GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[tsm1072]

I really don't understand why they are future proofing the stations for a 610mm ATR track height. Why not 550mm or 760mm? I don't see that 610mm is any standard other than that happened to be the GO train's floor height when they built the first bi-level in 1976. It will be hard to ever buy off the shelf if infrastructure is built that doesn't really fit common heights. Even the TTC subway with its crazy rail gauge has a platform height that is aligned to more common standards.

View attachment 708023

The reason is the ~1000 bi-level coaches GO already owns that have plenty of lifespan left, and the Bi-level coach is a de-facto standard across a few systems in North America. GO is a large enough organization that when they order new equipment they will be ordering in large enough QTYs to justify a customization of boarding height to match their large stock of existing equipment.

 

[reaperexpress]

I really don't understand why they are future proofing the stations for a 610mm ATR track height. Why not 550mm or 760mm? I don't see that 610mm is any standard other than that happened to be the GO train's floor height when they built the first bi-level in 1976. It will be hard to ever buy off the shelf if infrastructure is built that doesn't really fit common heights. Even the TTC subway with its crazy rail gauge has a platform height that is aligned to more common standards.

610mm is the standard floor height for most US commuter railroads outside of the northeast, as well as Montreal Exo's CPKC division and Vancouver's West Coast express. In addition to pretty much all low-entry bilevel coaches (not just Bombardier, but also competitors such as Hyundai-Rotem and CRRC), it's also the standard floor height of North American low-floor DMUs such as the Stadler FLIRT. You'll note that the American FLIRT is almost identical to the 550mm European version. The difference between 55 cm and 61 cm is only 6 centimetres so it is trivial to make a 610mm variant of a 550mm train. We definitely don't want 760mm platforms since they're too high for the lower level of a bilevel train but too low for the middle level.

Hyundai Rotem coach (Tri-Rail - Miami FL)

CRRC Bilevel coach (Exo - Montreal QC)

Stadler FLIRT (Arrow - Redlands CA)

I personally would have preferred of 1220mm platforms rather than 610 since that's the level boarding height for the other rail operators in Toronto (Via Rail, Ontario Northland, Amtrak and UP Express), as well as most east-coast commuter operators. But I definitely wouldn't claim that 610mm is an uncommon floor height.

This has been discussed at length in the GO Platform Height thread.

 

[ProjectEnd]

Seriously? Woodbine now has the highest, longest, best built noise wall on the GO system. lol

Yeah, leaving the track diversion for winter makes no sense to me.

I have not seen a site plan for Resources Road, but it seemed that they decided to excavate an entire hillside to enable that one.

It does seem that part of ML's strategy to de-risk projects is to do only one thing at a time, and leave huge gaps between subcontractors and stages so no one is ever standing around waiting ( except the riders, of course)

- Paul

I have so much overlap in my schedules the hardest thing is ensuring constructors working on different scopes aren't on top of one another (eg. if you're not excavating before shoring is complete, you're behind. If you're not pouring foundations and below grade concrete before excavation is complete, you're behind. If you're waiting until all below grade is done before starting on superstructure, say it with me: you're behind). The idea that something needs to be finished before the next thing can be started, or that on such an enormous site you can't have track diversion and station construction (and that damn noise wall) happening at the same time is demented.

 

[alexb]

There was some discussion on Maple GO on the previous page so I went to take some update pictures.
I used to do more regular updates at the start of the Project but lost interest over time as this slow mess slogged on.
I also got a reply last week on the completion timeline from Metrolinx 2 months after asking - there is no timeline! 3+ years later...hooray!

The pedestrian bridge is sitting in an unfinished state probably waiting for some fancy handrails Metrolinx is custom designing over a 24-month process (that only started 6 months ago) like at Rutherford.
During this time the stairs cannot even be opened and some friendly coyotes instead use the bridge to get to their home in the abandoned house across Major Mac. I enjoy tracking their steps after a snowy night while walking the dog.
Keep in mind this was originally noted as completion of May 2025.

The northbound platform fully re-opened a few months ago. This will end up being an interesting station mixing old and new as the original shelters were kept at the north end combined with the 1903 station building (check out the Dominos Pizza on Keele for a Maple GO easter egg).
It seems Metrolinx has now fully priortized this new modern version accessibility over common sense access. 5 elevators at one station - please someone explain this one. Surely a station with as much space as Maple could have replaced some of these with ramps?
If you zoom in on the 2nd pic you'll see the new southbound platform north access is fenced off. Surely, surelyyy this will be removed one the platform is enabled so that people approaching the station from the northwest do not need to cross the tracks and walk halfway down the southbound platform to use the tunnel? Right, right? The concrete wall still irks me - someone on Lindenshire is now about 1km away instead of 20m.

Some positive news - a new French cafe has opened at the doorstep of the station. Hopefully they have some success.

 

[reaperexpress]

If you zoom in on the 2nd pic you'll see the new southbound platform north access is fenced off. Surely, surelyyy this will be removed one the platform is enabled so that people approaching the station from the northwest do not need to cross the tracks and walk halfway down the southbound platform to use the tunnel? Right, right? The concrete wall still irks me - someone on Lindenshire is now about 1km away instead of 20m.

