GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[steveintoronto]

^ And that's the perfect set-up for Verster's new gods to pass down the New Commandments on getting rid of the separate UPX division (one foot is out the door already) and repurposing "what we already have, and maximize the yield". This will appeal to all political stripes it's so bog obvious, and eliminate the ridiculous dual ticketing system. allow GO bus transfers on an open ticket through Pearson, and share the tracks, rather than the trains, with three car DEMUs that continue up to Bramalea (I'd like to say further, but we all know how that's going) and which do the local stops that UPX can then avoid, so everyone benefits.

I don't get it...it's the Magic Elephant in the room, any other city would die to have to further utilize, and we're expected to just accept it as is.

 

[Allandale25]

Update on the Stouffville Line construction receive via the e-newsletter.

This week’s update includes:

• Metrolinx to Incorporate Safety into Construction Tenders
• Overnight Utility Work
• Steeles Avenue Closure Update
• Construction Update
• Community Office Spring and Summer Hours

Metrolinx to Incorporate Safety into Construction Tenders
Safety continues to be a top priority for Metrolinx. CEO Phil Verster recently announced that the organization will formally include safety records of potential contractor’s when determining a successful project bid.

The new formula will see a 15 per cent of evaluation criteria directly related to safety. The breakdown includes 10 per cent of a bids evaluation will relate to loss time injury frequency rate, tracked through WSIB, and five per cent based on safety scores.

For more, please read here.

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Overnight Utility Work March 4-April 12

As a part our program to expand and improve a 17-kilometre segment of GO Transit’s Stouffville line in Scarborough and Markham, construction of the second track along the corridor is a major component. To help install these tracks, we need to ensure the proper utility cables are installed along the corridor in a safer and accurate fashion.


WHAT TO EXPECT
This utility work is required to be done overnight and on weekends due to train service during the weekday and the labour intensive work involved. In addition, our contractors will be working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in order to complete this work on time and to limit the overall duration of disruption caused to you.
The work will begin in the south near Marilyn Avenue, and work its way northwards to Finch. The total duration of work is expected to be six weeks (March 4-April 12).
Once the utility cables are installed, the contractor will be installing new sewers along the corridor. The sewer installation is expected to take place during the day.


WHY THE NOISE WALLS HAVE NOT BEEN INSTALLED YET
We have received valid questions from residents regarding the lack of noise wall panels on the west side of the corridor. This is due to the fact that the utility and sewer trenches run directly next to the noise wall system, and installing panels would prevent workers from completing this project. In addition, the noise walls would risk significant damage if they were to be installed prior to the work being done. The panels will go in once the utility, sewer and track re-installation is complete later this spring.

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Steeles Avenue Closure Update

We would like to inform you of the cancellation of the planned closure of Steeles Avenue East that had been scheduled to take place the weekend of March 8-11, 2019. We sincerely regret this inconvenience.

Due to unforeseen external circumstances, we were not able to proceed with the work as planned and communicated to local residents and businesses

Together with our partners at EllisDon, we are developing a revised plan for this work. We will work together to inform interested and affected stakeholders once a new schedule is confirmed and of any future planned works in the area. As soon as we have a new proposed date for the closure, we will let residents, stakeholders and the community know.

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Construction Update

Work Performed/Construction Activities:

• Providing flagging and signaling support to Beacon Utility at Huntingwood Avenue crossing
• Cleaned up snow from McNicoll compound area
• Directional drilling underway under the Huntingwood drive crossing
• Reading coordinates and elevations of ties and rails and rods at marked locations of south track from Havendale Road to Finch Avenue crossing
• Organizing construction material of old demolished track inside McNicoll yard

Work Scheduled for This Week:

• Dewatering (when required)
• Utility duct installation at Road crossings of Huntingwood drive
• Bungalow wiring in multiple and existing bungalows for equipment already installed; prepare for fiber as part of next stage of work
• North track demolition from Cascade switch to Finch Avenue and deficiencies
• South track destressing
• Removal of existing track bed (Tentative to release ballast investigation results)

 

[robmausser]

Update on the Stouffville Line construction receive via the e-newsletter.

Looking good.

Barrie and Stouffville need to be double tracked 100%. Then 100% Electrified. They are completely Metrolinx owned lines, theres no excuse. These are basically dedicated passenger rail lines.

 

[canarob]

Looking good.

Barrie and Stouffville need to be double tracked 100%. Then 100% Electrified. They are completely Metrolinx owned lines, theres no excuse. These are basically dedicated passenger rail lines.

I'm ok with it being done in phases, but I really hope plans are made to twin the rest of the Stouffville line, especially as the entire line is planned for electrification.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Metrolinx isn't planning double tracking north of Unionville - it simply isn't required at this point for the frequencies planned.

 

[canarob]

My point was more that greater frequencies north of Unionville will be needed eventually, understanding that it's not part of the current plan.

 

[nfitz]

Metrolinx isn't planning double tracking north of Unionville - it simply isn't required at this point for the frequencies planned.

