GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[crs1026]

Always underpromise and over deliver.

But without a timeline, what’s the attraction? It’s all “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” until they tell us when they are aiming to deliver. Hint: It’s a lot further away than it sounds.

- Paul

 

[ARG1]

Fire Metrolinx's PR agent. Now. I am sick of this "X minutes or better" what a terrible way to entice people. Could you imagine any other professional PR firm doing this? "Our Lamborghini goes 20kmh or better!"

All I hear people repeat is that GO-RER will offer transit every 15 minutes. When the reality is that during peak service you will have stations with trains as often as every 5 minutes. But thats not what people remember. All they hear is the number 15 and parrot that.

NO, you tell people the best service level that will be offered. "Trains up to every 5 minutes"

Here's the thing, everything you read about in the IBC is generally speculative. Metrolinx thinks that running trains every 7.5 minutes is something they should do, but its not final. As such its in their best interest to promise the minimum that you can guarantee will be delivered, rather than over promise, and later have to backtrack saying "we changed our minds, we won't be doing every 7.5 minutes, we realized that every 10 minutes actually makes more sense". RER's baseline frequency for "frequent rail" is 15 minutes, and as such that's what they use in their promo material.

 

[drum118]

March 30
The transit area at Bramalea has been moved from the west end to the centre area temporary with only one way in an out of the station area.

Temporary stop lights been place coming out of the parking structure and before the bus area and taxis parking.

Steel roof up from the new terminal to the temporary close west access entrance as well out to the old bus bays.

Sometime in April or early May, work will get underway build the remaining new bus transit roadway.

Noticed that the road from Torborn Rd to the Parking structure is an exit ramp only with 2 lanes going northbound only. Traffic lights have been installed for both the buses and cars leaving the the parking structure.

People parking on level 2 is about 1% more than I last saw that level in Dec.

More up on site.

 

[Allandale25]

https://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/10599106-when-is-this-going-to-happen-oakville-council-calls-on-province-to-get-underpass-projects-back-on-track/

 

[alexb]

https://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/10599106-when-is-this-going-to-happen-oakville-council-calls-on-province-to-get-underpass-projects-back-on-track/

I'm wondering if there are cost savings to be found if they temporarily close Kerr Street to build the underpass rather than the typical strategy of building a detour. It seems the access across the tracks in that area is already pretty good with Trafalgar, Cross, and Dorval already all seperated. At Rutherford for example there was no other way to cross other than 2km up on Major Mac or 2km down on Langstaff.

 

[drum118]

I'm wondering if there are cost savings to be found if they temporarily close Kerr Street to build the underpass rather than the typical strategy of building a detour. It seems the access across the tracks in that area is already pretty good with Trafalgar, Cross, and Dorval already all seperated. At Rutherford for example there was no other way to cross other than 2km up on Major Mac or 2km down on Langstaff.

It will cause a lot of extra travel time as you must drive to/from Dorval to the business next to Kerr. If you live south of the crossing and east of it, that a fair drive as well for deliveries. As a pedestrian, its a bitch as there will be no transit on the north side compare to the one using Kerr today.

What is the cost is to shift the rails to the north and a temporary road to the west to allow the building of an 4 track bridge as well removing the road and building new tracks on the bridge??

This is one case where cost is not in the picture nor it should be.

 

[drum118]

March 31
The south stairwell at Bloor Station is close off due to 3 smash windows that are tape up.

 

[just east of the creek]

It will cause a lot of extra travel time as you must drive to/from Dorval to the business next to Kerr. If you live south of the crossing and east of it, that a fair drive as well for deliveries. As a pedestrian, its a bitch as there will be no transit on the north side compare to the one using Kerr today.

What is the cost is to shift the rails to the north and a temporary road to the west to allow the building of an 4 track bridge as well removing the road and building new tracks on the bridge??

This is one case where cost is not in the picture nor it should be.

As a long time resident of the area, I think, with due respect, that Drum is overstating the impacts of temporarily closing Kerr, excluding pedestrians. However, I am not sure I have ever seen more then the odd person wandering up that section of Kerr to where? When I go that way its just to access the valley, and that can be done elsewhere. Remember Oakville is an SUV city above all else, closely followed by a lengthy list or performance two seaters.....

If a temporary closure would assist in getting this project back on track, and perhaps lower the cost figures, then I am prepared to make the detour to Dorval to get to Canadian Tire...or my Tesla and Jag dealer.

 

[drum118]

As a long time resident of the area, I think, with due respect, that Drum is overstating the impacts of temporarily closing Kerr, excluding pedestrians. However, I am not sure I have ever seen more then the odd person wandering up that section of Kerr to where? When I go that way its just to access the valley, and that can be done elsewhere. Remember Oakville is an SUV city above all else, closely followed by a lengthy list or performance two seaters.....

