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GO Train to Return to Barrie

Coruscanti Cognoscente said:
Why is it so unlikely to relay track? I can't imagine relaying track on an old route could possibly cost that much money, given that the ROW is still there. It's just a bunch of wood and a bit of steel.
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Little late to this discussion but anyways...

Unfortunate the ROW is not completely intacted anymore as many plots north east of Barrie have been bought and built on. Million dollar homes now sit on top of the old ROW. Within the city itself there are several condo developments under constructed/purposed along the waterfront where the ROW was just north of Allendale station.

Also the Downtown Barrie waterfront has been completely reconfigured, I don't think the city would approve of a railway running through it again.


elitehollywood said:
I seen while driving by the barrie go yard, that it can actually handle 5 train sets or more. I seen those units the trains hooked up to and a far one said train 5. so maybe barrie get 5th train sometime :rolleyes:
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Yup Barrie (Allandale yard) has 3 yard tracks that can accommodate 2 trains each for a total capacity of 6 trains, its actually been like this since it was built a few years ago. There is even more empty land north of the yard and yet more west of the yard. Thus if necessary, new tracks can be built or the current tracks can be further extended (dependent of course upon who owns that land and if GO doesn't... whether or not they can purchase it). However the current 6 train capacity should provide more than enough capacity for Barrie for quite a while. Also 2-way mid-day service will provide additional capacity further down the line.

Speaking of which,

tapper of spines said:
Do you know where the passing tracks are going to be installed? And how many sets of passing tracks? The money was in the previous provincial budget, but I've yet to see any construction. All I've seen are a few stacks of rail just north of Maple station.
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Thats exactly where its being built as you've no doubt lon since noticed. Its a 2 mile long passing track between McNaughton rd. (mile 18.50, Newmarket sub.) and Kirby rd. (mile 20.66). Which is between the Maple and King City GO stations. Unfortunately based on what I've seen on the Uxbridge sub/Stoufville line this looks to be the same thing - a non-signaled track which brings about many inefficiencies, which I've mentioned in this post >>>http://www.urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?p=263175#post263175.
Seems as though GO is only doing the absolute minimal necessary to start 2-way mid-day service, a very infrequent 2-way mid-day service. :mad:
Ah well its a start.
 
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vegeta_skyline said:
Yup Barrie (Allandale yard) has 3 yard tracks that can accommodate 2 trains each for a total capacity of 6 trains, its actually been like this since it was built a few years ago.
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As of last year, two of the morning runs are up to crush load, so surely a fifth trip can be added soon?

From a quality of service perspective, ideally a sort of Lakeshore-West-ish schedule could be worked out so some trains run express from Aurora to Union. The only problem is that all the trains would still need to originate in Barrie each morning and return there at night, which means you risk having an express catching up to and tailgating behind the earlier all-stops train once you get down to Concord or Toronto.
 
ShonTron said:
Platform 27, your posts have been excellent in keeping us on top of GO's expansion projects. Cheers.
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Aw shucks. Thanks. I have to say that unlike some other great posters here, I'm not really a source of insider info, just hopefully-informed opinion.

I've been wading ever more boldly into some of the TTC threads, too, but it's sometimes hard to be noticed over the various projectiles being hurled across the great streetcar/subway schism. :)
 
ssh, don't lure them in here!

I'm just curious, when is the line going to be extended further downtown? Are they even working/planning for that? I took the Barrie line a while ago (car-free way to get to a nice resort! :p) and I realized how far away it actually was from "downtown." If they want to encourage transit use and higher density development, they should get to work on that soon.
 
Second_in_pie said:
I'm just curious, when is the line going to be extended further downtown? Are they even working/planning for that? I took the Barrie line a while ago (car-free way to get to a nice resort! :p) and I realized how far away it actually was from "downtown." If they want to encourage transit use and higher density development, they should get to work on that soon.
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Yup. The plan is to have trains run into a stop built around the restored Allandale station building (which will also have a YMCA, of all things, in it). It's fully financed out of the GO-TRIP kitty, and from what I understand City of Barrie-paid contractors are already in the midst of having a go at the building. A tender for some GO-related work there went up on GO's website a few days back. I think they're aiming for a 2010 opening.
 
I noticed on the barrie layover they removed one of the electrical stations that the trains connect to during non-service hours. so i assume no 5th train anytime soon?
 
I had time off this weekend, and my wife wanted the kids out of the house, so I took them for a drive and we went up to Barrie. I checked out the Barrie South GO station and it is in a pretty remote spot. Few homes- a far hike to station and no business around there. It has a parking lot but I didn't see any local bus stops! The Allandale Waterfront Station was a bit more commuter friendly. Near the Barrie South station just west of that station on Mapleview drive I saw them construction a grade seperated rail overpass (cars are going to go beneath the rail way). Is this going to be a future GO line? I really think more of GO at grade crossings should be made grade seperated- increases safety as well as speed of both vehicle and rail traffic.
 
The intersection south of Barrie South at Mapleview is zoned for commercial, so there should be businesses there eventually. The station has a bus stop for one of the regular local bus routes, as well as shuttle buses that meet the GO Train. When Barrie overhauls all the transit routes in another year or two, most bus routes in the south end should stop at Barrie South, and most north end routes should stop at Allandale Waterfront.

The rail overpass isn't for a new GO line. It's just separating a small industrial spur from Mapleview as a part of the expansion of Mapleview to handle all the traffic from the new smart centre they've just built at Mapleview and the 400.
 
The latest on the Allandale lands.
In March the Correct Group took further legal action against any redevelopment plans for the Allandale land. At its request, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ordered a certificate of pending litigation be issued and registered against the city-owned property.

It warns all interested parties of a legal claim against the property. If the land is sold while the certificate stands, it travels with the land title and could compromise the title for a new owner.

The city has taken legal steps to remove Correct's certificate from the title.

City staff have said the court motion on this matter has been moved to July 3, 2012.

This would be Porter's second chance at developing the Allandale land. In 2008, partnering with developer Forecast, he proposed Allandale Market Village – a mix of commercial space, a hotel and heritage buildings.
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http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3571580

This is the latest on development to the east of Barrie South Go Station
South-end development plans on display
1,900 housing units planned along Mapleview Drive
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http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3570868
 
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