GO Construction Projects

[trudeau1982]

What's the projected opening date for service to the Barrie Allandale station? Sometime in 2012 I assume?

[Vaucluse]

Can anyone tell me why the GO train platforms are so low? I have been at quite a few train stations in Europe from large cities to small stops and most have platforms at the same height as the carriages' floor. From what I've seen most of the stops that are low height are in the process of being rebuilt higher. My only GO construction observation is at the Malton station that was recently expanded and I was a little surprised that the platform level wasn't changed. Will Union have the same low platform height after the reconstruction? What's the deal?

[EnviroTO]

North American loading gauges rule out platforms at carriage height without a significant gap where freight traffic isn't blocked. In addition the doors on the GO bi-levels are lower than the standard height so if platforms were built to standard height like Montreal or Quebec City they would need to get new coaches.

[Vaucluse]

Ok fair enough. So because freight carriages are using the same rails then the platforms have to be sacrificed. I'll buy that reason for the suburban stations where we would see freight traffic, even though I've seen freight trains pass through stations at speed in Europe... but their carriages are smaller and their tracks are in better shape, etc.
What about Union Station? There is no freight traffic there anymore, is the current hieght just a carry-over from the time that Union was built?
As for the GO cars, that was a design choice from the early '80s that i guess we're stuck with for eternity. However could the platform not be brought up to the height of the last step in the carriage, the one at the door bottom height and not the "flip out" one, its only about 20-30cm higher than current. I know that there is always money issues but I'm wondering if there was a real good technical reason why now that we are in a system expansion phase that it's not being considered.

[EnviroTO]

They still permit freight in the Union rail corridor. They do bring the platform up to the same height as the GO floor on the accessible car but they need to have someone put out a ramp to cross the gap. On occasion you will still see a CN locomotive go through the shed although I have yet to see freight not use the southern most tracks outside the shed. Still, if they were to prohibit freight in the shed completely, they would still have a large gap due to the stair that exists on all the cars to allow access to other suburban platforms needing remedy. What ever is implemented needs to be implemented in all cars and all stops. Every station serving the airport rail train will require a high platform no exceptions and presumably they have something in place to close the gap.

[RedRocket191]

Freight trains are not permitted under the shed unless they get the approvals from the highest officials at USRC / TTR. The circumstances that would trigger this would probably never happen.

[EnviroTO]

The new Etobicoke North Station lands are being clear on the east side of Islington Ave at 401, next to MOE.

Everything I have read suggests the Etobicoke North Station is moving slightly west of its current location so that it is almost wholly on the west side of Kipling. I haven't read anything to suggest a completely new location east of its current one.

[smallspy]

Freight trains are not permitted under the shed unless they get the approvals from the highest officials at USRC / TTR. The circumstances that would trigger this would probably never happen.

It actually happens not completely infrequently, such as when work is being done on parts of the rail corridor that require closing the "High Line".

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

[mpd618]

North American loading gauges rule out platforms at carriage height without a significant gap where freight traffic isn't blocked.

I'm not sure I understand this. Is the idea that the envelope which freight trains are permitted to take up includes space which a high platform would occupy?

[Long Island Mike]

VC and ETO: I believe the GO Transit system went with low-level platforms from the beginning in 1967
because there were no high-level platforms in the Toronto area especially at Union Station...

Yes-I believe CN and CP would have been against building high-level platforms on GO's
rail routes because of clearances between freight cars and the platforms themselves...
Some would have required parallel "Gauntlet" tracks to be constructed for that reason...

The original GO Transit single level cars were designed when GO was a late 60s era "Experiment"
and then GO committed to low-level platforms when in the late 70s their
bi-level car was designed...

The platforms in Union Station are very low-enough in which GO Transit during the 80s
increased the platform heights in their section for tracks that they control 7 inches...
I do not know if any VIA Rail-controlled platform areas were raised higher...

A way to spot the increased platform height is when you are on the platform edge the
added height concrete is at an angle over the old platform in which the edge is vertically
straight up...I recall in places it was easily visible...

I felt myself that perhaps some high-level platforms would be practical at TUS and at
VIA's stations at Guildwood and Kingston on the Toronto-Montreal Corridor Line for starters...
but they are not absolutely necessary as of yet...

LI MIKE

[EnviroTO]

I'm not sure I understand this. Is the idea that the envelope which freight trains are permitted to take up includes space which a high platform would occupy?

Yes, the envelope that freight cars are built to plus the required clearances on main line or branch line speeds would put the platforms in the space they are not allowed to occupy without a significant gap. To avoid this conflict, gauntlet tracks or a siding track for the platforms would need to be built at considerable expense, some gap traversing measure like deploy-able ramps added to trains or extendable platforms, or freight trains and possibly even passenger trains running at full track speed would need to be kept off all the tracks with high platforms.

[drum118]

Everything I have read suggests the Etobicoke North Station is moving slightly west of its current location so that it is almost wholly on the west side of Kipling. I haven't read anything to suggest a completely new location east of its current one.

Dec 25
You maybe right as I have not been following this section, as I have no time to follow it.

Based on what taking place on the east side of Islington, I assumed this could be the station area.

They are cutting all the bushes and trees on the north side of the track east of Weston Rd.

