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GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

Andy_in_Toronto said:
Some news:
Lakeshore East Rail Corridor – Bowmanville Extension Update Meetings


Metrolinx to Significantly Increase Trains to Bowmanville

We are focused on bringing better GO services, faster, to our customers in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. We’ve heard directly from our riders that they want more trains, more buses, and expanded routes.

In 2018, we increased our services by 22.6%, that includes 22 new midday weekday trips between Oshawa and Union Station in Toronto. Just last month, we added a new morning express train from Durham Region to Union, and a new return trip in the afternoon rush hour, every weekday. Durham Region now has 15 minute, all-day service between Oshawa and Union Station for most of every weekday.

One of our other goals is to find a way to get more rail service to communities beyond Oshawa as quickly as we can, and to do so with an all-day service. The original plan from a few years ago was for limited service in the morning and evening peaks only. The options we are now considering are based on operating train service throughout the day.

We will work very closely with our municipal and freight partners to test which options are most advantageous, balancing both the benefits and the costs associated with each option to achieve this very important rail extension. This will include identifying how we achieve this extension as quickly as possible.

You are invited to attend one of our community meetings to learn more about the four options we are considering to extend GO service beyond Oshawa.

Public Meetings:

Bowmanville Oshawa

Tuesday, May 21, 2019 Wednesday, May 22, 2019
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex Oshawa Civic Recreation Complex
Hall #2 Bobby Orr Room
2440 Highway 2 99 Thornton Road South
Bowmanville, ON Oshawa, ON



For more information, please contact:

Carmen Rapati, Community Relations and Issues Specialist, Lakeshore East Corridor
Tel: 416-202-4719/ E-mail: carmen.rapati@metrolinx.com
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Where's the source for this? I can't seem to find it.
 
marcus_a_j said:
Where's the source for this? I can't seem to find it.
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I'm searching for this every which way, and the only reference that shows is this forum's posting of it. I've even changed words in parts, and Google has suggested same. It leads one to wonder...I'll wait to see if anyone posts a link for it before adding more comment.
 
steveintoronto said:
Well they've had a week now to answer at the Engage page. https://www.metrolinxengage.com/en/content/ask-metrolinx-may-2-2019 They stated "3 working days". Perhaps their sense of time isn't standard?
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Where are you getting the "3 working days" direct quote from? A certain timemark in the video? Online?

If you look at the links I provided in this post it gives a sense of how long it takes to respond. When the Metrolinx account replies the date is attached. So for the March 4, 2019 townhall it looks like it took about 22 days since most of the replies were on March 25-26. So if we use the same amount of time for the March 4th town hall, that would mean the answers for the May 4th townhall should appear around Friday, May 24th. Cheers.
 
Metrolinx
10 m
For those online (and in the audience) If your question is NOT answered during the event,..
avatar
Metrolinx
10 m
Please submit it on https://www.metrolinxengage.com/en/engagement-initiatives/ask-metrolinx.
avatar
Metrolinx
10 m
All questions will be answered there in a few business days.
H

Hayden
9 m
You can't submit questions there now
S

steveintoronto
9 m
[Metrolinx now All questions will be answered there in a few business days.]
S

steveintorontohttps://www.metrolinxengage.com/en/content/ask-metrolinx-may-2-2019
9 m
I'll quote you on that.

raptor said:
An update from the May 15 Metrolinx Board of Directors meeting:
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pd...20190515_BoardMtg_CPG_Project_Delivery_EN.pdf

More like a pat on the back on the few projects that they're currently working on. Silence on multiple projects, including the big ones, as if they evaporated. Shame.
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This appears to be a planned and premeditated policy of late from Metrolinx, (correction: most likely QP, and possibly dictated rather than voluntary on Metrolinx' part) and this was exactly the way that the Empire Club self-congratulatory love-fest unfolded, complete with planted questions from the floor to Verster, in whose defence can be stated his repeated "Yurek's Philosophy". Verster made it second person reference by doing so: 'I was only following orders'.

The spiel is all about what they're doing, not what they promised to do. 'Aren't we great?' Conclusion? It's to attract private capital. And until it does, nothing not already started won't happen. That's being made clear with the Lansdowne Station and other aspects of the Davenport Diamond. Wait for it: "It's all the Liberals' fault".

