GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[TransitBart]

I'd posted articles on this some weeks back, it flew completely in the face of Tory's and Council's push for SmartTrack:

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...-of-toronto-over-etobicoke-rezoning-vote.html

This was a dense move. Councillor Grimes wants a cement plant to go away. He also wants to solve the problem at Park Lawn and Lakeshore. This is inconsistent and should be reported to his constituents. The other councillor is far from disinterested.

Can any expert weigh in here and tell us who will prevail? Metrolinx I hope.

 

[jje1000]

In this rare instance I hope this blows up in the city's face.

We need a good publicized scandal to deter council from doing this again.

 

[TransitBart]

In this rare instance I hope this blows up in the city's face.

We need a good publicized scandal to deter council from doing this again.

I would agree. I hope the OMB sticks it to them.

 

[Jonny5]

The GO Transit Control Centre in Oakville (adjacent to Oakville GO) is now "above grade" in a sense:

It will be amusing if this is finished before Burlington GO Station.

 

[TransitBart]

The GO Transit Control Centre in Oakville (adjacent to Oakville GO) is now "above grade" in a sense:

Seriously. I have been trying to keep from posting a jab on this and now I have to. Why is this office/Admin structure as large as a train yard?

 

[steveintoronto]

Can any expert weigh in here and tell us who will prevail? Metrolinx I hope.

No one can fully guess an outcome, but let me state this: The OMB, if Metrolinx present a tight case (and they will) will almost inevitably rule against the City. I'm sure you'll be seeing published legal opinions on this in the next few days.

The move by the City is *incredibly boneheaded*! Surely they must have realized it wouldn't stand a chance before the OMB. The real question is if the OMB decision, although it has no punitive powers, will be taken before another court to assess costs and damages. Metrolinx will have the urge, doubtless, but QP will try and put fetters on them doing it.

One has to wonder what is *really* behind this move by the City? It might be part of the municipality backlash against Metrolinx powers. The City shouldn't bite the hand that feeds it though.

 

[TransitBart]

No one can fully guess an outcome, but let me state this: The OMB, if Metrolinx present a tight case (and they will) will almost inevitably rule against the City. I'm sure you'll be seeing published legal opinions on this in the next few days.

The move by the City is *incredibly boneheaded*! Surely they must have realized it wouldn't stand a chance before the OMB. The real question is if the OMB decision, although it has no punitive powers, will be taken before another court to assess costs and damages. Metrolinx will have the urge, doubtless, but QP will try and put fetters on them doing it.

One has to wonder what is *really* behind this move by the City? It might be part of the municipality backlash against Metrolinx powers. The City shouldn't bite the hand that feeds it though.

Can it not be councillors who know not what they hath done? In other words, clueless? Having met many, I find that credible. Some are crafty. Not all.

 

[crs1026]

It went through the Planning Committee rather than the Etobicoke York Community Council, where there would have been more local knowledge applied.... and more public awareness.

I'm speculating that it was the sort of small-potatoes item that no one bothered to read or digest.

Metrolinx also recently got a favour done by Council with regards to enlargement of an advertising sign that they now own on the Canpa Sub. That decision is almost as egregious as the recent Leaside decision (without the same financial intrigue, admittedly, it's just that I hate those big signs). Maybe the Councillors figured ML was coming to the well once too often.

- Paul

 

[steveintoronto]

Here is the story a little over a month ago. City Planning staff were for it, but department heads were against for political reasons:

Jun 10, 2016 | Vote 0 0
Toronto council approves Mimico townhouse development that could jeopardize SmartTrack, GO Transit’s regional rail expansion

ML Ready Mix
Metroland file photo
An ML Ready mix truck leaves its facility at 29 Judson Street, located in an area where Toronto council has approved a new townhouse development. February 17, 2013.
City Centre Mirror
By David Nickle
Toronto Council has approved a townhouse development in Mimico that city planning staff and Metrolinx say could jeopardize Mayor John Tory’s SmartTrack and GO Transit Regional Rail expansion.

Councillors voted to approve a plan to build residential homes right next to the Willowbrook Yard, a GO Transit maintenance facility that according to letters from the provincial transit agency Metrolinx is essential for the heavy rail expansion plans that would include both Regional Express Rail and the SmartTrack plan.

That’s because the lands on the south side of Judson Road, which are currently occupied by a cement plant reviled by neighbouring homes in southern Etobicoke, act as a buffer between those homes and the yard. Metrolinx wrote to Toronto Council saying that with heavy rail expansion, the yards would become busier and result in noise incompatible with nearby homes.

“There is going to be overnight noise because of testing of braking systems,” said Toronto’s chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat. “This includes the revving of engines, bells, brakes. Unfortunately it is a noisy activity and the extent to which we keep residential homes away from it will allow these yards to function. It serves as a buffer today and needs to serve as a buffer in the future.”

In a letter to council, Metrolinx CEO Greg Percy made it clear that the Mimico-Judson Secondary Plan in its staff-recommended form supported the province’s proposed growth plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Residential development is at odds, and would “limit future expansion.”

The change in the plan came originally at the city’s Planning and Growth Management Committee, when the committee recommended against the advice of city staff that townhouses be developed on the land.

At the June council meeting, local councillor Mark Grimes urged council to keep the townhouses there. The cement-mixing facility currently on the lands has created a “nightmare” for the community abutting them, and because the facility exists as-of-right, the city is powerless to remove it.

“I have a major nightmare across from the residents,” he said. “The neighbours are livid, to put it mildly.”