The original station design included entrances on the west side of the tracks but the residents in that neighbourhood lost their freaking minds claiming that criminals would come to their neighbourhood and make their getaway on the GO train. I wish I were exaggerating, but honestly it gets crazier than that. Somewhere on UT I posted screenshots of the public consultation comments, but I can't find it. Metrolinx deleted the entrances from the station to the adjacent neighbourhood because they were putting the whole project in political jeopardy.

 

[nfitz]

The original station design included entrances on the west side of the tracks but the residents in that neighbourhood lost their freaking minds claiming that criminals would come to their neighbourhood and make their getaway on the GO train. I wish I were exaggerating, but honestly it gets crazier than that. Somewhere on UT I posted screenshots of the public consultation comments, but I can't find it. Metrolinx deleted the entrances from the station to the adjacent neighbourhood because they were putting the whole project in political jeopardy.

Amazing. Meanwhile at Danforth there's a well-coordinated neighbourhood effort to add an entrance from the NW corner of the westbound platform, so as to be able make it easier for neighbours to access the station without having to walk a long way to get to the station. The comments are 100% in favour. https://www.openpetition.org/ca/pet...-go-build-a-sidewalk-path-from-stephenson-ave

 

[lastcommodore]

The original station design included entrances on the west side of the tracks but the residents in that neighbourhood lost their freaking minds claiming that criminals would come to their neighbourhood and make their getaway on the GO train. I wish I were exaggerating, but honestly it gets crazier than that. Somewhere on UT I posted screenshots of the public consultation comments, but I can't find it. Metrolinx deleted the entrances from the station to the adjacent neighbourhood because they were putting the whole project in political jeopardy.

It amazes me that neighbourhoods fighting *against* a shorter access to a station is so common. I don't know the reasoning put forth but some residents likewise shut down an access to the Transitway Erin Mills station, extending some trips to the transitway some 750 meters.
I always thought some access shortcuts were not built as some cost-cutting measure or pure laziness. I guess you have to fight for even something like that.

 

[crs1026]

It seems that public advocacy in our society always devolves to the hyperbolic and bogeyman level, where simply articulating the concern with some dispassionate and objective level of severity doesn’t get action. Perhaps that says something about our government and about ML. Don’t say you smell smoke, just scream Fire!

The more rational fear was that the second entrance would be used by some as an ad hoc second kiss and ride zone, creating vehicular traffic and much parking and idling on a back street that is currently very quiet.

One would think that the right measures (no parking or standing restrictions, enforcement by GO or ciry police, towaway measures) could have dealt with this, and the benefit of the second entrance could have benefitted everyone… but the “zombie apocalypse” fears carried the day. Sad.

- Paul

 

[nfitz]

It amazes me that neighbourhoods fighting *against* a shorter access to a station is so common. I don't know the reasoning put forth but some residents likewise shut down an access to the Transitway Erin Mills station, extending some trips to the transitway some 750 meters.
I always thought some access shortcuts were not built as some cost-cutting measure or pure laziness. I guess you have to fight for even something like that.

Meanwhile at Danforth there's a permanent hole cut in the fence, that's VERY well used, to get from the arena and east-side of Main to the southern entrance. Fight for it some do.

Another reason not to live in the suburbs with that kind of fear ... and crime apparently.

 

[ShonTron]

Meanwhile at Danforth there's a permanent hole cut in the fence, that's VERY well used, to get from the arena and east-side of Main to the southern entrance. Fight for it some do.

Another reason not to live in the suburbs with that kind of fear ... and crime apparently.

That cut fence also provides the shortest walk to the streetcar and the 64 and 135 bus routes. It’s really bad how poorly Metrolinx figures out how to get people walking and cycling to its stations.

 

[kotsy]

Lakeshore East corridor update:
Logan bridge girder installation is this weekend.
Dundas bridge girder installation is expected early February.

 

[PShells]

It was nice to see OCS footings being installed yesterday in the LSE corridor.

LSE Fourth Track
How will this siding become operational for storing rail equipment? Are the switches west of Danforth GO being upgraded in the spring?

Birchmount Bridge
Thus far jersey barriers have only been laid in the graded area for the future fourth track near the bridge leaving the third track in service.

 

[smallspy]

LSE Fourth Track
How will this siding become operational for storing rail equipment? Are the switches west of Danforth GO being upgraded in the spring?

There will be a switch added to the current north track immediately west of the current Danforth interlocking.

In the long run, the whole plant at Danforth needs to be moved and reconstructed, as the 4th track will be added to the north side of the corridor to the west of there, but to the south side of the corridor through the station and to the east.

Birchmount Bridge
Thus far jersey barriers have only been laid in the graded area for the future fourth track near the bridge leaving the third track in service.

I believe that the construction for the bridge is to start in earnest in April. They are just setting up their work areas for now.

Dan

 

[reaperexpress]

The original station design included entrances on the west side of the tracks but the residents in that neighbourhood lost their freaking minds claiming that criminals would come to their neighbourhood and make their getaway on the GO train. I wish I were exaggerating, but honestly it gets crazier than that. Somewhere on UT I posted screenshots of the public consultation comments, but I can't find it. Metrolinx deleted the entrances from the station to the adjacent neighbourhood because they were putting the whole project in political jeopardy.

I found the screenshots from the Maple Station public consultation about the proposed pedestrian entrance from the west side of the tracks (from this post):

For some reason none of them acknowledged the irony of being outraged about a railway station entrance from Railway Street.

Here was Metrolinx's response:

 

[nfitz]

Absurd response from Metrolinx.