Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit — Toronto, Canada
Client
- Metrolinx
Project Value 
CAD $12B
Market
Transportation
Services
Design And Urban Planning, Engineering, Program/Construction Management (PM/CM)
The Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) program consists of multiple new lines and new maintenance facilities throughout Toronto. This $8.4 billion program is the largest light rail program embarked upon in North America. It boasts an aggressive schedule that aims to complete all lines in 10 years. All lines will use the Bombardier Flexity low-floor light rail vehicles and all lines will be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission.
The Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) consists of approximately 19km of new LRT alignment with 15 new underground stations and 10 at-grade stops. The project provides various connections to existing and planned bus and rail lines.
What Services Did We Provide?
In a joint venture as 4TRANSIT, we provided a broad range of services including:
- Project Management
- Project Controls
- Reference Concept Design and Project-Specific Output Specifications Development
- Right-Of-Way-Engineering
- Traffic Planning
- Facilities Engineering and Architecture
- Systems Integration
- Construction Phase Services
- Urban and Landscape Design
- Third Party Coordination and Stakeholder Management
- Utilities Coordination
- Property Acquisition Coordination
- Transit Systems Engineering (traction power and overhead catenary systems, signaling, and communications)
- System Safety
- Operations and Maintenance Planning
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- Photo Credit: Metrolinx
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- Photo Credit: Metrolinx
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- Photo Credit: Metrolinx
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- Photo Credit: Metrolinx
Project Scope: What Was Our Role?
The scope of work included project management, preliminary design, an Environmental Project Report Addendum, and public consultation and stakeholder engagement. Parsons supported Metrolinx in the development of an online Public Information Centre to present the proposed alignment, mailing lists and project notices. We also facilitated responses to stakeholder comments, consultation with public and regulatory agencies, and engagement with First Nations communities. The project included extensive coordination with City of Toronto departments and agencies.
We provided systems engineering and systems integration services, which include development of documents to manage and optimize interfaces between the systems and fixed facilities and between the systems/facilities and the Bombardier light rail vehicles, as well as the operationally critical interfaces to the Toronto Transit Commission’s Transit Control Centre. Parsons was responsible for preparing operations simulations of the whole alignment to confirm round trip times and line capacities. The team established a systems engineering process used to trace design-build specifications back to user needs; and provided technical support to the production of system wide preliminary hazard analyses. The team is responsible for providing all systems requirement inputs for the project-specific output specifications and reference designs documentation for signaling, traction power, operations and maintenance, communications and controls, and trackwork.
We provided environmental assessment management services for all LRT lines in the Program, including the Finch West LRT. The initial feasibility study and environmental assessment for the Finch West LRT was completed by Parsons under a separate contract, and 4TRANSIT assisted the client in managing this work.
4TRANSIT provided reference design and reference design management services for all project elements for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT including civil works (right-of-way, running way, stations, stops, and twin bored tunnels), maintenance and storage facilities, operational control centers, and systems. This included development of the project-specific output specifications and reference designs consistent with the project definition and delivery strategy, operating and maintenance concepts, and design criteria to be used in tendering a design-build-finance-maintain contract for a modern LRT system.
4TRANSIT mobilized a full team of construction engineers and inspectors to oversee the construction of twin tunnels for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. This work involves tunnelling using two pairs of large tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and surface works. Launch and extraction shafts located in Eglinton Avenue road allowance create major impediments to traffic, heavy vehicle traffic needing site access, temporary works and coordination of pedestrian and traffic movements are all aspects under the management of 4TRANSIT personnel. We also provide site safety specialists and public relations staff to assist Metrolinx in managing the concerns of local residents and businesses.
Part of Parsons’ role with Metrolinx is to review and assess the Pedestrian Flow Level of Service and Modelling Compliance of the successful bidder which comprises Level of Service calculations for pedestrian flow for all stations and stops along the funded portion of the Eglinton Crosstown Line, and the review of simulation modelling completed for all stations to determine compliance. Some stations included a simulation model audit, completed by Parsons, using the modelling software MassMotion, as selected by the client.
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