mdrejhon
Senior Member
Thanks for the clarification. I was incorrectly counting a railyard track as a mainline.
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GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)
- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
ssiguy2
Senior Member
Will GO RER {not the whole system just RER} be grade separated or any lines individually?
jje1000
Senior Member
The one silver lining I see is that a fire could be lit under Metrolinx/the Liberal's asses, and projects like RER will be perhaps slightly accelerated in time for the election or at least kept on a tighter leash so that things like Burlington Station won't happen again. Would be a nice surprise if tendering/RFPs) could be pushed forward a bit from a 'general 2017' to maybe 'mid 2017'.
Because if there's something we can all know, these mistakes could be used as a pretense for disbanding Metrolinx in the name of 'reducing government and waste'.
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drum118
Superstar
You need the $$$ to do that as well getting various towns and cities on board who are welling to help fund them. Not going to happen over night and will take a few decades to to most of them.
It will happen on all lines as fund is found for them and where they are rank by everyone paying for them. Some will be easy to do while others are dog breakfast.
Again, what is more important to get done first and how do you justify it not only by you, but to the folks that used the system and crossing?? Then, what about the system as a whole??
As it stands as quick look, KW line to Georgetown has only 3 crossing still to be done. Lakeshore W is clear until Mississauga and has 8 crossing to Burlington Station to be done and one other to get get underway in 2017. Lakeshore E has only a few. Milton has about 11. Rest are unknown to me.
We have already talked about crossing in the past.
With great hopes for a Regional System, its turn out to be a pet project first, with great promises from power to be and too much interference by them to do them in the right order. Trying to be everything to everyone, but no one a home to run it correctly and lack of funds to do it right.
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crs1026
Superstar
The most recent ML position on grade separation is here http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pd...10/20160210_BoardMtg_Grade_Separations_EN.pdf
When Toronto City Council debated SmartTrack recently, some additions to the high-priority list were proposed. I believe these are under study. It's likely that the City would be asked to fund these as part of their pony-up on ST.
- Paul
innsertnamehere
Superstar
yup, far from all of them. GO has nearly 200 at grade crossings on the network. They are planning to do something like 10 of them, and now City Council seems interested in doing another 5 or so in the city, especially along the Stouffville line.
ssiguy2
Senior Member
Thanks for the info guys.
Hopefully one day they we be able to get rid of the grade crossings throughout the entire RER system to eventually bring it up to Metro standards. As ridership increases, depending on the fares, more frequency will have to be added and the result will be cities having to bite the bullet and fund more separations as people become exasperated at having to stop at train crossings every 3 or 4 minutes.
Has Merolinx/GO/TTC ever considered making the DRL part of the RER network and having the trains continue to Burlington & Richmond Hill? This would greatly help alleviate the stresses at Union and the resulting stress on the TTC subway downtown by having fewer people transferring at Union between RER and the subway? The need will be great if the fares, at least for the inner city, are standard TTC then a DRL from Richmond Hill to Burlington could have massive ridership levels and trains would have to run every 5 minutes all day to handle the demand meaning subway service levels. It would be catenary Metro following the planned DRL route from Dufferin to Eglinton via Pape and the veer off to the current rail corridor at roughly Don Mills and continue north.
RER could easily carry subway level ridership but it will depend on the fares. Ridership on Sao Paulo's system has soared since they upgraded their commuter/suburban rail system up to Metro/subway standards.
Hopefully one day they we be able to get rid of the grade crossings throughout the entire RER system to eventually bring it up to Metro standards. As ridership increases, depending on the fares, more frequency will have to be added and the result will be cities having to bite the bullet and fund more separations as people become exasperated at having to stop at train crossings every 3 or 4 minutes.
Has Merolinx/GO/TTC ever considered making the DRL part of the RER network and having the trains continue to Burlington & Richmond Hill? This would greatly help alleviate the stresses at Union and the resulting stress on the TTC subway downtown by having fewer people transferring at Union between RER and the subway? The need will be great if the fares, at least for the inner city, are standard TTC then a DRL from Richmond Hill to Burlington could have massive ridership levels and trains would have to run every 5 minutes all day to handle the demand meaning subway service levels. It would be catenary Metro following the planned DRL route from Dufferin to Eglinton via Pape and the veer off to the current rail corridor at roughly Don Mills and continue north.
