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Peterborough Commuter Rail
- Thread starter RedRocket191
- Start date
toraerach
Active Member
They're going to bring GO through Havelock?
That would be interesting. Are they going to build a station in Havelock to serve the one guy there who commutes to Toronto everyday?
I think more commuters in Peterborough would be interested in getting to Oshawa. I'm pretty sure the largest few employers in the city are in Oshawa. Very few I'd imagine commute all the way to Toronto.
That would be interesting. Are they going to build a station in Havelock to serve the one guy there who commutes to Toronto everyday?
I think more commuters in Peterborough would be interested in getting to Oshawa. I'm pretty sure the largest few employers in the city are in Oshawa. Very few I'd imagine commute all the way to Toronto.
RedRocket191
Senior Member
The railway line between Havelock and the Toronto Yard is called the Havelock subdivision. All the proposals have been between North Toronto and Peterborough.
ShonTron
Moderator
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The daily RDC VIA train that ran until the Mulroney cuts in 1990 actually ran all the way to Havelock, stopping in Locust Hill, Myrtle, Pontypool, Peterbrough and Norwood.
I have an old VIA schedule somewhere here - let me have a look.
I have an old VIA schedule somewhere here - let me have a look.
toraerach
Active Member
It's kind of scary to think though that Peterborough County might turn into the next big suburb development - where would all the cottagers go?
unimaginative2
Senior Member
It doesn't sound like Metrolinx will be handling it. VIA seems to think they'll be operating the line. Maybe Metrolinx will administer some of the track repair? VIA's a far better operator for this kind of route. GO bilevels would be pretty miserable for a trip that far out.
That Harper Road location is pretty terrible if it's the only station in the city. It couldn't possibly be farther from Trent, which would probably be one of the main sources of ridership.
That Harper Road location is pretty terrible if it's the only station in the city. It couldn't possibly be farther from Trent, which would probably be one of the main sources of ridership.
RedRocket191
Senior Member
In all honesty, dumping it on Metrolinx seems like a move the conservatives would make. I wouldn't want to spend any more than an hour on a bilevel, but in the end, VIA could run it and GO could market it. That's not unreasonable.
unimaginative2
Senior Member
Maybe they're talking about some kind of fare integration. That would be an excellent idea. You can already use your commuter pass on GO and VIA trains.
toraerach
Active Member
Maybe the Conservatives are trying to reinforce that it was their government that may a rail link possible. I mean, when I first saw it was being planned for Harper Road I laughed a bit, then I felt kind of sick when I realized that's something the Conservatives would do
.I guess that it's kind of close to Fleming College, but for a student to get to it from Trent's main campus without a change in busing, it would take approximately an hour +. From downtown, around 30-40 minutes.
Whoever's running the service, I hope it's more affordable than a greyhound ticket (~$30 return for a student). If GO did operate it, they should investigate smaller trains for the route. I would rather have the link in provincial hands than in federal.
Overall, this budget screwed Ontario over big time. Is there any transit money going out East, or were they shut out too?
MisterF
Senior Member
^Actually the Harper Rd location was set by the city. It's been in Peterborough's official plan for years.
299 bloor call control.
Senior Member
Peterborough awarded high-speed rail
Toronto transit officials upset, surprised as budget promises service to city of 80,000
Feb 28, 2008 04:30 AM
Tess Kalinowski
Isabel Teotonio
staff reporters
At least 900 Durham and Peterborough-area commuters are about to get the kind of rail service to Union Station that would make thousands of transit-hungry GTA commuters cry with envy.
But how did a city of 80,000 receive unspecified millions in federal funding in Tuesday's budget to restore a high-speed link that VIA abandoned in 1990 after federal budget cuts?
Some observers note the line will run through or near the ridings of several Conservative MPs, including the Whitby-Oshawa riding of federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.
"I've been saying for so long it's time they started paying attention to Durham. If it means it's because we have some Conservative MPs we're getting this, I say, `Thank God,'" responded Durham Region chair Roger Anderson.
