get back to me after you have encountered large Japanese/Chinese tour groups trying to squeeze their luggage chariots on and/or off the death-train pods.

Edited to add that no matter what train your talking about - you are not stepping off at the place you want to be.

grandgourmand

Actually, I'm saying that in practice it's easy (for me anyhow). I did it twice last week. Got off UPX, hopped on shuttle to terminal 3. I had to walk 50 yards maybe. I didn't run into any tour groups, though I can see how that would be annoying.

I agree that the walking from any of the terminal stops to the actual arrivals or departure area is a bit long.

jpatokal

Actually...

- N'EX full fare is Y3000 one-way, but tourists can get a discounted return for Y4000/~US$32
- The Keisei Skyliner is both faster (36 min to Nippori) and cheaper (Y2200/~US$18 advance purchase)
- Keisei Sky Access commuter trains take an hour, but only cost Y1000/~US$9

aeroman380

I have actually changed my mind about the UP service, though I still think it is a bit steep and catered to the business people. Some are right that there needs to be a variety of options to get to the airport. I will still use the 3$ ttc subway and bus option as going to union first is too out of the way and too expensive. Also, the person is probably right about having high costs to cover the payment of building it.


Oh and the first time I saw the dookie brown and horrible outside it reminded me a bit of Newark's train

m.y

Union Pearson Express train project costed 456 million dollars. It did benefit from a larger project, Georgetown South expansion, which accounts for large portion of UPX tracks. It costs 1.2 billion, and includes grade separation at several cross roads, and one rail to rail grade separation, these improvements will allow more frequent commuter rail trains on the same corridor.

m.y

In practice, tour groups would be taking chartered tour busses to the airport rather than public transit of any kind.

Shareholder

That's U$45 or so. Just a bit more than the LHRExpress one-way! If you'd prefer there's always the TTC's 192 Express bus to Kipling subway which takes you anywhere in the central city in about an hour, just C$3, or U$2.50 one-way. I expect the fare to drop considerably after the first year, if not sooner, when the numbers are in. (Hard to compare cost with NRT considering how far that airport is from the city and the high level of use, thus ability to recover operating and capital costs.)

Fly Baby

As you say, an interesting option for solo travellers. Glad to see Toronto embracing a greener transport option between the airport and downtown.

Thanks for posting!

gnof

Wow! Didn't expect such a lively discussion with my brief report.

I echo some of the opinions from you guys. I took many of the other airport expresses mentioned in the thread and here's how I think they compare.

Narita Express: Narita is much further from Tokyo than Pearson is to Toronto. With the tourist 4000 Yen r/t ticket, Narita Express is actually cheaper! Walking distance to the train for both are similar but signage to Narita Express is much better.

Hong Kong: Very good signage and option to check in at the rail station on departures make this much better than Narita/Pearson.

Zurich: Airport is much closer to the city than all the afore-mentioned cities. Signage is excellent. The price is < $10 one-way but it's also a much shorter distance.

Vienna: I think the "CAT's out of the bag." Most savvy travelers know to look for the much cheaper S-bahn instead of paying for the overpriced CAT express.

Union-Pearson is expensive. Eventually, I think they'll need to lower their fares or bundle them with tourist packages (TTC passes / admission to museums and attractions) to remain relevant.

It's a little unfair to compare Union-Pearson to European and Asian cities because North American cities are miles behind in terms of rail infrastructure.

Ber2dca

I don't get how you can invest so much money in a project like this and then end up with something that's at best an alternative option for some travelers. Surely, if I go for a fairly pricy train project, the goal should be to make that the *main* transportation link to the city.

mkjr

because it is north america where the car reigns. in case you did not know that. a fair chunk of people still drive and park at the airport....and such option, depending on how far away you park, is cheaper than the train and a taxi.