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GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

Etobicoke councillor defends controversial rezoning next to Willowbrook railyard

Key section:

Di Ciano argued the plan to build townhomes is a good planning decision. He said townhomes will create “a more compatible land use function with the existing residential community directly across the street” and that planned lowrise commercial office blocks as part of the development would maintain a buffer.

Di Ciano said staff “completely misunderstood the nature and character” of the Willowbrook yard. He called it a “coach yard,” and not a “freight yard,” one used for less-intrusive maintenance and storage.

At the May committee meeting, a representative for Dunpar said much the same, arguing staff have a “fundamental misunderstanding of the nature and character” of the yard.

At council in June, chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat warned that approving the rezoning, allowing homes to be built too close to the yard, would leave the city vulnerable to appeals. She said expansion plans for the Willowbrook facility would mean a lot of overnight noise, including brake testing, train idling, revving of engines and bells.

“It’s our opinion in city planning that this is not good planning and that these would not be livable units,” Keesmaat said.
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Di Ciano is actually arguing that Willowbrook is fundamentally different from a CN or CP yard. I would give it to him on the fact that it wouldn't be humping, letting freight cars go at a (relatively) higher speed and clashing together. But that would be the only difference, it comes with everything else. Wheel screeching on curves, pneumatic system noises, the low frequency rumble from the MP40s, the bells, deliveries, and other general shop and yard noise.

I live near Davisville Yard, and that is a less critical yard, with lighter coaches powered by an electric third rail. I'm pretty used to it, but the noise is enough to bother you sometimes. The horns on the work trains and wheel screech are the loudest.

If council's position hinges on Di Ciano's differentiation between “coach yard” and “freight yard,” this is a frickin' weak case. I'd laugh about it, but the city (aka taxpayers) will be paying counsel to defend a decision that never should have happened.
 
DonValleyRainbow said:
Di Ciano is actually arguing that Willowbrook is fundamentally different from a CN or CP yard. I would give it to him on the fact that it wouldn't be humping, letting freight cars go at a (relatively) higher speed and clashing together. But that would be the only difference, it comes with everything else. Wheel screeching on curves, pneumatic system noises, the low frequency rumble from the MP40s, the bells, deliveries, and other general shop and yard noise.
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No humping, true. But it's the zone in the yard with the main ladder for yarding and dispatching trains. So every train coming and going passes over it, stopping to realign switches, often using bell and whistle, throttling, etc. That happens four times a day - when trains leave for the morning rush, when they return, and again for the afternoon rush. Plus, consists being moved through the servicing building pass through the area.
It's also the area where the unassigned diesels are held, often in idle, and it's where the wheel truing building is.

I lived beside the TTC's Roncy yard for four years. Streetcars are pretty quiet in idle, but they are damn noisy going round those curves. Which, again, they do all night long as they are moved in and out of the shop building for cleaning and servicing, and before dawn as they leave for the morning's runs. I marvel that we lasted that long.

- Paul
 
I was going to take a photo of the site from the GO Train the other day, but it completely slipped my mind. Anyone who supports residential development on the site is either: a) Delusional or b) Have no knowledge of the true proximity between the site and Willowbrook.

I have no idea why DiCiano's attention is even on this site since it isnt even in his ward. The more he talks supports this, the more red flags he is raising.
 
Amare said:
Anyone who supports residential development on the site is either: a) Delusional or b) Have no knowledge of the true proximity between the site and Willowbrook.
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or c) he or his family members have ties to the developer.

I have no idea why DiCiano's attention is even on this site since it isnt even in his ward.
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Because c). Though with DiCiano, a) would be just as correct.
 
I'm not sure if this fits best under Union Revitalization, GO Service, or GO Construction, but I'm going to put it here:

Metrolinx has installed Bollards at the Union Station GO Bus Terminal to prevent situations like that GO Bus that drove up onto the platform and took out a part of the roof material. A picture is on their Facebook page.
 
"Aldershot GO Station is identified in the city’s strategic plan as one of the mobility hubs where growth will occur in the coming decades."
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Anyone want to bet when the first Aldershot parking garage will be built?

