GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[raptor]

I'm also glad they are doing this outside of IO, hopefully this will move fairly fast.
Perhaps there's a monetary threshold that splits project between IO/Metrolinx.

 

[rbt]

Perhaps there's a monetary threshold that splits project between IO/Metrolinx.

IO doesn't get involved in very many "Direct Delivery" projects; where the tender includes a complete design and just wants it constructed. When they do, it's for departments which rarely do that type of tender like the Ministry of Tourism.

 

[raptor]

IO doesn't get involved in very many "Direct Delivery" projects; where the tender includes a complete design and just wants it constructed. When they do, it's for departments which rarely do that type of tender like the Ministry of Tourism.

Then how come Rutherford GO was tendered through IO?

 

[rbt]

Then how come Rutherford GO was tendered through IO?

That was Design + Build + Finance.

GO Rail Expansion – Rutherford Station Project

Infrastructure upgrades, such as the construction of third track infrastructure will further help to accommodate increased capacity on the Barrie GO line as part of the planned expansion of GO Transit rail service.

www.infrastructureontario.ca

 

[raptor]

That was Design + Build + Finance.

GO Rail Expansion – Rutherford Station Project

Infrastructure upgrades, such as the construction of third track infrastructure will further help to accommodate increased capacity on the Barrie GO line as part of the planned expansion of GO Transit rail service.

www.infrastructureontario.ca

And similar works (incl. the parking structure) at Maple do not require a complete design??

 

[rbt]

And similar works (incl. the parking structure) at Maple do not require a complete design??

Metrolinx produced the designs for Maple, then did a construction tender for that design. 2 separate steps with Metrolinx in-between approving them.

I expect the theory is that IO is better at writing/reviewing/costing multi-step contracts based on hand-wavy ideas of how things might happen. Canada line is a great example of a contract being too vague; city put out a tender with expectations of a TBM but did not put a price on minimizing surface disruption and the vendor went with far more cut & cover than they wanted to deal with.

 

[raptor]

Maple GO parking expansion did not involve IO, AFAIK.

That was exactly my question. Why Rutherford GO involved IO, and Maple GO didn't?

 

[rbt]

That was exactly my question. Why Rutherford GO involved IO, and Maple GO didn't?

Rutherford was a single tender for Design + Build + Finance.

Maple was Contractor build only (Direct Delivery) based on Metrolinx provided blueprints and payment in full at end of construction (no financing).

 

[smallspy]

....a time honoured strategy in public sector spending.

- Paul

It's not just in the public sector......

Dan

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Some pictures of Bayview Junction in Hamilton from today. Work is really coming along, and most of the new switches are tied in and have switching mechanisms installed. Very exciting to see progress on this vital project.

 

[joelwilliamson]

Travelling through Guelph on the Kitchener line yesterday, I noticed there were a number of construction vehicles along the line in the slow zone. Hopefully they are fixing whatever causes the slow order.

 

[ssiguy2]

I'm curious about the Barrie GO line. I can certainly see why increased GO service and improvements to the commuter rail service is needed but don't see the logic of RER.

If the Yonge north extension goes forward taking the line to RH, is RER really needed? Between Downsview and downtown the ridership is extremely low mostly due to it being parallel to the Spadina subway and that won't change. The other RER lines will see exponential growth due to serving hundreds of new destinations and literally millions of new residents but that won't happen with Barrie RER due to being close to Spadina and basically meeting up with Yonge near Aurora. Considering this, is Barrie RER going to attract many new riders and if not would that RER money be better spent on other corridor on things like grade separations?

 

[blaixx]

I'm curious about the Barrie GO line. I can certainly see why increased GO service and improvements to the commuter rail service is needed but don't see the logic of RER.

If the Yonge north extension goes forward taking the line to RH, is RER really needed? Between Downsview and downtown the ridership is extremely low mostly due to it being parallel to the Spadina subway and that won't change. The other RER lines will see exponential growth due to serving hundreds of new destinations and literally millions of new residents but that won't happen with Barrie RER due to being close to Spadina and basically meeting up with Yonge near Aurora. Considering this, is Barrie RER going to attract many new riders and if not would that RER money be better spent on other corridor on things like grade separations?

I don't see how Barrie line RER and the Yonge North Extension are related at all. They are very different service types and don't even serve the same area. First of all, who says ridership between Downsview and downtown is extremely low? Considering most GO trips are to Union, that section should be the busiest part of the Barrie line. I'm also not sure what your point is about Aurora GO station being close to Yonge St? Are you saying rather than taking a ~55 minute GO Train to Union, they could instead take a ~50 minute bus ride to RH and then a ~40 minute subway ride to Union?

I have no idea how successful Barrie RER is going to be, I just don't think ridership changes with or without the Line 1 extension to RH.

 

[Streety McCarface]

I'm curious about the Barrie GO line. I can certainly see why increased GO service and improvements to the commuter rail service is needed but don't see the logic of RER.

If the Yonge north extension goes forward taking the line to RH, is RER really needed? Between Downsview and downtown the ridership is extremely low mostly due to it being parallel to the Spadina subway and that won't change. The other RER lines will see exponential growth due to serving hundreds of new destinations and literally millions of new residents but that won't happen with Barrie RER due to being close to Spadina and basically meeting up with Yonge near Aurora. Considering this, is Barrie RER going to attract many new riders and if not would that RER money be better spent on other corridor on things like grade separations?

RER exists not to serve people living by the subway commuting throughout Toronto, it mainly exists to bring people from the suburban cities into urbanized Toronto.

In the case of the Barrie corridor, people in King City, Aurora, and Barrie have no options other than GO and the 400.

The YNSE largely exists to serve North York and Richmond Hill, not Vaughan, King City, or Aurora. The Richmond Hill GO line largely exists to serve Richmond Hill and North York, it's not getting RER service.

 

[W. K. Lis]

RER exists not to serve people living by the subway commuting throughout Toronto, it mainly exists to bring people from the suburban cities into urbanized Toronto.

In the case of the Barrie corridor, people in King City, Aurora, and Barrie have no options other than GO and the 400.

The YNSE largely exists to serve North York and Richmond Hill, not Vaugah, King City, or Aurora. The Richmond Hill GO line largely exists to serve Richmond Hill and North York, it's nto getting RER service.

There are more people moving into the Toronto CMA (Census Metropolitan Area) each year. Something other than the single-occupant automobile is needed to move them around.

From link. That means Vaughan, Barrie, Oshawa, Milton, and (yes, even) Hamilton will see their population explode. (Note to Doug Ford, that means Hamilton will need its LRT because of the future population increases. Don't use yesterday's population for your figures.)