They are adding an additional track between James North and Aldershot from my understanding. All part of the huge amount of work going into GO in Hamilton right now.. something like 200 million including the new stations, tracks, yards, etc.
Yes, there is indeed a huge amount of work occuring between Aldershot and Grimsby. There are 4 concurrent Metrolinx-funded construction sites in Hamilton as we speak. Three of them are photographed in my
GO Part #1: Major GO Construction for Hamilton. The fourth is the Hamilton Rail Junction Expansion.
Given a lot of these construction sites are the ones mentioned in the 2011 Niagara extension studies (with the exception of the Hamilton Rail Junction, which is surp.risingly an "above-and-beyond" element), I think we're going to see some big Niagara announcement within months.
I believe a lot of these construction, while also helping Hamilton (but Hamilton alone is not enough to justify the lavish spending yet) -- is to help support the upcoming (unannounced) Niagara GO service between Hamilton and StCat/Niagara Falls. The region is already funding 1/3rd of the improvements necessary (see "
Niagara Smashes Through Barriers To GO Rail Expansion" and many other articles that were published in the region in the last few months)
I've written about the Niagara seasonal GO train stopping in Hamilton in
GO Part #2. Alas, this won't happen in 2016 with my current sources, but I will make a very confident prediction (90%+ confidence) that the
Niagara seasonal GO train will finally stop by spring 2017 at West Harbour beginning the 2017 season.
This is because the construction completion dates of all possible potential prerequisites (Hamilton Rail Junction, extra track to West Harbour, the West Harbour 2nd platform, the through-track, the Centennial Parkway 4-track bridge pair for Stoney Creek GO, Lewis Layover Facility, etc.) all complete by end of 2016 based on all the information sources I have. The key requirement will be the through-track at West Harbour GO, which Metrolinx quoted for my article will complete during 2016 as part of West Harbour GO construction phase. (Obviously, this is not an official confirm Niagara trains will stop at West Harbour. But bank on it, they will stop when they are /able/ to enter WH GO!)
Try to find a single sentence on the GO/ML websites that mentions the work going on at Bayview. Cost ? Timeline?
I am writing a Part #3 article for RTH, and for this, I asked Anne-Marie Aikens about the Hamilton Rail Junction expansion. Yep, it's Metrolinx funded.
I can definitively confirm, it's a Metrolinx funded project (even if being done by CN for them).
Was not able to get any confirms regarding Niagara or AD2W, but I got that confirm on the Junction.
.....Also, mathematically, once this is all said and done West Harbour GO becomes the only Hamilton GO station capable of sustaining all-day 2-way service for Hamilton, Ontario. In Theory. Freight conflicts are dramatically reduced with the Rail Junction expansion & third track.
Officially Metrolinx says all-day GO service goes to Downtown GO by the mid 2020s. However, the money trail appears to put all-day service at West Harbour GO at this time, contrary to whatever Wynne or Steven Del Duca is saying. In fact, even 2016 Metrolinx documents still keeps the door open for AD2W at West Harbour GO (e.g. In one of the RER Business Case appendixes, that a Hamilton electrification study may happen and that it may have catenary go to West Harbour instead). This may change, if construction suddenly starts occuring on the CP/Hamilton GO side of things.