Dibs on 2023, just before electrification reaches Aldershot. Not all that much into garages, but, given its strategic location at the end of Lake Ontario and directly on 403. Pulling in Cambridge/Bramalea/Waterdown/Dundas/Ancaster/West Hamilton, it would seem a garage is almost an eventual certainity...

But at the same time. It is slowly pedestrianizing at Plains-Waterdown intersection with a big bunch of sidewalk-facing non-parking storefronts showing up of a sudden (late 2015 onwards, I see over a dozen under construction). And cycle path expansion as well. Not much bikes actually parking at Aldershot yet, but it has potential to increase especially if cycle paths become contiguous all the way to GO, especially if they put bike parking at the eventual new south-west platform access.

Most of the Aldershot densification is occuring within 1km of the startion, but it isn't obvious it is actually THAT close (yet). I believe ADI (Construction) wants to attach a pedestrian access to the west end of the south Aldershot platform. This reduces pedestrian walk from Plains+Waterdown intersection to GO platform...

...to a mere 600 meters. Smack in the middle of the catchment of the Plains densification well under way there...
 
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rbt said:
I'm starting to wonder if the Barrie line will be the only RER line as it seems to be getting all the attention.
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Because they aren't currently working on double-tracking the Stouffville Line?

Dan
Toronto, Ont.
 
rbt said:
Davenport Diamond approved. It'll probably be tendered fairly soon.

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-s...s-davenport-diamond-grade-separation-project/


I'm starting to wonder if the Barrie line will be the only RER line as it seems to be getting all the attention.

Passing track, station pedestrian underpasses (recently tendered), new signalling, and now the bridge.
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The Barrie line is definitely getting a disproportionate amount of attention, but this makes perfect sense. Capacity is dictated by the lowest-capacity point on the line, so it makes more sense to build a comprehensive set of upgrades on one line than a smattering of upgrades across all the lines. The double-tracked line wouldn't be of much use if they could only get a few trains through Davenport Diamond, and the Davenport flyover wouldn't be that helpful if the line itself severely limited the number of trains that could get to the diamond in the first place.

It just so happens that the Barrie line is logistically the easiest line to upgrade, since it is fully owned by Metrolinx (unlike Milton), has minimal train traffic other than GO (unlike Kitchener), has a wide ROW that was already double-tracked in the past (unlike Stouffville), and has a straight alignment that supports competitive speeds (unlike Richmond Hill).
 
I wouldn't read anything into this announcement other than GO is getting on with this project. The Barrie line is only getting "attention" because of the need to respond to opposition to the Davenport Diamond overpass. It's otherwise proceeding in similar manner to the Stouffville line.

There's no surprise that this announcement, which will be unpopular in the Davenport area, was chosen for the depths of the summer doldrums, when the Legislature isn't sitting and government is otherwise on vacation.

The Stouffville line is also under construction. It may remain more capacity constrained, however, until GO adds a fourth track from Scarborough to Union Station. The EA for that is under way, I believe, but not finalised.

- Paul
 
smallspy said:
Because they aren't currently working on double-tracking the Stouffville Line?
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I wasn't aware. Missed that tender and I very rarely ride that line.

Looking it up, it double tracks north to Highway 407?
 
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rbt said:
I wasn't aware. Missed that tender and I very rarely ride that line.

Looking it up, it double tracks north to Highway 407?
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Grade separation is being done until north of Highway 7 and as far south as Danforth
 
BMO said:
Grade separation is being done until north of Highway 7 and as far south as Danforth
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IIRC, that makes the entire "SmartTrack" route (in GO corridor) grade-separated. Right?

The GTS Project (Georgetown Corridor) finished most grade separations to Bramalea, and the remaining ones are already planned-for.

Freed from daytime freight service and also fully grade separated, this makes this route an excellent candidate for lightweight European-style EMU trains (that deviate from classic FRA structural strength rules).

Incidentially, this is one of the only EMU routes (other than Aurora -- via Davenport Diamond) -- the primary route slated to get EMUs. Classic Bombardier BiLevels (including electric/dualmode loco driven) will exclusively ply the rest of the routes.
 
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