If a temporary closure would assist in getting this project back on track, and perhaps lower the cost figures, then I am prepared to make the detour to Dorval to get to Canadian Tire...or my Tesla and Jag dealer.

I always leave it to others who live and work in the area to know more what going on than me, but we will disagree on this.

As some who has live in Oakville and spent a lot of time watching the condos been built, the bridge over the creek, the 3rd track, redevelopment of Oakville Station, there is a lot more foot traffic using Kerr than you think. Oakville Transit use it to get to/from the garage with a lot of local traffic for business. I have also shop in that plaza

A few $100,000's is not going to speed up or get the project back on schedule consider when it was first proposed to happen. The Town has drag its feet on this crossing with hopes someone else will pickup the cost causing the cost of building only to increase. ML is inflating cost to recover cost on Oakville dime.

At the end of the day, there is still a cost to shift the tracks to allow the building of the underpass and move them back into place. The only extra cost is for the temporary road which is a drop in the bucket. Doesn't justify why the road should be close 100%.

Because of the underpass, the transmission Gas Line in the corridor had to be move and upgraded to deal with it than leaving it as is until it had to be upgraded with the overpass. Extra cost to the owner of the line.

When were the condos towers built as well the Sheppard intersection been rebuilt to deal with the overpass? Add another 5 plus years onto that time to get to a date when it was known when the overpass was to be built.

Oakville is a car city like Mississauga, but more layback on becoming a city or doing things where cars are not the number 1 priority. Oakville has wanted an BRT on Dundas for over 30 years, yet they refused to built density on it to support one.

Another example of ML thinking and doing things with their ass.

 

[alexb]

I always leave it to others who live and work in the area to know more what going on than me, but we will disagree on this.

As some who has live in Oakville and spent a lot of time watching the condos been built, the bridge over the creek, the 3rd track, redevelopment of Oakville Station, there is a lot more foot traffic using Kerr than you think. Oakville Transit use it to get to/from the garage with a lot of local traffic for business. I have also shop in that plaza

A few $100,000's is not going to speed up or get the project back on schedule consider when it was first proposed to happen. The Town has drag its feet on this crossing with hopes someone else will pickup the cost causing the cost of building only to increase. ML is inflating cost to recover cost on Oakville dime.

At the end of the day, there is still a cost to shift the tracks to allow the building of the underpass and move them back into place. The only extra cost is for the temporary road which is a drop in the bucket. Doesn't justify why the road should be close 100%.

Because of the underpass, the transmission Gas Line in the corridor had to be move and upgraded to deal with it than leaving it as is until it had to be upgraded with the overpass. Extra cost to the owner of the line.

When were the condos towers built as well the Sheppard intersection been rebuilt to deal with the overpass? Add another 5 plus years onto that time to get to a date when it was known when the overpass was to be built.

Oakville is a car city like Mississauga, but more layback on becoming a city or doing things where cars are not the number 1 priority. Oakville has wanted an BRT on Dundas for over 30 years, yet they refused to built density on it to support one.

Another example of ML thinking and doing things with their ass.

You can find the planned staging plan on the EA here: https://www.oakville.ca/assets/general - residents/kerrEA.pdf
Presumably this is still the plan that was going to built, the existing Kerr would be used as the detour while the new Kerr is built parallel.

Having to build it in two stages to maintain traffic would have significant costs - mostly related to the longer schedule and less efficiencies. The DBF P3 method probably isn't working to great for this one as well considering the bidders had to lock in their costs for a 5+ year project in a high cost and high inflation environment.

 

[Mr Finish Line]

Some photo updates from Agincourt Station. They have removed the old track from the now NB side and are removing the old ballast and digging down to the base presumably to prepare for laying a new NB track. It can connect to the double tracked section north of the station which I believe extends to Milliken.
Also work on the new east side stairs has begun with significant progress. The upgrade of the west side stairs has languished in its current 1/2 done state.

 

[Mr Finish Line]

 

[ARG1]

View attachment 389919View attachment 389920View attachment 389921

Fresh wall, and there's already graffiti.

 

[EnviroTO]

By the end of the year Unionville, Milliken, Agincourt, and Kennedy will be complete with brand new stations. What a transformation. Next up: Danforth, grade separations, and electrification. Hard to imagine East Harbour GO occurring quickly.

 

[Mr Finish Line]

The fact that they were actually making progress on a Sunday for double tracking makes the lack of weekend service a bit more tolerable on the Stouffville Line.