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GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

Great to finally have a contract awarded on that project. Sounds like they're going for hourly midday and weekend service to Kitchener with this contract. The sidings they describe in the second contract would also allow hourly counter-peak service.
 
Actually, on second reading the passing track they're building in this contract is one somewhere between Kitchener and Guelph, not the one in Guelph itself (which is odd given that the hardest part of that track is the platform already included in this contract). Although Guelph is (just barely) within 30 minutes of Georgetown, Breslau is not, which means that the Acton siding from the second contract would be required for hourly service.

I'm hoping that they just do the Acton siding quick and cheaply, without a second platform. I don't think it's worth building a second platform just so both trains per hour can stop in the peak direction. Hourly stopping service is already possible with just the Guelph siding.
 
It’s really good that Metrolinx is talking 7 day/week hourly service to Kitchener and 30 minute all day 7 day service to Mount Pleasant. It’s a far cry from the older business cases that offered nothing beyond Bramalea in the counter-peak direction or weekends.

The 15 minute local service from Bramalea to Union should make all those less frequent through trains more comfortable by skipping a lot of stops.
 
Actually, on second reading the passing track they're building in this contract is one somewhere between Kitchener and Guelph, not the one in Guelph itself (which is odd given that the hardest part of that track is the platform already included in this contract). Although Guelph is (just barely) within 30 minutes of Georgetown, Breslau is not, which means that the Acton siding from the second contract would be required for hourly service.

A little quick measuring says that a 2.6 km siding constructed westwards from Shantz Station Road (currently a single track rail bridge) would end just east of Fountain Road.

Fountain Road is built as a double track width road overpass, so the siding could begin further west, over by Woolwich Road, in which case the east end would be somewhat short of Shantz Station Road.

The writeup suggests that this siding will be extended eastwards once the bridge at Shantz Station Road is improved. Streetview tells me that that bridge has support for a second span roughed in. So it's not a huge project to get that done. That would allow the siding - really a stretch of double track, at that length to bypass the P+H grain elevator trackage and gain length in an easterly direction. Logically, the control point for the east end would include both the lead to P+H and the merging of the two main tracks.

That siding will definitely give a lot of flexibility, and with the addition of the Guelph and Acton second tracks, there will be lots of capacity for 2WAD. It's really good to see this finally getting to shovels in the ground.

- Paul

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Great to finally have a contract awarded on that project. Sounds like they're going for hourly midday and weekend service to Kitchener with this contract. The sidings they describe in the second contract would also allow hourly counter-peak service.
Will Metrolinx eventually be double-tracking the whole line? I don't remember what they stated before and it wasn't mentioned in the article.
 
Will Metrolinx eventually be double-tracking the whole line? I don't remember what they stated before and it wasn't mentioned in the article.

The original 2009 EA contemplated full double tracking, but they have backed away from that. The latest article states that sidings will be sufficient for the frequencies suggested (30 minutes at peak) and that does seem to make sense.

- Paul
 
The original 2009 EA contemplated full double tracking, but they have backed away from that. The latest article states that sidings will be sufficient for the frequencies suggested (30 minutes at peak) and that does seem to make sense.
It's almost like they've hired some competent engineering support or something, rather than going for the lowest bidder!

Looks as though that 100+ year old bridge at Shantz Station also contemplated full double tracking!
 
It's almost like they've hired some competent engineering support or something, rather than going for the lowest bidder!

Looks as though that 100+ year old bridge at Shantz Station also contemplated full double tracking!

The Grand Trunk – nearly 170 years old – was designed for double tracking from the start. Many bridge piers are built like that.
 

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