Metrolinx's current Regional Transportation Plan that they released a few months ago, contains project 89 "Stouffville 15-min GO Service Extension (Unionville GO – Mount Joy GO)"

Surely that requires double tracking north of Unionville? As such, isn't Metrolinx literally planning double tracking north of Unionville?

It's not part of the current construction phase (such as Project 29 "Stouffville 15-min GO Service (Union Station – Unionville GO)" or perhaps even Project 26 "Stouffville Two-Way, All-Day GO Service (Unionville GO – Mount Joy GO)), but it's certainly in the planning phase.

My point was more that greater frequencies north of Unionville will be needed eventually, understanding that it's not part of the current plan.

It is part of the current plan. It's not part of the current construction, but the Regional Transportation Plan is the current plan.

 

[canarob]

That's good to know -- thanks for that!

 

[reaperexpress]

I was curious how the tracks of the Weston Sub were arranged, so I made this track diagram using the May 2018 aerial image from Google Maps.

A surprisingly large portion of the 4th track is installed but unusable. It would take only minimal effort to complete a 4th track from the URSC to the 401, with the exception of Mount Dennis where CP is using the 4th track to detour around the Mount Dennis Station construction zone.

 

[Streety McCarface]

I was curious how the tracks of the Weston Sub were arranged, so I made this track diagram using the May 2018 aerial image from Google Maps.
View attachment 175990

A surprisingly large portion of the 4th track is installed but unusable. It would take only minimal effort to complete a 4th track from the URSC to the 401, with the exception of Mount Dennis where CP is using the 4th track to detour around the Mount Dennis Station construction zone.

The real question is why Metrolinx hasn't bothered to finish it. I've used the line so many times and there really aren't that many constraints along the line to build it. Is it just not needed at this point?

 

[hw621]

My point was more that greater frequencies north of Unionville will be needed eventually, understanding that it's not part of the current plan.

Maybe after I retire, twenty years from now...

 

[hw621]

Metrolinx's current Regional Transportation Plan that they released a few months ago, contains project 89 "Stouffville 15-min GO Service Extension (Unionville GO – Mount Joy GO)"

Surely that requires double tracking north of Unionville? As such, isn't Metrolinx literally planning double tracking north of Unionville?

It's not part of the current construction phase (such as Project 29 "Stouffville 15-min GO Service (Union Station – Unionville GO)" or perhaps even Project 26 "Stouffville Two-Way, All-Day GO Service (Unionville GO – Mount Joy GO)), but it's certainly in the planning phase.

It is part of the current plan. It's not part of the current construction, but the Regional Transportation Plan is the current plan.

Unionville to Mount Joy is 15 mins right now. Itlf they are running just one faster emu between those stations they don't have to double track it.

 

[crs1026]

A surprisingly large portion of the 4th track is installed but unusable. It would take only minimal effort to complete a 4th track from the URSC to the 401, with the exception of Mount Dennis where CP is using the 4th track to detour around the Mount Dennis Station construction zone.

The real question is why Metrolinx hasn't bothered to finish it. I've used the line so many times and there really aren't that many constraints along the line to build it. Is it just not needed at this point?

It's true that much of the heavy lifting is done, but that doesn't mean the remainder is "minimal". A fifth track would have to be laid from the USRC to Parkdale to put Barrie trains on their own line. The segment at Bloor requires a bridge shift, new underground tunnels to the east side of the ROW, and work to shift the railpath. Similarly, Weston requires an additional platform. These are cumulatively small in relation to the overall corridor spend since 2009, but they are still a couple years' work.

As to why it was never finished.... good luck getting to the bottom of that. History has been rewritten here. Basically GTS ran out of money and the government decided to cap the work and come in on budget rather than have an embarassing overspend situation. That's arguably a prudent way to manage a big project, but it left us short of the GTS goal and promise.

The GTS project did a good job of futureproofing the corridor by building bridges and signalling for four tracks. A lot of the documents released around 2010 implied that the fourth track was intended as a "later thing", but I suspect that much more would have been finished during GTS had costs not escalated and UPX become a political do-or-die deliverable. Parts of the plan seemed to change as construction went along.

To be fair, the scale of 2WAD did change since the project was launched.... if you read the EA, 2WAD was originally a "later" thing.

ML does seem to be getting on with it, which is the main thing....... and to date no one has said "we can't do x because we don't have tracks east of Bramalea", so three tracks has mostly been sufficient.......but there is plenty of evidence that we've coasted since 2015 when things could and should have moved faster.

- Paul

 

[timio]

There also is the pesky fact of a few places east of the Barrie turnoff where signal supports are sitting in the middle of the already laid north track.

 

[crs1026]

There also is the pesky fact of a few places east of the Barrie turnoff where signal supports are sitting in the middle of the already laid north track.

True.... but that's probably just one long weekend's work to remove. The new signalling is already roughed in. Lifting out what's there and laying track in the gaps is not difficult. Then you would just have to connect and test the new signals. They are already on the new masts.

- Paul