RER could easily carry subway level ridership but it will depend on the fares. Ridership on Sao Paulo's system has soared since they upgraded their commuter/suburban rail system up to Metro/subway standards.
Question regarding the new Desjardins bridge: Does this do anything for Hamilton Centre, or do the same constraints still exist (CP)? I figured with the associated switch work that will need to take place that it could be done in such a way that it would be easier to slot GO into CP's freight schedule to reduce conflicts in and around Bayview Junction. I do realize that the biggest constraint is still the Hunter St Tunnel, but I was wondering if this expansion/reconfiguration would help, even just a little bit.
crs1026
Superstar
It won't make much of a difference. The only tracks affected are those on the GO side of the connection to CP. The freight track, which comes down from Waterdown and is joined by the GO tracks on the north/west side of York, isn't altered at all. The tunnel is still the most constraining point. CP only runs six through trains a day, but the morning comuter rush in particular seems to conflict with these.
- Paul
Allandale25
Senior Member
Some RER updates in this report for the Metrolinx Board meeting from the Chief Capital Officer including a reminder of the RER budget. Quick highlights on a few other topics:
- Kitchener Corridor: the RFQ for the construction of a new second track under Highway 401 was released on September 12, 2016 and closed on November 14, 2016;
- LSE Corridor: The detailed design of the fourth track between the Union Station Rail Corridor and Scarborough Junction commenced in October 2016 and is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2017;
- LSW Corridor: The preliminary designs for the new western lead track through Exhibition station, station rehabilitation and accessibility upgrades at Mimico and Long Branch stations, and the new Confederation station in Stoney Creek were completed this quarter;
- Niagara: CN has now completed its study to determine the scope of work required to provide new GO Transit rail service to Niagara Falls;
- Milton: The reinstatement of track that was previously removed during the reconfiguration of the West Toronto Diamond commenced in October 2016 and will be completed in early 2017. The track reinstatement is required to maintain current train frequencies on the Milton Corridor as well as allow for future increases in train trips.
- Design for the electrical and heritage components of the Union Station Enhancement Project (USEP) are underway and will be part of a DBB procurement in February 2017;
- The new south platform, platform widening and conversion of the VIA Rail platform at Union Station is also progressing with the completion of the Reference Concept Design and second draft of the output specification in December 2016;
- Design for the East and West Track Enhancement projects is progressing with a target of 50% completion by January 2017.
dowlingm
Senior Member
Anyone know what this Milton track replacement entails? Is it west of the diamond or south of it?
Allandale25
Senior Member
Pretty sure it's south of the West Toronto Diamond. The track was removed during the Georgetown South Project and will be put back in. Lots of pictures out there of before and during the GTS.
crs1026
Superstar
There used to be two tracks from an interlocking at Dupont to the junction at West Toronto. During GTS the second track was removed. There was an attachment to the recent Auditor-General report showing an estimate from CP to restore this track.
I don't know why ML would be in a hurry to put that track back, unless they are working towards a turnback arrangement at rush hour, or even two way revenue service. There has been no hint of that to date.
- Paul
I don't know why ML would be in a hurry to put that track back, unless they are working towards a turnback arrangement at rush hour, or even two way revenue service. There has been no hint of that to date.
- Paul
Allandale25
Senior Member
Good eye. I pulled the reference: "As shown in Appendix 1, CP’s estimates for a project of almost $2 million can be as short as a two-page letter. The estimates specify only how much design will cost, how much construction will cost, and the total cost—with no further breakdown provided." A copy of the May 24, 2016 letter from CP to Metrolinx about this is on page 38 of 38 of the Auditor's Report here.
smallspy
Senior Member
There is going to be some serious work on the eastern-most section of the Oakville Sub coming up in the next couple of years - serious enough to require a number of weekend closures. It looks like they will be detouring Lakeshore West trains via the Galt and Canpa Subs, and apparently will be also including a stop at Kipling Station, which is tentatively scheduled to get a new platform on the south side of the corridor.
Dan
Toronto, Ont.