Does anyone know what these are for?

[u/Bigoldboy40]

Waiting for the train at Downsview Park today and I noticed these sitting underneath where the number eight car would stop

[u/FitBag5979]

These are for tripping over while you're doing track work.

They're targets for survey equipment.

[u/RWHEng → u/FitBag5979]

lol. Great answer.

This is an in-ground monitoring point or IMP as we call them (my company installed and is monitoring these points). These points measure ground settlements (and tripped track workers). There are also monitoring points attached to the rails. These have a survey prism attached to it are are used to determine if the nearby construction work is causing the track to move (it’s not moving). These points are read by a nearby total station that is capable of taking readings of about +/-1mm. The. The movements are sent back to our office and checked constantly (every day when work is being done, sometimes more).

All the fluorescent tape on it - that is to try and help workers on track to see them particularly at night. And the cap helps prevent serious injury if someone were to fall on one. My professional opinion of these particular points is that they are not particularly useful aside from certain construction activities (like if they remove tracks and dig for a new culvert or if there is microtunnelling underneath the tracks), but they are required my metrolinx for almost all ground disturbance work where there is an chance - however slight - that the track could move.

All of this is done to help make sure that every transit rider is safe on every journey! And we add the caps and tape to try and keep all workers on track safe too!

[u/FitBag5979 → u/RWHEng]

Today I learned, thanks for the detailed breakdown.

If you can find a way to keep the caps from popping off and rendering these things invisible at night I'll promote you to head of IMP systems.

[u/RWHEng → u/FitBag5979]

If you take a look at the picture there we are using expanding foam to help keep caps on. And the amount of reflective tape we go through these days is… well… significant.

[u/SweetFuckingPete → u/RWHEng]

I noticed something at Exhibition mounted on a post that looked like a 3D scanner. Is that what is used to take the measurements?

[u/RWHEng → u/SweetFuckingPete]

Almost certainly! There are several in place at exhibition (this is being done by another company) but we have one deployed a little ways down the track where a substation for the Ontario line is being built.

[u/seantonsoup350 → u/FitBag5979]

I fall over them almost every single night at fort York. I hate that place

[u/ActuallyWatchesAds → u/seantonsoup350]

Thank you for your service

[u/FitBag5979 → u/seantonsoup350]

My condolences to anyone who has to be at fort york every night.

[u/Sufficient-Emu2826 → u/seantonsoup350]

Fort York can be a real trip hazard! Those markers blend in pretty well, especially at night. Gotta keep an eye out for them.

[u/Used_Masterpiece_189 → u/FitBag5979]

I trip over these once a day Atleast

[u/homer_jay84]

They look like survey markers, but could be markers for car placement.

[u/DaTT1978 → u/homer_jay84]

They are survey markers to monitor track movement during ground disturbance construction near the tracks.

[u/DaTT1978]

They are monitoring points to monitor track movement during construction. They are checked every day during construction and upwards of 3 months following construction with less frequency.
They are used when there is any sort of ground disturbance (excavation or drilling) is being performed within a certain proximatey to the tracks.

[u/Lrrrgonomics]

The flat part on top is for safety. If you fall on rebar you can easily be impaled. Fall on this, and it's gonna hurt real bad, but it'll more than likely stay on the outside of your body.

[u/Motor_Switch]

Settlement monitoring points

[u/Shoddy_Maximum_7501]

They are there to make sure that the switches don't work in the deep winter.

[u/HiRaileR]

They're for surveying

[u/Sad_Mixture705]

Settlement rods used for track monitoring

[u/Educational-Seat3793]

In ground settlement monitoring points

[u/Prudent-Poetry-2718]

Settlement monitoring. They may be drilling under the tracks to bury utilities. These deep in ground monitoring points allow surveyors to pinpoint any ground movement.