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Four bidders and $13B is the infrastructure costs. You can probably assume $1B+ per year in operating costs (ignoring fare revenues). I'd also be surprised if they'd evaluate the bids so quickly, knowing government in general. I'd be guessing 2-2.5 years for everything, which gives a timeline...

Yes, I was mostly referring to the RER segment that doesn't extend into the CN territory. Since the Freight Bypass was cancelled in April's budget, the only way you electrify all the way to Kitchener is using some battery technology to bridge that section. I am very skeptical about it myself...

Laundry list of random replies: 1) RER bid teams - https://www.infrastructureontario.ca/Prequalified-Teams-Selected-RER-GO-Regional-Express-Rail-Corridor/ 2) TC should be in process to accept Alternative FRA compliance by end of next year, hopefully sooner. 3) RER timelines will be decided by...

You occasionally get a 20- to 24-car GO train when there is an issue with the locomotive on the lesser traveled lines (e.g. Richmond Hill). Currently they unload half the train, reposition, and then unload the second half before heading to the Don Yard to rebuild.

That is a LRV, so it’s not FRA-compliant for crashworthiness. A “bilevel solution” probably is talking to the fact that GO Transit has a sizeable fleet of existing rolling stock, which would be a waste just to divest for all bright, new, shiny toys. Expansion of the fleet should all be based...

The initial UPX fleet of 18 cars was an add-on to California’s SMART order in order to meet the PanAm Games timeline. The NS trains in Japan are not FRA compliant. If trains aren’t already in production, a small order comes with a big price tag per vehicle. Also, the UPX fleet is convertible...

They tried this in London and Hamburg, and found it to be a maintenance nightmare. From a trainset perspective, you have twice as many electrical components to maintain, and a problem in either set keeps the train out of operation. Both eventually converted to overhead-only. The Sheppard East...

Metrolinx is looking at twinning the remaining 17 miles of the Bala subdivision to allow up to 10-minute headways. This would create 10K pph of capacity, which could divert some traffic away from Yonge (higher cost of $198.65 vs $128.50 monthly, but faster and more comfortable trip). That...

I'd feel better about this project if they bought the subdivision and gave CP freight rights. The original alignment (going into Union) was only going to generate 760 passengers per each peak direction train (2 AM-peak, 2 PM-peak) by 2031. The demand forecasts actually predict a decline in...

Renos are now going to happen from the west working east to give them time to decide what to do with the section west of Jarvis. Regardless of what happens to the east end, the majority of the Gardiner will remain.

The Milton trains are packed by the time they get to Kipling, so anyone going to the west side of Toronto would be more comfortable taking the TTC for the remainder of their trip. (Electrification Study, Appendix 3, Figure 12) That said, Miway (Presto) and Grand River (cash + POP/Presto)...

This is like saying the Federal Conservatives are fiscally irresponsible because they have been running record deficits. McGuinty did make several mistakes, but the overall economic woes have been much more driven by Alberta and the global recession. Alberta because Canada now is a...

Yes, I'm out on the tracks at least one day a week. I completely agree that at stations and the surrounding 1-2km, the locomotive acceleration noise dominates. My initial point (probably unclearly made) was that over the course of the corridor these areas are the exception, not the rule...

I'm really tired of people that confuse anecdotes with data. Yes, continuous welded rail does reduce the interface noise, but that is not the only consideration to it. For example, train wheels develop flat spots while sitting idle, they undergo periodic wheel-truing, but having only one...

From the 2012 Feasibility Study, the corridor is at-capacity. New signalling blocks and the third track from Guildwood Station to Durham Junction will allow an extra 12.3 westbound trains per hour, and 7.66 eastbound trains per hour. Also included in the package is Preliminary Design for a...

The option to divert the Kitchener/Milton/Barrie to Bathurst North Yard is substantially cheaper (half a billion or so), and thus more likely to be built first. So there is still a possibility for something spectacular. However, I don't think Toronto lacks for visionaries, only that such...

One thing that's often overlooked in the speed limit debate is that the 400-series highways have a design speed of 130 kph based on 1960s level of technology. Since then we've had ABS, power steering, disc brakes, daytime running lights, seat belt laws, and much better tires. In general...

I lived and worked in the UK as well. They have stricter noise emission regulations there. The UPE DMUs will be Tier 4 Engines, so they are really quiet and product about a quarter of the NOx emissions of existing locomotives. Also as new GO locomotives join the fleet, they've upgraded the...

The chain-link vegetation walls are great if you have room to spare, which the Weston subdivision does not have. It's would be akin to suggesting removing a lane either direction from the 401 or DVP in order to have a more natural looking barrier. If all the adjacent property owners were to...

Hume really butchers this story. First, there hasn't been a decision NOT to electrify the system. In fact, there is an EA process currently going on to do just that starting with the Union-Pearson Express. Diesel service is just a stopgap measure to have it in place for the PanAm Games...