What's curious about the 'missing' Lakeshore East Rail Corridor – Bowmanville Extension Update Meetings 'update' is the use of the term"Extension"...one that Metrolinx haven't used, at least not of late. They're using "expansion", and Google flags this every time I enter a search on aspects of it. Heads-up to @marcus_a_j on that. It might be genuine, or may have been, but there's no trace I can find of it at this time.
 
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[EDIT/CORRECTION for clarity]
Current Cobourg inbound peak service is 651 (dep 0700, stop Oshawa and Guildwood, arrive Union 0821). GO trains would probably run a touch slower and VIA would likely want to ensure that they do not get held behind GO at any point, but if GO. GO would also need platform access at Oshawa while VIA services are headed eastwards.

And that's before any objections from GO CN. Doesn't seem that quick a win.

Interestingly, if you extend back from Bowmanville on CPR, you intercept the 115 (Peterborough buses) at Newcastle and pass through both Port Hope and Cobourg - the VIA station in Cobourg actually lies between the two companies' tracks.

185111
 
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Fritter said:
I can see Cobourg/Port Hope GO Bus routes starting first, then perhaps a single or a couple of rush hour GO Train trips using CN's Kingston Subdivision operating express to Oshawa then express again to Rouge Hill and all stops from there. I can see this as a "quick win" option.
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Cobourg and Port Hope already have half decent commuting options with VIA, that will be way faster and more usable than any 2+ hour GO ride would be.
 
^Cobourg is 60+ miles from Toronto. That really ought to be VIA’s domain. But for these intermediate distance commuting runs, perhaps GO ought to be partnering with VIA for regional service similar to American 403b services. London- Brantford- Toronto and London- Stratford- Toronto service is the same issue.

With HFR going nowhere, it would not be a bad thing if VIA/GO put some money into more triple track on CN between Belleville and Liverpool. Without adding track, CN will be as eager to host GO on the Kingston Sub as they are on the Halton Sub.

- Paul

PS - I have wondered if one agenda behind ML cancelling the LSE expansion was to put VIA’s feet to the fire for some federal funding for that. VIA will feel the effects of 15 minute service on LSE, and they are the tenant operator on the ML line.... and as GO ramps up its own service, VIA.becomes an unwanted guest. Perhaps ML has learned a thing or two from CN.
 
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crs1026 said:
I have wondered if one agenda behind ML cancelling the LSE expansion was to put VIA’s feet to the fire for some federal funding for that.
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I've been wondering about that too, but of course, the Feds have sent QP to Conventry on anything to do with QP's delusions of grandeur done with other people's money. At some point, the two roles need to meld on serving the same commuter market, at least with track infrastructure being shared a la busways, where GO shares with local providers. It's a conversation ripe for happening, but not with the present regime in QP.

Volumes are down right now on both CN and CP, it's an opportune time to dangle some concepts.
 
innsertnamehere said:
Cobourg and Port Hope already have half decent commuting options with VIA, that will be way faster and more usable than any 2+ hour GO ride would be.
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Yeah, and it's not just the two hour 'barrier', it's meeting even that criteria that has so many upset.

The comments to the Twitter posted above are telling:

185215
 
Coburg is too far for GO trains. I dont want to see the system get spread out too thin. Plus it doesn't make sense to keep expanding the system when they're already having difficulty with the existing system.

If the GO trains keep expanding, people will eventually want them to go all the way to Ottawa, London, etc.
 
TransitBart said:
Sorry to be pedantic. How do you significantly increase something where the present case is “none”? I’m not sure if my quibble is language or with spin, but this makes me roll my eyes.
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Not to mention Verster's bizarre ramble as to (gist) "Peak only service doesn't show a positive business case, but all day does" at the May 2 Town Hall fudge-fest which almost completely evaded the question it was ostensibly in reply to.

"Metrolinx, where we take today's transit neurosis, and build it into a true psychosis for the future" (Now, new improved! With "Yurek's Philosophy", brought to you by...errrr...we're still looking for a private sponsor).

Note that Verster has referred to the "Yurek Philosophy" in at least three instances in two public engagements of late (Empire Club and May 2 Town Hall).
 
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