GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[cplchanb]

That is one HUGE overlook to not connect the overhead crossing to the southbound platform. It makes absolutely no sense to have to go down and come back up again if they are intending to make an underpass. Hopefully it the future they can add that connection, but it's certainly a lost opportunity not to have it now. It'll be much more expensive later to add after the fact and we will be footing that bill........

 

[drum118]

Is that big structure the parking palace/complex?

Most likely just like the one for Bramalea GO station and waiting for the rest of the parking lot to be built before it can be open. Then it may have to wait to open until the station is hand over to ML. Since ridership is way down at this time, there is enough parking for the areas that still has parking on it. The structure may open or just the surface section when it come time to finish rebuilding the last remaining area of parking.

Only have to look at Cooksville structure to say it is a parking palace structure and show how much money is wasted on cars, not the riders. ML have the largest parking lot system in NA and keep growing with these structures as they are built.

Will they be replacing the rest of the wooden ties/sleepers in that last pic?

From what I have seen of other stations being rebuilt, all existing track on ML lines are seeing concrete ties in place of wooden one and no reason it will not happen here. If you are see concrete ties now along with wood, its a sure sign the wooden ones will be replace with concrete.

 

[sixrings]

I wish the raptor 905 and Marlies would build a new 8-10k arena at cooksville. Then the arena would be closer to downtown and the parking garage could be used the entire day.

 

[reaperexpress]

That is one HUGE overlook to not connect the overhead crossing to the southbound platform. It makes absolutely no sense to have to go down and come back up again if they are intending to make an underpass. Hopefully it the future they can add that connection, but it's certainly a lost opportunity not to have it now. It'll be much more expensive later to add after the fact and we will be footing that bill........

If you're coming from the parking garage you access the southbound platform simply by going down the stairs/elevator in the garage itself. People walking will presumably have access directly to both platforms from the Rutherford underpass. The main question is how direct it will be for people arriving by bike and transit.

Normally I would look up the site plan but I can't be bothered right now

 

[innsertnamehere]

GO typically has at least 2 accesses so it’s probably one tunnel and one overpass.

that’s possibly GOs best looking garage yet. It’s actually quite attractive.

 

[DirectionNorth]

Most likely just like the one for Bramalea GO station and waiting for the rest of the parking lot to be built before it can be open. Then it may have to wait to open until the station is hand over to ML. Since ridership is way down at this time, there is enough parking for the areas that still has parking on it. The structure may open or just the surface section when it come time to finish rebuilding the last remaining area of parking.

Only have to look at Cooksville structure to say it is a parking palace structure and show how much money is wasted on cars, not the riders. ML have the largest parking lot system in NA and keep growing with these structures as they are built.

I was only joking ... of course it was. LOL.

Agree with you, though.

 

[reaperexpress]

I've been digging around on the GO, Metrolinx, Infrastructure Ontario and City of Vaughan sites, and I cannot find any site plans for the new Rutherford station anywhere. There are a variety of renderings, but these are not consistent - some show a level crossing at the north end of the station, next to the new underpass, while others don't. The project description does in any case say that there will be a pedestrian tunnel under the tracks, in addition to the pedestrian bridge we can see in the pictures. There doesn't seem to be any direct access from the Rutherford underpass to the platforms.

 

[smallspy]

I've been digging around on the GO, Metrolinx, Infrastructure Ontario and City of Vaughan sites, and I cannot find any site plans for the new Rutherford station anywhere. There are a variety of renderings, but these are not consistent - some show a level crossing at the north end of the station, next to the new underpass, while others don't. The project description does in any case say that there will be a pedestrian tunnel under the tracks, in addition to the pedestrian bridge we can see in the pictures. There doesn't seem to be any direct access from the Rutherford underpass to the platforms.

The pedestrian tunnel - as with the one at Maple - was installed 3 years ago. You can see the tunnel accesses quite clearly from the train, they are about 100+ feet north of the pedestrian bridge.

None of the various designs shown indicated direct pedestrian access to the platforms from Rutherford Rd., and I would be very surprised to see it done here.

