Woodbridge_Heights
Senior Member
Looks like you can fit 8 tracks in that corridor.
Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited
unimaginative2
Senior Member
Though it does get narrower at some points, we can be happy that we don't have to worry too much about physical constraints in that corridor. With a modern signalling system, it can handle pretty much anything we choose to run. That's why I was so baffled by the recent high-speed rail study that said, presumably based only on a chat with some guy at Metrolinx or GO, that the Weston corridor couldn't accommodate high-speed rail.
reaperexpress
Senior Member
Although the corridor is huge south of Lawrence, there is only room for 2 tracks through downtown Brampton. I expect it was more of a capacity issue than a speed issue, although I doubt you could go much over 100mph with the corners on the line.
Anyhow, I have posted a map and explanation of my preferred track/service layout here, on the fantasy maps thread.
reaperexpress
Senior Member
Strachan Avenue Grade Separation seems to be making good progress. Pictures taken from middle deck of a Barrie Line GO train on Sunday afternoon:
MisterF
Senior Member
Yeah, that HSR study was a crock, there were so many problems with it. It predicted lower ridership than the study they did 20 years ago for gods sake. It was either designed to be shelved or the people who wrote it have never set foot outside North America.
DKsan
Active Member
Are we sure about that? In the Hurontario-LRT PIC, in the options for downtown Brampton at Brampton GO, there was some room for a future third track on the Kitchener line indicated.
dowlingm
Senior Member
The Mill Street/Railroad Street grade crossing west of Brampton Station makes me think a third track would be tricky. Possible if you shaved Railroad Street to one way only but Mill Street crossing itself would likely have to close. There's also the issue of the crossing track (from Orangeville to Streetsville?) which may also have to be depressed under the mainline (if retained at all)
Komiksulo
Active Member
Wasn't there a plan to jack up the Brampton station building and move it ten or twenty metres north? It looks like they could lay a third track on the north side then... I'm not sure there is the room on the south side, what with the bus station and all. Edit: and, looking at the overpasses further east, they seem to be ready for widening to the north. You might have to narrow or shift a one-block-long section of Nelson Street, but other than that, there seems to be room on the north side.
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ShonTron
Moderator
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There's been rumours in the past that OBRY would abandon Streetsville-Brampton and connect with CN rather than CP at Brampton (CP still owns the track and serves the customers between Streetsville Jct and Highway 401. It would eliminate what is otherwise redundant trackage to just connect with CP, but nothing came of that. Yes, long term plans would require Brampton's station building to be moved 10-20 metres to the north, but I prefer the Railroad Street 3rd track myself as well, as the new second platform could easily be modified for a third track.
I wish that the CN/CP bypass via the 407 "Greenbelt" was built, but that ship has all but sailed at this point. It would have freed up both GO's routes through Mississauga and Brampton.
I wish that the CN/CP bypass via the 407 "Greenbelt" was built, but that ship has all but sailed at this point. It would have freed up both GO's routes through Mississauga and Brampton.
unimaginative2
Senior Member
I hope that route is never completely abandoned. It would be very useful for regional rail!
Has the ship sailed? Has something happened that would make it more difficult to build? It makes a huge amount of sense as a project, since the section through downtown Brampton would be very difficult to widen sufficiently. The only problem I can see would be the loss of direct connections to some of the major industries in Brampton.
Platform 27
Active Member
If you're referring to the Brampton-Orangeville stretch, no, it probably wouldn't be particularly useful. Slow, windy track, to a small town that has far too little population to justify very limited commuter-type GO train service much less proper regional rail. In order to get Orangeville's population up to a level where you could even start contemplating a few commuter trains a day, you'd need to get it to sprawl all over the greenbelt.
I guess you could conceive of a situation where the lower Brampton-Mississauga stretch was turned over to an LRT or O-Train-type operation of some nature, but I dunno if the route really has much by way of a healthy built-in ridership.... it mostly runs through low-density sprawl, although I guess with a bit of new track at each end you could connect downtown Brampton with the newish employment lands near the 401 and Derry.
unimaginative2
Senior Member
I was mainly referring to the Brampton to Mississauga stretch. It's a great route that connects central Mississauga to Downtown Brampton, and it also serves the Meadowvale Business Park.
drum118
Superstar
Not enough room on the south side to get the 3rd track in for the new platform unless you take down that office building and narrow Railroad St to a one way street. It could be done by rebuilding a new bridge to support the 3rd track as well removing the exit to Main St.
Moving the exist station is no problem, but the area west of the station will cause problems for the existing complex. Then Mill St would have to be close at some future date.
As for CP tracks, doing a fly under is out of the question due to cost as well low traffic.
Running a GO line to Orangeville would have to come off the Milton line if a 3rd track went in at Brampton as there would be no room for a cut off from the Georgetown Line to the Orangeville line without crossing the other tracks.
drum118
Superstar
They do it over here in Europe without problems.
To service Orangeville, you run a different type of service with shorter trains. I have been on EmU's with 2 cars that carry very few riders over the 90 minute route. Even been on 2 cars DMU between Glasgow and Edinburgh Scotland as well 5 cars where service is every 15 minutes. Some of those trains are express well others are milk runs with various other service in between.
Having a GO line to Orangeville would offer better transit service to Mississauga, Meadowvale and Brampton, as well Orangeville. Would take a number of cars off the road. Can see 6 station for the line not including the Milton Line.
Platform 27
Active Member
How about a one-car, ultra-light DMU, that's nicely tailored to ridership demand, nimbly achieves lower total travel times than conventional rail traffic on the line, can stop multiple times and accelerate back to top speed quickly, and is fully compliant with federal safety regulations when operated by a crew of one?
Oh, and it has this rubber coating around its wheels, and has remarkably low capital costs that are achieved by innovatively using an existing runningway called "Highway 10".