But in Toronto, reaction among transit officials was surprise, with some underlying disappointment that there wasn't more in the budget for the projects outlined last June in the province's $18 billion MoveOntario 2020 plan.
There are no details about the rail link in the budget, which was mentioned in Flaherty's speech as part of a $500 million package for public transit. It's expected to cost about $150 million to restore the rail bed and tracks to Peterborough, based on a CP estimate, plus the cost of a new station and equipment.
Nine hundred riders is the minimum number who would be served by the Peterborough link, according to Dean Del Mastro, Peterborough's rookie MP, who is being credited locally for the strong push that got Flaherty's support.
"The GTA should be absolutely celebrating this. It's a great news story for everyone, right from Peterborough, right through the Durham Region, right through downtown Toronto," he said.
He contends the train could take 500,000 cars a year off the road between Peterborough and Toronto. Based on GO's prices, he suggests a monthly pass for the 60- to 90-minute trip would cost about $500.
"Rail transit is environmentally friendly," Flaherty said yesterday when questioned about the utility of the Peterborough-Toronto link.
"This is an existing railway that is not being used for commuter traffic," he added. "This is the way to go."
But no one, from the rail companies to Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley, had details on exactly how the Peterborough train would operate.
GO, which says Peterborough is outside its service area, had no plans to offer Peterborough service even though a new GO service to Barrie was introduced in December.
"Every business case for a new station is unique," said spokesperson Stephanie Sorensen. "GO evaluates various factors, including existing ridership on the corridor, size of community, expected growth of community, cost, success of bus service in that area, and GO's long-term plans. Other levels of government also play a critical role – municipal, provincial and federal."
Metrolinx, the Toronto region's transportation planning agency, has been waiting for some kind of federal funding, said chair Rob MacIsaac. It has asked Ottawa to use the federal surplus to support transit but was referred to a fund that he says is insufficient.
Metrolinx will look for ways to connect its system to the Peterborough line but, "This is not our preferred approach to transportation. We think you need to invest in systems rather than projects," he said.
CP, which owns the track and operates GO's Milton line, hasn't even figured out how the train headed north out of Union Station will make the switch to an eastbound track, south of Lawrence Ave. near the Don Valley, said spokesperson Michel Spenard. The two aren't linked.
Back before the old Peterborough run was eliminated, it stopped in places like Cavan, Dranoel, Manvers, Pontypool, Burketon, Myrtle, Dagmar and Claremont, as well as stations within the GTA such as Locust Hill, Agincourt and Leaside.
Spenard couldn't say where the new train might stop or how often it would run. "The furthest I could go is, "We're reviewing the budget and we're looking at what kind of effect this would have on our operations."
VIA spokesperson Catherine Kaloutsky said, "What this means to us at this point at time I can't say."
Toronto transit officials upset, surprised as budget promises service to city of 80,000
Feb 28, 2008 04:30 AM
Tess Kalinowski
Isabel Teotonio
staff reporters
At least 900 Durham and Peterborough-area commuters are about to get the kind of rail service to Union Station that would make thousands of transit-hungry GTA commuters cry with envy.
But how did a city of 80,000 receive unspecified millions in federal funding in Tuesday's budget to restore a high-speed link that VIA abandoned in 1990 after federal budget cuts?
Some observers note the line will run through or near the ridings of several Conservative MPs, including the Whitby-Oshawa riding of federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.
"I've been saying for so long it's time they started paying attention to Durham. If it means it's because we have some Conservative MPs we're getting this, I say, `Thank God,'" responded Durham Region chair Roger Anderson.
But in Toronto, reaction among transit officials was surprise, with some underlying disappointment that there wasn't more in the budget for the projects outlined last June in the province's $18 billion MoveOntario 2020 plan.
There are no details about the rail link in the budget, which was mentioned in Flaherty's speech as part of a $500 million package for public transit. It's expected to cost about $150 million to restore the rail bed and tracks to Peterborough, based on a CP estimate, plus the cost of a new station and equipment.
