GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[Islington Express Bus]

I hate everything about the Woodbine GO proposal. I have ranted about it before and shall do so again.

It serves nothing, certainly not the existing riders of Etobicoke North. It's 2 km in the wrong direction! If Etobicoke North must be destroyed, then a replacement station should be built either at Islington or on the same site...not this racetrack boondoggle!

 

[Bojaxs]

I hate everything about the Woodbine GO proposal. I have ranted about it before and shall do so again.

It serves nothing, certainly not the existing riders of Etobicoke North. It's 2 km in the wrong direction! If Etobicoke North must be destroyed, then a replacement station should be built either at Islington or on the same site...not this racetrack boondoggle!

I feel the same way. Etobicoke North serves all the people living along Dixon and Kipling. A station out by Woodbine Racetrack has worst bus access and nothing within walking distance. It would only exist to serve degenerate gamblers. In fact the only reason the Ontario government wants to build this station is they figure they can squeeze more money out of people if they can provide them with a train that shuttles them directly to the casino. It would be cheaper for the government to just setup a shuttle bus between the airport and the Racetrack (if one doesn't exist already).

MX should purchase the property that the church sits on at the corner of Kipling & Belfield Rd. and expand Etobicoke North so it meets the street.

 

[crs1026]

The attraction behind Woodbine was simple: a developer was going to build it at no cost to the Province (in exchange for zoning relief, one suspects).

I'm not sure that the current Etobicoke North station is that much better situated, and its parking lot space is conatrained. I wonder if closer to Islington might have better transit connectivity, but I suspect many commuting Etobicoke North customers drive from further afield, so closer to 27 or 427 may be desirable.

In any event, the developer has never made good on their promise. Given the celebration by Ministers Yurek and Surma at the time, one has to wonder how this broken promise has never been called out by the opposition, but it's in a Ford riding, so.....

This situation can't go on much longer, because the 4-tracking of the Weston Sub and the promise of more frequent 2WAD is limited by Etobicoke North's single platform. And the non-completion of Woodbine means that the $100M investment in new tunnels under the 401 has been pointless. That story is Etobicoke's West Highland Creek equivalent.

- Paul

 

[Bojaxs]

The attraction behind Woodbine was simple: a developer was going to build it at no cost to the Province (in exchange for zoning relief, one suspects).

I'm not sure that the current Etobicoke North station is that much better situated, and its parking lot space is conatrained. I wonder if closer to Islington might have better transit connectivity, but I suspect many commuting Etobicoke North customers drive from further afield, so closer to 27 or 427 may be desirable.

In any event, the developer has never made good on their promise. Given the celebration by Ministers Yurek and Surma at the time, one has to wonder how this broken promise has never been called out by the opposition, but it's in a Ford riding, so.....

This situation can't go on much longer, because the 4-tracking of the Weston Sub and the promise of more frequent 2WAD is limited by Etobicoke North's single platform. And the non-completion of Woodbine means that the $100M investment in new tunnels under the 401 has been pointless. That story is Etobicoke's West Highland Creek equivalent.

- Paul

Can we not just demolish Etobicoke North and reconstruct it to better utilize quad tracks and the 401 tunnels?

*Taking money/ funding out of the picture, is this doable?*

 

[crs1026]

Can we not just demolish Etobicoke North and reconstruct it to better utilize quad tracks and the 401 tunnels?

*Taking money/ funding out of the picture, is this doable?*

The tunnels were built with the assumption that the current platform would be demolished. It's one or the other, I'm afraid..

Sure, one could design a new station in there somewhere, It would help to know which tracks will be used for what - UP vs local GO vs express - before we speculate on that.

But, as noted, that would still possibly be a sub-optimal location. ML has been treating EN as a secondary station - the only way to run the current local service is to have some trains not stop there. It's Doug Ford's riding, and transit is only for people who can't drive.

- Paul

 

[PL1]

There are a number of concerts I'm interested in at the "Great Canadian Casino"™®© at Woodbine racetrack. I have close to zero desire to truck to the outer fringe for these, and will it pay $400 for a room there. Anyway, Metrolinx's naming system is terrible, but why would they call this Woodbine when there has been a Woodbine station on Line 2 since 1968?!?

 

[crs1026]

There are a number of concerts I'm interested in at the "Great Canadian Casino"™®© at Woodbine racetrack. I have close to zero desire to truck to the outer fringe for these, and will it pay $400 for a room there. Anyway, Metrolinx's naming system is terrible, but why would they call this Woodbine when there has been a Woodbine station on Line 2 since 1968?!?

The racetrack and surrounding area have been known as Woodbine since forever, so Toronto does indeed have two districts with the same name.

- Paul

 

[ARG1]

I hate everything about the Woodbine GO proposal. I have ranted about it before and shall do so again.

It serves nothing, certainly not the existing riders of Etobicoke North. It's 2 km in the wrong direction! If Etobicoke North must be destroyed, then a replacement station should be built either at Islington or on the same site...not this racetrack boondoggle!

A major silver lining is that it functions as a great place to extend Line 6 to. The line currently terminates in a trench next to Highway 27 heading south, so a further 3km extension can provide Humber students with a direct connection to the Woodbine Mall (not very useful), and a GO station that will get them to Downtown Toronto much faster than trudging the entire existing length of Line 6, and almost the entire University Line (extremely useful). This benefit is further available to residents around any part of the last quarter of Line 6. If anything, I'd argue that this is the missing link that will turn Line 6 from an ok transit line, to an actually great transit line.

 

[Bojaxs]

The tunnels were built with the assumption that the current platform would be demolished. It's one or the other, I'm afraid..

Sure, one could design a new station in there somewhere, It would help to know which tracks will be used for what - UP vs local GO vs express - before we speculate on that.

But, as noted, that would still possibly be a sub-optimal location. ML has been treating EN as a secondary station - the only way to run the current local service is to have some trains not stop there. It's Doug Ford's riding, and transit is only for people who can't drive.

- Paul

Yeah, looking at Google maps, I see what you're saying. I wonder if the Province has put any thought into moving the provincial sign shop. Although I doubt that would solve the issue with Etobicoke North and the tunnels. Islington would probably be a better location. Somewhere just south of Lowe's Pl?

What's the deal with Resource Rd. and the 401 tunnels?

 

[PL1]

The racetrack and surrounding area have been known as Woodbine since forever, so Toronto does indeed have two districts with the same name.

- Paul

True... The original Woodbine racetrack was moved to this site and the original renamed Greenwood. However, having two distant stations with the same name could create confusion! (I feel the same about East Harbour and West Harbour, which are no where near each other)

 

[Willybru21]

True... The original Woodbine racetrack was moved to this site and the original renamed Greenwood. However, having two distant stations with the same name could create confusion! (I feel the same about East Harbour and West Harbour, which are no where near each other)

The largest offender in this region is Eglinton, Eglinton, Eglinton, and Eglinton West, good thing they’re renaming one of them!

 

[PL1]

The largest offender in this region is Eglinton, Eglinton, Eglinton, and Eglinton West, good thing they’re renaming one of them!

I think the Eglintons are well known within Toronto, but that may be an issue I've not considered. Regardless, this is a Metrolinx project and they don't believe in similar names (though east- and west-harbour?!?). Anyway, we'll all figure things out whenever they finally finish any of these!