Dan

 

[reaperexpress]

The pedestrian tunnel - as with the one at Maple - was installed 3 years ago. You can see the tunnel accesses quite clearly from the train, they are about 100+ feet north of the pedestrian bridge.

None of the various designs shown indicated direct pedestrian access to the platforms from Rutherford Rd., and I would be very surprised to see it done here.

Dan

No indeed I saw that none of the designs have access from the underpass. I was just hoping they would provide direct access from the grade separation structure like they did at other new/upgraded GO stations such as Milliken, Agincourt, Guelph, Bloor, and Confederation (there is a staircase encased in the west pier which will be uncovered when the platform is built).

 

[cplchanb]

If you're coming from the parking garage you access the southbound platform simply by going down the stairs/elevator in the garage itself. People walking will presumably have access directly to both platforms from the Rutherford underpass. The main question is how direct it will be for people arriving by bike and transit.

Normally I would look up the site plan but I can't be bothered right now

Even if that were the case, architecturally it makes no sense to have a half approach on one of the most visible aspects of the station. It just looks stupid that only 1 platform has this beautiful glass stair descending to it, and the other one with nothing....

 

[Tristen]

Red: Missing links
Green: Existing Sidewalk

Rutherford GO do not need a giant parking garage, it needs better pedestrian access and local transit options.

 

[innsertnamehere]

View attachment 343446

Red: Missing links
Green: Existing Sidewalk

Rutherford GO do not need a giant parking garage, it needs better pedestrian access and local transit options.

I'm a little doubtful that two ~50 metre stretches of asphalt will remove the need for 1,000 parking spaces, but ok..

Like most things, the need is likely both.

 

[superelevation]

Rutherford station, 21 August 2021:

Parkade seems to be nearing completion:

The old station building is still standing, for now...

The southbound platform interestingly doesn't have access from the overhead walkway. Hopefully there will be a second (e.g. underground) crossing since the bike parking obviously won't be on the 3rd floor of the parking garage. The high concrete bases under the pillars is to future-proof them for when the platform gets raised for level boarding. At that point, freight trains will no longer be able to pass directly by the platforms, hence the space left open for a third track.

Northbound platform seems to be nearly complete, passengers should soon be able to start using it, allowing the temporary platform to be demolished and the southbound platform to be completed in its place.

Hate the parking but these new 905 stations are very nice looking, even sans level boarding they are a BIG upgrade.

 

[Allandale25]

The Mayor went to visit.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1429846458128347137

 

[reaperexpress]

View attachment 343446

Red: Missing links
Green: Existing Sidewalk

Rutherford GO do not need a giant parking garage, it needs better pedestrian access and local transit options.

The project includes a new pedestrian & bicycle bridge across Rutherford on the east side of the tracks.

It will connect to the existing multi-use path you can see in the aerial view along the east side of the railway. The plans don't show a shortcut being built along the west side of the stormwater management pond, bringing the path straight down to the station along the east side of the tracks, but it's possible that the City of Vaughan will do that separately from the Metrolinx project.

There is a townhouse development being planned in the field northeast of the station, and the conceptual site plan does include two easments connecting the neighbourhood to the existing multi-use path.

Existing path in green, new easements in blue:

However, being a conceptual site plan, there's still plenty of opportunity for these connections to be deleted. The City of Vaughan has approved plenty of developments recently which omit critical pedestrian links, and even some which eliminate existing well-used pedestrian routes.

The Metrolinx project also includes a multi-use path along the south side of Rutherford from the south terminus of the bridge (i.e. the station's bike parking) into the neighbourhood immediately east of the station. I'm not sure if there's any planned connection to the neighbourhood to the southeast.

The main problem I have is here that the paths being built at part of the project are multi-use paths rather than separate bike paths and sidewalks. Even today (well, pre-pandemic) whenever a train pulls in there is a considerable flow of pedestrians into the neighbourhood to the east - enough to fully occupy a multi-use trail and create serious conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists.

A bigger pedestrian/bicycle connectivity problem is that this same path is not being connected to Maple station via a similar bridge over Major Mackenzie Drive.