Grimes argued that the townhouses would be far enough away from the yard, and protected by a noise-abatement wall, to be spared the noise impacts that Metrolinx and city staff maintain would make the units unlivable.

Council finally approved the development, with a vote of 21-15. Mayor Tory was among those who voted in favour.

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-s...hat-could-jeopardize-smarttrack-go-transit-s/

Metrolinx has a pdf on their website detailing the factors, but must run, will post later.

Edit to Add: Just closing down computer to find this up on taskbar:
[Staff report for action on Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
–
Directions Report
1
STAFF REPORT
ACTION REQUIRED
Mimico-Judson Regeneration Area Study
–
Directions Report][...]
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/pg/bgrd/backgroundfile-87251.pdf

It's 53 pages, I'll dig into it when I get back.

 

[TransitBart]

It went through the Planning Committee rather than the Etobicoke York Community Council, where there would have been more local knowledge applied.... and more public awareness.

I'm speculating that it was the sort of small-potatoes item that no one bothered to read or digest.

Metrolinx also recently got a favour done by Council with regards to enlargement of an advertising sign that they now own on the Canpa Sub. That decision is almost as egregious as the recent Leaside decision (without the same financial intrigue, admittedly, it's just that I hate those big signs). Maybe the Councillors figured ML was coming to the well once too often.

- Paul

I vote for no one read the backgrounder. It was late. They were tired. It was hot. They thought no one was looking.

 

[drum118]

When I first saw the sites last month, it was a dumb idea then and now.

What has struck me for years why Metrolinx never went after the cement plant as it would allow better access to the yard. This site would help the yard more as well the UPX conplex

I have started a thread for the site in the building section

 

[crs1026]

I vote for no one read the backgrounder. It was late. They were tired. It was hot. They thought no one was looking.

The source document is at http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/pg/bgrd/backgroundfile-92229.pdf

It's a fairly lengthy report dealing with a study of the entire employment area around the Mimico GO station. This area has not seen a lot industrial growth and the intent was to look at how it could be jumpstarted into more of an employment area. As usual, developers were more interested in converting it to residential, ie condo's. That's how a mixed-use designation got slid in.

You will see on Page 16 of Attachment 1 that the City Planners proposed employment use only in the tract of land next to the GO Yard.

One can certainly see how one little tiny amendment might not seem too significant amidst all the verbiage, to a tired and bored councillor.... except that we pay them for diligence.

I believe there may have been other proceedings also - one being via the Committee of Adjustment.

- Paul

 

[crs1026]

PS- one of the key flaws in this report IMHO is the statement that guidelines provide for a 30 meter setback for residential property from a rail corridor.

The same guidelines provide for a much larger setback from a rail yard.

The planners were apparently bamboozled by the argument that the GO property is a rail "corridor" and not a "yard". It's true that there is a "corridor" - ie a mainline - on the south side of the Willobrook Yard, but the "yard" is what adjoins the property.

This isn't just semantics - GO's use of the "yard" trackage is much more intensive and much noisier than the use of the "corridor", more bells, more throttling, more shunting, and locomotive maintenance. The guidelines for setback from a "yard" are more relevant yet they were not applied.

- Paul

 

[mdrejhon]

Seriously. I have been trying to keep from posting a jab on this and now I have to. Why is this office/Admin structure as large as a train yard?

This is not just the office/admin.

It is also essentially the equivalent of the air traffic control tower for the entire GO network, complete with a big operations auditorium-like room with big projector screens. Like NASA. Even lowly @311Toronto has it, even TTC, and Metrolinx doesn't have an owned one like that yet. It is critical to RER.

CN is still doing some control of Metrolinx owned network, but once this building is built, Metrolinx has their full hands on remotely controlling every element of the owned GO network.

It is presumed to also also have realtime links to RER's Communications Based Train Control system, which would allow realtime automatic remote control of some train and system elements. Like rerouting hundreds of switch configurations in mere seconds in rapid response to an issue with a track or stalled train/long emergency call etc.

I can just imagine a mammoth 4K projection, in a big control room, of all switch configurations of the whole GO network (with GPS positions of trains overlaid), and CTC clicking a button to close a tracks section and automatically redirect all trains onto alternate track, automatically remote controlling many switches simultaneously (Safely based on which trains are near each),....

...And all train drivers seeing new state on their cab screens of their modernized cabs simultaneously and instantly....and all the CBTC / Speed Optimizers (automatic train control, like an autopilot) automatically adapts to the sudden new network configuration. Simultaneously. Less CTC scrambling on microphones to order many train drivers with separate instructions. Less delays because a train missed a switch before an obstruction. Etc. Say, twenty years from now.

Maybe not all right away, but this is what this nexus building will be capable of doing someday.

 

[TransitBart]

The source document is at http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/pg/bgrd/backgroundfile-92229.pdf

It's a fairly lengthy report dealing with a study of the entire employment area around the Mimico GO station. This area has not seen a lot industrial growth and the intent was to look at how it could be jumpstarted into more of an employment area. As usual, developers were more interested in converting it to residential, ie condo's. That's how a mixed-use designation got slid in.

You will see on Page 16 of Attachment 1 that the City Planners proposed employment use only in the tract of land next to the GO Yard.

One can certainly see how one little tiny amendment might not seem too significant amidst all the verbiage, to a tired and bored councillor.... except that we pay them for diligence.

I believe there may have been other proceedings also - one being via the Committee of Adjustment.

- Paul

God knows the trains will maintain themselves and no one will be employed by Metrolinx. Restricting the capacity of the yard to grow will certainly create 'employment'. Well, during the condo construction, anyway.