Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited

Indeed. In this day and age to open up a new airport is just mind-bogglingly stupid.
I don't think anyone's planning to open a major international airport in Pickering in this day and age. But as the Ontario Government is working on the basis that the Greater Golden Horseshoe area will grow from a population of about 8 million now to nearly 12 million by 2031 (Places to Grow), then clearly even at current rates, air travel demand will increase. Now a lot of things may change in the next quarter-century, but holding this area in reserve for an airport at a future date doesn't seem like a bad idea. In the UK, the London Metropolitan area has a populatio of about 14 million in 2001 (and they grew from 10 million over an 80 year period from 1921!) (the metropolitan area essentially being the home counties). And they have, what, 5 airports now?

I'm not saying build it ... or even design it. But certainly Pickering Airport should be protected for the future - even if we don't need it until 2200.
 
Airport rail link back on track
December 16, 2008 07:55 AM - The long-awaited rail link from Union Station and downtown Toronto to Mississauga's Pearson International Airport has a new lease on life now that the Ontario government has ordered Metrolinx to take over planning for the project.

The Ministry of Transportation has taken the airport link file away from GO Transit and handed it to Metrolinx, the GTA-wide transit planning authority. Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion sits on the Metrolinx board of directors.

The project has been stalled for years, stuck between downtown policy planners and opposition from Weston residents living near the Georgetown GO line, who fear the increased rail traffic would split the neighbourhood.

"We're going to be meeting with the communities all along the corridor and we're going to be looking at the preliminary studies that have been done on the previous project, so we will not be starting from scratch," said Colleen Bell, the Metrolinx manager of community relations.

One advantage of the change is that Metrolinx — the provincial agency charged with integrating regional transportation — can employ a faster environmental assessment process than GO for its transit projects. A "Transit Environmental Assessment" would begin next spring and take six months, a much shorter period of time than the original process.

Mike Sullivan, chair of the Weston Community Coalition that was founded to oppose the project, still has reservations about the link.

He said Metrolinx should use electric trains instead of diesel, bury the tracks in tunnels through residential neighbourhoods and make local stops instead of running express to the airport.

Source
 
Well it's hard to trust something we have seen no actions from yet. GO already exists, and we know what they are capable of.
Also anything that has Hazel on their board, I just do not trust at all.
 
It seems like as soon as this project has pretty much disappeared from our collective memories, and for good reason, somebody comes along and resuscitates it back to life...I wish this f-ing project would just shrivel up and die a painful death. Of the hundreds, possibly even thousands of rapid transit plans tabled in this fair city of ours, this is like many others is ill-conceived and is not deserving any more attention. Thank you. ;)

p5
 
Why? Do you think that the Weson sub shouldn't have transit service, or that the airport shouldn't have rail service? With Metrolinx already planning electrified express rail to Brampton there are going to be major changes regardless. Incorporating an airport rail link with that line makes perfect sense.
 
I guess we know why it's called blue 22. It will be a blue 22 years while they go from the federal funding announcement, to opening. 6 years and counting ...
 
I guess we know why it's called blue 22. It will be a blue 22 years while they go from the federal funding announcement, to opening. 6 years and counting ...

Wether you support/agree with Blue 22 or not.....this project should be a case study on what is wrong with our infrastructure processes and why it is pure folly to believe that massive government infrastructure projects are our way out of this current economic recession.

If this recession lasts long enough to see the start of any major projects under this current system, it will be far too late.

I sometimes wonder if the whole system is set up so that governments can announce (and reannounce) feel good projects but never actually have to spend the money!

I think most agree that the Metrolinx plan is a decent plan to create a good transit plan in the region....the problem, though, is that most/all of the projects have been previously proposed/discussed/announced and yet we still do not have a decent transit infrastructure.

As you point out, this project had money allocated to it 6 years ago.......and not a bit of work has commenced......if nothing else, that should be discussed!
 
Yes and No - it is not a big thing, but you have to remember that normal recessions - the unemployment actually peaks (the economy picks up, but employment lags - more overtime - less new hires - until companies begin to really trust the recovery is for real) just after the end of the recession. Recessions last between a year and two - so the two years it typically takes to get infrastructure moving - will come close to coinciding with the peak of unemployment. It therefore could lead to a quicker recovery, but unlikely to soften the recession. Of course measuring cause and effect is more of a game of faith.
 
If you read back a couple of pages in this thread you will see a more detailed post as to why I am opposed to this Blue 22 BS, but for arguments sake I will repeat the idea of that post.

I am not at all opposed to a line between the city and the airport - I am also not opposed to the Weston area getting a transit line which would connect them to the larger transit network. What I am opposed to is this lackluster plan of running outdated trains, express between Pearson and Union. We are not at a the stage in our transit development where we can have express trains running between these two areas. What we need is to first establish a line which stops in a key areas, connects people with city and ultimately connects the city with the airport directly. Not somewhere out near the Racetrack or off-site. This train needs to run directly into the airport and a) continue to a farther destination, or b) return back to the city. It also needs to connect to as many people as possible and not limit the number of potential customers to those coming or going to the airport. You can do this kind of thing, once capacities and other infrastructures are in place and have had time to develop - not when there is nothing in place at all.

The Blue 22 plan is ill-conceived and is nothing more than a slap in our collective faces...it ultimately is telling us we don't deserve better, the people of the neighborhoods affected by the transit line don't deserve transit and finally the customers using the train don't deserve better.

W(h)ether you support/agree with Blue 22 or not.....this project should be a case study on what is wrong with our infrastructure processes
-TOareafan

I think there is a lot of truth in this comment, but it is not necessarily only our planning processes that are f--d up, but everything from planning to politics to finances combined. First, we do not have any political will to do anything great or which may make waves. Why? cause you risk losing your seat. Second, if there is political will, it comes in the form of half-assed ill conceived plans like this one.
 
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If you read back a couple of pages in this thread you will see a more detailed post as to why I am opposed to this Blue 22 bullshit, but for arguments sake I will repeat the idea of that post....

p5connex, I totally agree. However, do you mind changing one or two of your words? We did get a complaint about profane language. (Hints - BS is fine, as is "screwed up" rather than "f**ked up". "Half-assed", at least in my opinion, is totally acceptable).
 

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