It looks like they have or about to pour the concrete deck over Lawrence Ave. The first section of the new platform for the new station is being built and high above grade.

Work is still proceeding on Dension underpass.

[GTS]

An article in today's Toronto Star is something I have hoped for since moving here to Ontario in 2002. I lived in a mid-sized city here for a couple of years in this province for a job since arriving here. I used to come to TO by Coach bus (as their was no GO service to the city I living in). The Coach Canada bus used to arrive in TO at the terminal near Bay and Dundas. I wasn't that familiar with TO at the time but didn't find it very convenient to get on the TTC system after getting off my inter-city bus. It isn't a problem now that I know the city but I always try to look at our transit system through the eyes of someone new to the city or visiting. Ever since moving here I have wanted the Coach Canada Terminal moved down near Union Station to make things a bit easier for travellers and commuters.

The reason that I mention this story: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...ts-lustre?bn=1 on a GO thread is because Metrolinx is considering combining the planned new GO bus terminal with the Coach Canada terminal down near Union Station and the ACC. All I can say is I am so in favour of combining a lot of transit options in one convenient area (Union Station) that has much rail, subway, streetcar, city bus and many regional bus carriers in the future.

Another good thing about having the many inter-city buses near Union Station and all the transit options I mentioned there is that the inter-city buses have much better access to the Gardiner and our highway system being so close to the on-ramps there. Metrolinx is putting out some good ideas for us users of transit here- hopefully this plan gets approved and funded.

[drum118]

An article in today's Toronto Star is something I have hoped for since moving here to Ontario in 2002. I lived in a mid-sized city here for a couple of years in this province for a job since arriving here. I used to come to TO by Coach bus (as their was no GO service to the city I living in). The Coach Canada bus used to arrive in TO at the terminal near Bay and Dundas. I wasn't that familiar with TO at the time but didn't find it very convenient to get on the TTC system after getting off my inter-city bus. It isn't a problem now that I know the city but I always try to look at our transit system through the eyes of someone new to the city or visiting. Ever since moving here I have wanted the Coach Canada Terminal moved down near Union Station to make things a bit easier for travellers and commuters.

The reason that I mention this story: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...ts-lustre?bn=1 on a GO thread is because Metrolinx is considering combining the planned new GO bus terminal with the Coach Canada terminal down near Union Station and the ACC. All I can say is I am so in favour of combining a lot of transit options in one convenient area (Union Station) that has much rail, subway, streetcar, city bus and many regional bus carriers in the future.

Another good thing about having the many inter-city buses near Union Station and all the transit options I mentioned there is that the inter-city buses have much better access to the Gardiner and our highway system being so close to the on-ramps there. Metrolinx is putting out some good ideas for us users of transit here- hopefully this plan gets approved and funded.

Metrolinx was looking at the Harbour St site as a good large station, but with the plan development for that site now, that out of the picture.

This only leaves 45 Bay as a site that is next to the station as well GO terminal. Since there is no rush by the owner of the site to build the plan office towers, cannot see a bus terminal there by 2015 unless the lower levels are built first for the main tower that will be cap at the top of the terminal until the building is to be built.

It will be a bitch getting buses in and out of that location. Even Harbour St had the same issue.

The Oakville garage shafts are all completed with one receiving stair landings and stairs.



Bronte 2nd phase parking lot is now open, but saw no workers on site as I was heading westbound.



The bridge work at Burlington is to be completed by Spring 2012, up from fall 2011. Window frames in place and boarding up the sides to the stairs since no windows plan for them. Roofing still been worked on.

[GTS]

Thanks for all the pics drum 118. I have lived in Ontario almost ten years now and I have watched GO grow quite a lot since I arrived in this province. My wife and I have 2 children and my wife has a child from a previous relationship, so with work and family I don't have a lot of time to check on GO's growth so I appreciate your updates.

GO really seems to have gone into high gear recently with all the projects and such all over. Near my wife's work they are grade-separating the GO Stouffville line at the Agincourt GO Station at Sheppard. Great to see this happening- this will help the bus traffic as well as all traffic on Sheppard as well as the trains on this route. Increases efficiency at the same time as increasing safety. I hope Metrolinx find the funds to grade separate this Stouffville line at Finch, Steeles (part of York Region as well), Progress and Danforth Rd. also. These streets as well as some others along this line presently cross at-grade and have city buses that use these roads. I wouldn't protest our govenment funding projects that grade-separate more of commuter rail lines from our traffic routes- especially those with public transit (buses) on them.

GO also has a project in Pickering- a pedestrian bridge from Pickering Town Station, on the north side of the 401 to the Pickering GO station on the south side of the 401. Their are many other projects, but, like I said I don't have a lot of time off to see them all.

Over Christmas and New Years I had a bit of time off and I took my older child, who is walking, over to see the 'Diamond' Grade separation. Couldn't see too much of this project because it seems their isn't a street that is being separated from rail traffic- I think it is just a freight rail corridor being separated from a commuter rail corridor. This too will help improve the safety and efficiency of commuter rail (freight rail as well!).

I think rail is going to be so much more important in our future and it is good to see Ontario investing in this infrastructure in many different ways.