GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[andrewpmk]

My guess is that if the Bowmanville extension gets built then GO will use both stations. Given that the Bowmanville extension runs on CP track, it will be rush hour only and most trains will continue to terminate at Oshawa GO.

 

[vegeta_skyline]

As far as I know there was never any plan to simply abandon the current Oshawa station once the Bowmanville extension was completed. In the future not every train will be routed through the new corridor. Some will be short turned at Oshawa in the same way as some are short turned at Pickering or Oakville today. And indeed that station would still have use for those who drive in from the periphery of Oshawa, while the downtown station would be more transit orientated.

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

As far as I know there was never any plan to simply abandon the current Oshawa station once the Bowmanville extension was completed.

My understanding was from the Bowmanville extension TPAP.

 

[vegeta_skyline]

My understanding was from the Bowmanville extension TPAP.

Certainly stand corrected on the "never any plan" part. But last I heard(this year) is that they'll be using the station post expansion. Now maybe that's not indefinite. But not sure why they would bother with sharing expenses for the renovation if they weren't going to be there long term.

Added*
It also makes sense from a logistical perspective. I don't expect that every rush hour train will continue on to Bowmanville, probably about half will. The rest would short turn at Oshawa to provide reverse peak capacity. Trains going all the way to Bowmanville won't be reversing back to Toronto and would instead layover there for the night. Turning a train around takes a bit of time and is largely done either off the mainline entirely or at an end of the line station on the mainline and very rarely on the mainline itself where a train would be blocking a mainline track. For this purpose a future stub ended Oshawa station makes sense. While the section at Oshawa in those plans show two tracks, the section proceeding it shows only one usable track for GO service. While there appears to be a crossover to the north track in that section, the north track would not be usable for GO services as there is no platform at the new Oshawa station to service it. Having a single track during the busy rush hour period near to a turnaround station is a very flawed plan. Note that those documents are almost 5 years old now, I imagine that the plans have changed somewhat since then.

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Certainly stand corrected on the "never any plan" part. But last I heard(this year) is that they'll be using the station post expansion. Now maybe that's not indefinite. But not sure why they would bother with sharing expenses for the renovation if they weren't going to be there long term.

Added*
It also makes sense from a logistical perspective. I don't expect that every rush hour train will continue on to Bowmanville, probably about half will. The rest would short turn at Oshawa to provide reverse peak capacity. Trains going all the way to Bowmanville won't be reversing back to Toronto and would instead layover there for the night. Turning a train around takes a bit of time and is largely done either off the mainline entirely or at an end of the line station on the mainline and very rarely on the mainline itself where a train would be blocking a mainline track. For this purpose a future stub ended Oshawa station makes sense. While the section at Oshawa in those plans show two tracks, the section proceeding it shows only one usable track for GO service. While there appears to be a crossover to the north track in that section, the north track would not be usable for GO services as there is no platform at the new Oshawa station to service it. Having a single track during the busy rush hour period near to a turnaround station is a very flawed plan. Note that those documents are almost 5 years old now, I imagine that the plans have changed somewhat since then.

So it will indeed be like Lakeshore West; some trains to/from Hamilton, some from West Harbour and beyond.

I've also always been of the opinion that they should forget the bridge altogether. The Big Move calls for a new GO line on the Belleville sub, up to Seaton (Brock @ Taunton). My rationale is: keep going. This opens up opportunities to open stations in north Ajax and central Whitby, on top of achieving the extension to Bowmanville. The savings from not constructing the bridge is probably much less than the property requirements and track work required to do that, but I've always felt it made much more sense than having two spurs on LSE.

 

[crs1026]

The current station is not that old, and was likely built where it is with the assurance that GO was going no further ( it is right in the way of the GO line, which dead ends there). So if GO intends to expand, it's likely that GO would have to build VIA a new station at GO's expense. Making the new station a joint facility just makes good use of money that GO will have to spend anyways, And maybe VIA threw in some federal money, so it's a win for GO.

I hope that GO will use this opportunity to pursue the 'town square' type of development for the station, rather than replicating the "boring building in a barren wasteland of parking lots' style of station design.

- Paul

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

I hope that GO will use this opportunity to pursue the 'town square' type of development for the station, rather than replicating the "boring building in a barren wasteland of parking lots' style of station design.

Don't get your hopes up. The entire area around Oshawa GO is zoned industrial and commercial. No incentive or allowance for transit-oriented development.

 

[robmausser]

My guess is that if the Bowmanville extension gets built then GO will use both stations. Given that the Bowmanville extension runs on CP track, it will be rush hour only and most trains will continue to terminate at Oshawa GO.

It will not use CP track, it will use new Metrolinx track in the CP corridor, like the situation already is with GO dedicated lines next to CN from Pickering to Oshawa.

 

[andrewpmk]

Is there enough room to put two additional tracks along the whole length between Oshawa and Bowmanville?

I would have thought it would still make sense to keep Oshawa GO open, for parking capacity reasons and for VIA if nothing else.

 

[robmausser]

Is there enough room to put two additional tracks along the whole length between Oshawa and Bowmanville?

I would have thought it would still make sense to keep Oshawa GO open, for parking capacity reasons and for VIA if nothing else.

There is enough room to put two tracks next to the entire CP mainline through the GTA

 

[smallspy]

The current station is not that old, and was likely built where it is with the assurance that GO was going no further ( it is right in the way of the GO line, which dead ends there). So if GO intends to expand, it's likely that GO would have to build VIA a new station at GO's expense. Making the new station a joint facility just makes good use of money that GO will have to spend anyways, And maybe VIA threw in some federal money, so it's a win for GO.

I hope that GO will use this opportunity to pursue the 'town square' type of development for the station, rather than replicating the "boring building in a barren wasteland of parking lots' style of station design.

- Paul

The current facility was built around 1965, and really hasn't had any major work done to it since then. It also predates GO train service to Oshawa by almost 30 years.

The original plans for GO's extension eastward involved demolishing the station structure and building a new one a hundred feet north, to allow for the GO Sub to be extended first east and then northwards via the CPR's spur into the GM plant. This plan however was done without a proper EA and predates the most recent EA one by 20+ years.

As for VIA, I doubt that they are pitching in much towards the work - GO purchased the building from them in the past year, remember?

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[crs1026]

The current facility was built around 1965, and really hasn't had any major work done to it since then.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

Dan - there were modifications in the 90s that were pretty substantial - that spire hasnt always been there. I had understood that the 90s work replaced everything from the ground up, but I may be wrong on that.

In any event, I bet GO wants to remind VIA about this plan, considering funding was approved:
http://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/3463454-new-via-rail-station-to-be-built-in-oshawa/

- Paul

 

[drum118]

Aug 20
More cars on Burlington GO Station site, but looks the same as it did 5 weeks ago.

10% of the south parking lot tore up and ready for paving starting on the west by the Bus Terminal

The Paradigm site will have crane up before the west entrance is open, 3 cranes up and the buildings at grade before the full use to the station takes place in 2016

Bronte South Parking Lot Expansion is open and in service.

Steel going up for the new canopy.

Bronte

 

[andrewpmk]

There is enough room to put two tracks next to the entire CP mainline through the GTA

I doubt if there is any room to add more tracks in Streetsville.

 

[drum118]

I doubt if there is any room to add more tracks in Streetsville.

There is only a 2 block area that is tight, otherwise 4 tracks 100%