GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[reaperexpress]

Barrie Line double tracking update from Sunday 14 May 2017, riding northbound from YorkU to Rutherford.

Since last month (during which time there have been 2 weekend closures), they've completed the second track through Rivermede Road and installed the switch just south of Rutherford station. There may have also been some work further south, but I don't know because last month's video conked out south of Rivermede.

At Maple Station, there's little indication of the pedestrian tunnel work - just two suspiciously fresh segments of platform and some weird pillars sticking up beside the tracks.

Looking north at the south end of the station:

Looking north from the station building, a second similar site:

Looking south from the station building, you can clearly see where the second track will go.

They probably won't be. And it should be newmarket to be honest, to justify the ridership.

With the current/under-construction track layout you can have 60-minute service to Aurora (using the YorkU-Rutherford siding), or 75-minute service to Newmarket (using the Maple-King City siding). To get service every 60 minutes to Newmarket you'd need another siding exactly 30 minutes north of York University station. Definitely a worthwhile investment, but not going to happen within a year.

 

[crs1026]

Concrete ties - sweet !

- Paul

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Barrie Line double tracking update from Sunday 14 May 2017, riding northbound from YorkU to Rutherford.

Since last month (during which time there have been 2 weekend closures), they've completed the second track through Rivermede Road and installed the switch just south of Rutherford station. There may have also been some worth further south, but I don't know because last month's video conked out south of Rivermede.

At Maple Station, there's little indication of the pedestrian tunnel work - just some suspiciously freshly-paved segments of platform and some weird pillars sticking up beside the tracks.

Looking north at the south end of the station:

Looking north from the station building, a second similar site:

Looking south from the station building, you can clearly see where the second track will go.

With the current/under-construction track layout you can have 60-minute service to Aurora (using the YorkU-Rutherford siding), or 75-minute service to Newmarket (using the Maple-King City siding). To get service every 60 minutes to Newmarket you'd need another siding further north in a specific location (I can't remember exactly where). Definitely a worthwhile investment, but not going to happen within a year.

Really great video and great pictures. Thanks for posting!

 

[steveintoronto]

Really great video and great pictures. Thanks for posting!

A bit off-topic, but after watching the great vid above (and the sub-titles make an incredible difference) I watched Reaper's ones of the cycle lanes. Although not as frightening as some times for me to see those lanes, they capture a lot of stupid moves by cyclists and pedestrians alike. I get razzed for stating how bone-headed some cyclists are (as well as motorists and pedestrians) but vids like that make it clear. I'm on-edge after watching the QQ one especially, and some vids by others. I'm spoiled nowadays by back roads and railtrails, albeit some sections of the valley trails that aren't used that much are great too (upper West Humber trail, for instance).

Great vids Reaper!

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

The snails pace of these transit projects are something else.

 

[TOareaFan]

The snails pace of these transit projects are something else.

I think you insult snails....they are animals that, yes, move slowly....but they do move every day.

 

[robmausser]

The snails pace of these transit projects are something else.

Its the Ontario liberal way, promise many projects and continually delay them so people have to keep voting you in.

2003 and counting!

 

[rbt]

Its the Ontario liberal way, promise many projects and continually delay them so people have to keep voting you in.

McGuinty was that way.

Wynne has been providing Metrolinx is money far faster than they've been able to spend it. She has a lot of faults (including standing by while Metrolinx fails to scale up to the challenge before it) but withholding capital funding from Metrolinx isn't one of them.

That's not an uncommon problem. Toronto Works department for decades received nearly 2x the capital funds they were actually able to spend. At some point you need to step back and say "we need more lawyers and engineers to write tender contracts".

 

[drum118]

Major grading taking place for the Metrolinx Obico lands today

 

[mdrejhon]

Barrie Line double tracking update from Sunday 14 May 2017, riding northbound from YorkU to Rutherford.

With the current/under-construction track layout you can have 60-minute service to Aurora (using the YorkU-Rutherford siding), or 75-minute service to Newmarket (using the Maple-King City siding). To get service every 60 minutes to Newmarket you'd need another siding further north in a specific location (I can't remember exactly where). Definitely a worthwhile investment, but not going to happen within a year.

Great pics and video, thank you!

Do you think they'd do a 75 minute schedule, or short turn-every-other-train? (60 min Aurora, 120min Newmarket)

At least till the extra siding gets built.

 

[Megaton327]

Great pics and video, thank you!

Do you think they'd do a 75 minute schedule, or short turn-every-other-train? (60 min Aurora, 120min Newmarket)

At least till the extra siding gets built.

I was thinking 60 minute Aurora service would come first, but there has been a fair amount of outcry from Newmarket residents about the current arrangement. Extending the 75 minute trains up to Newmarket GO might be a worthwhile olive branch. We'll see.

 

[drum118]

With the government now setting density levels around GO Stations, I wounder how Metrolinx going to deal with it not only for the existing ones, but the new ones?? This kind of density is long over due and will finally see the end to these surface lots.

While watching the Barrie train stopping in Newmarket a few weeks ago for weekend service, 15 riders got onto the train. What would it look like for hourly???

 

[reaperexpress]

Great pics and video, thank you!

Do you think they'd do a 75 minute schedule, or short turn-every-other-train? (60 min Aurora, 120min Newmarket)

At least till the extra siding gets built.

My knee-jerk reaction is that a 60/120 schedule would be anywhere from inefficient to impossible given that there's no second track at Aurora to store the short-turning trains (so that they can be evenly spaced coming back south). On the weekend I'll try some conceptual schedules to see roughly what might be possible with the two options.

 

[wopchop]

The fact that the RER is ending at Aurora is idiotic.

One of the province's designated Urban Growth Centres is located at Davis Drive and Yonge Street, a short bus ride away from the GO Train Station along Davis Drive, where YRT just constructed a new rapidway for the VIVA bus.

Aurora does not have any designated Urban Growth Centres, and it's development is much more constrained than Newmarket.

 

[Megaton327]

The fact that the RER is ending at Aurora is idiotic.

One of the province's designated Urban Growth Centres is located at Davis Drive and Yonge Street, a short bus ride away from the GO Train Station along Davis Drive, where YRT just constructed a new rapidway for the VIVA bus.

Aurora does not have any designated Urban Growth Centres, and it's development is much more constrained than Newmarket.

1) RER is not ending at Aurora, 15-minute off-peak service is ending at Aurora. RER will extend up to Allandale Waterfront in Barrie with 30-minute peak and 60-minute off-peak electrified service.

2) Aurora's GO ridership is much, much higher than Newmarket's. Ergo, more service is needed to meet the demand. Newmarket's service is being exponentially increased, just not to the same extent as Aurora's.

3) GO is likely to run the hourly trains coming southbound from Barrie as express nonstop trains from Aurora to Union, i.e. 3 of 4 southbound trains per hour from Aurora will be local, and one express having come from Barrie. This will provide riders in Newmarket with a faster trip downtown than the majority of the milk run trains from Aurora.