Nine hundred riders is the minimum number who would be served by the Peterborough link, according to Dean Del Mastro, Peterborough's rookie MP, who is being credited locally for the strong push that got Flaherty's support.
"The GTA should be absolutely celebrating this. It's a great news story for everyone, right from Peterborough, right through the Durham Region, right through downtown Toronto," he said.
He contends the train could take 500,000 cars a year off the road between Peterborough and Toronto. Based on GO's prices, he suggests a monthly pass for the 60- to 90-minute trip would cost about $500.
"Rail transit is environmentally friendly," Flaherty said yesterday when questioned about the utility of the Peterborough-Toronto link.
"This is an existing railway that is not being used for commuter traffic," he added. "This is the way to go."
But no one, from the rail companies to Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley, had details on exactly how the Peterborough train would operate.
GO, which says Peterborough is outside its service area, had no plans to offer Peterborough service even though a new GO service to Barrie was introduced in December.
"Every business case for a new station is unique," said spokesperson Stephanie Sorensen. "GO evaluates various factors, including existing ridership on the corridor, size of community, expected growth of community, cost, success of bus service in that area, and GO's long-term plans. Other levels of government also play a critical role – municipal, provincial and federal."
Metrolinx, the Toronto region's transportation planning agency, has been waiting for some kind of federal funding, said chair Rob MacIsaac. It has asked Ottawa to use the federal surplus to support transit but was referred to a fund that he says is insufficient.
Metrolinx will look for ways to connect its system to the Peterborough line but, "This is not our preferred approach to transportation. We think you need to invest in systems rather than projects," he said.
CP, which owns the track and operates GO's Milton line, hasn't even figured out how the train headed north out of Union Station will make the switch to an eastbound track, south of Lawrence Ave. near the Don Valley, said spokesperson Michel Spenard. The two aren't linked.
Back before the old Peterborough run was eliminated, it stopped in places like Cavan, Dranoel, Manvers, Pontypool, Burketon, Myrtle, Dagmar and Claremont, as well as stations within the GTA such as Locust Hill, Agincourt and Leaside.
Spenard couldn't say where the new train might stop or how often it would run. "The furthest I could go is, "We're reviewing the budget and we're looking at what kind of effect this would have on our operations."
VIA spokesperson Catherine Kaloutsky said, "What this means to us at this point at time I can't say."
299 bloor call control.
Senior Member
My comment with posting this on Facebook:
Markham
New Member
Looking at the track route to Peterborough, I am hoping there will be a GO station in the Markham East area (Boxgrove). This would also be beneficial for North East Durham as well.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
I wonder if there are any ways to block the proposal just to spite Flaherty and his arsine "transit funding" rationale.
AoD
AoD
Allandale25
Senior Member
Route
I have a question.
In the article, it says: "CP, which owns the track and operates GO's Milton line, hasn't even figured out how the train headed north out of Union Station will make the switch to an eastbound track, south of Lawrence Ave. near the Don Valley, said spokesperson Michel Spenard. The two aren't linked."
What does that mean? When I saw the CP holiday train this winter, they backed the train up the Don Valley and across the bridge over the Don River (there was a picture the next day in the Toronto Star). Are they saying that track is not connected to the CP main line? Wouldn't there be a connection near at the Millwood Road bridge over the CP tracks? How else would they have got the holiday train to other parts of the country if there was no connection?
Did they remove the tracks from the days when there was service to Peterborough which ended in 1990?
I have a question.
In the article, it says: "CP, which owns the track and operates GO's Milton line, hasn't even figured out how the train headed north out of Union Station will make the switch to an eastbound track, south of Lawrence Ave. near the Don Valley, said spokesperson Michel Spenard. The two aren't linked."
What does that mean? When I saw the CP holiday train this winter, they backed the train up the Don Valley and across the bridge over the Don River (there was a picture the next day in the Toronto Star). Are they saying that track is not connected to the CP main line? Wouldn't there be a connection near at the Millwood Road bridge over the CP tracks? How else would they have got the holiday train to other parts of the country if there was no connection?
Did they remove the tracks from the days when there was service to Peterborough which ended in 1990?