GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[ShonTron]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1532663428308951040

June 9?! I was just through Bramalea GO this week and couldn’t expect that the new bus loop was anywhere near ready. There’s still a lot of work to complete on the west side. The entrance from Steeles closing will not make it easy for many of the bus routes leading in and out.

But hopefully once complete, it will get all the Brampton Transit buses into the station, where as of now, the 11/511 stops on Steeles only, and the 115 to the airport stops on Bramalea Road.

 

[anb]

June 9?! I was just through Bramalea GO this week and couldn’t expect that the new bus loop was anywhere near ready. There’s still a lot of work to complete on the west side. The entrance from Steeles closing will not make it easy for many of the bus routes leading in and out.

But hopefully once complete, it will get all the Brampton Transit buses into the station, where as of now, the 11/511 stops on Steeles only, and the 115 to the airport stops on Bramalea Road.

All i’ve wanted was at least for it to finally be here. Been striving to see a seamless train to bus connection and we’re finally going to have it. Bramalea GO is just as much of a hub as Yorkdale, Finch, 407 and RHC is and will only further grow into that fact once the Zum buses enter the terminal proper, and when the eventual RER service is finished of course.

Hopefully the 11 and 115 gets to serve the terminal regardless of the Zum loop not completed yet. And as for buses coming in and out,, we would have signal priority lanes and lights on the Bramalea side so it could be easier for some routes such as the local ones, and the ones coming westbound from 407.

 

[drum118]

June 9?! I was just through Bramalea GO this week and couldn’t expect that the new bus loop was anywhere near ready. There’s still a lot of work to complete on the west side. The entrance from Steeles closing will not make it easy for many of the bus routes leading in and out.

But hopefully once complete, it will get all the Brampton Transit buses into the station, where as of now, the 11/511 stops on Steeles only, and the 115 to the airport stops on Bramalea Road.

I was there today and the bus bay is ready other than flashing for the west end bays. What is not finish is the access to/from Steeles from the west end. You can add asphalt for the missing area, but how do deal with the conflict of traffic entering the the west end as well going eastbound on Steeles?

There are no notices in the station saying the bus terminal is to open June 9

Part of the end bus platform west of the elevator not finish and will not be ready for June 9

Based on what I saw and stand to be correct, but it looks like the terminal will handle 30% more bus bay than before.

This not a fix photo that is part of a large number I shot today and no idea when they will be done at this time.

 

[drum118]

Looked at Weston Station today and its on courses to open by Sept or the fall.

Ties are in place from Lawrence Ave to the south end of the platform with work taking on going to take the ties to the block signals. Rail laying beside the ties for placing.

Still a lot of flashing and trim to be install. Large amount of benches at the south end to be place along the platform.

Mount Dennis still need a lot of work let alone the new east platform.

Stainless Steel handrail 4' high installed on the west side platform.

Edit:
Should note Toronto Hydro is installing new poles about 10' taller on Barr St where the hydro wires go over the rail corridor with one laying on the ground next to the corridor. This will deal with ML clearance issue for electrifying the corridor.. Expect to happen at Weston station as well other locations as needed.

 

[Allandale25]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1533856321325387776

 

[EnviroTO]

What keeps happening to the new station RFPs? First the Caledonia GO station RFP went out, came back, and stalled. Now it seems Smart Track stations supposedly went to RFP but they are nowhere to be found. I don't get how Metrolinx keeps mentioning new Toronto station RFPs but they never seem to get to award stage.

 

[generalcanada]

What keeps happening to the new station RFPs? First the Caledonia GO station RFP went out, came back, and stalled. Now it seems Smart Track stations supposedly went to RFP but they are nowhere to be found. I don't get how Metrolinx keeps mentioning new Toronto station RFPs but they never seem to get to award stage.

those smarttrack contracts and the station contracts are most likely on MERX.com or something. Its not being handled by IO

 

[innsertnamehere]

never mind Confederation GO which went to tender over 2 years ago and we haven't heard a peep of since..

 

[rbt]

What keeps happening to the new station RFPs? First the Caledonia GO station RFP went out, came back, and stalled. Now it seems Smart Track stations supposedly went to RFP but they are nowhere to be found. I don't get how Metrolinx keeps mentioning new Toronto station RFPs but they never seem to get to award stage.

It's not just the stations. A number of GO Expansion early-work tenders (Union Corridor East/West, platforms, etc.) sat in RFPs for 4+ years before being closed. I believe this was the same issue as the stations; the main GO Expansion tender needed to provide details to finalize the design requirements for these items.

If Deutsche Bahn's operational plans forecast running 4-car trains for 30 years, then Metrolinx can save a bit by building the station with 4-car platforms instead of 6-car platforms; but they need DB's finalized plans from the development phase before committing to that. OnCorr construction starts in 2023, so various station tenders will close then too

Edit: This includes construction timing concerns too, both around Aecons OnCorr construction activities and DB's operations service. Construction conflict expenses will be billed back to Metrolinx.

 

[reaperexpress]

It's not just the stations. A number of GO Expansion early-work tenders (Union Corridor East/West, platforms, etc.) sat in RFPs for 4+ years before being closed. I believe this was the same issue as the stations; the main GO Expansion tender needed to provide details to finalize the design requirements for these items.

If Deutsche Bahn's operational plans forecast running 4-car trains for 30 years, then Metrolinx can save a bit by building the station with 4-car platforms instead of 6-car platforms; but they need DB's finalized plans from the development phase before committing to that.

Furthermore, in the case of the Kitchener Line infill stations (Liberty Village & St Clair - Old Weston), they need to know what the final track assignments will be in order to know which tracks need platforms. The stations will only be served by local trains, so they can save space and money by only putting platforms on the local tracks, whichever those turn out to be. In the case of Liberty Village, this is very important because there is not enough space to build platforms on all 4 Kitchener Line tracks while maintaining 2 tracks each for the Milton and Barrie lines.

 

[crs1026]

I had reason to ride both the Stouffville and Barrie lines today and got to see the expansion work in progress.

On the Stouffville line, It appeared to these eyes that the double track between Kennedy and the new control point just south of the 401 is close to operability. That section has no stations to complete, so it could be opened to enable improved service even before Milliken and Agincourt are finished. There were announcements about a work block this weekend, and about changes to access at Agincourt starting next week.

On the Barrie line, there is work going on towards adding two sections of double track - one from Lawrence northwards, and one north of King City. Neither is all that far along, and neither is likely to open ahead of the Davenport flyover. Some very preliminary site clearing was also going on near Rutherford, and at Maple station, but those additions are likely years away. Certainly, this route will take longer to build than the Stouffville line. I would not expect any serious increase in service until Davenport is done..

I was impressed with the amount of site clearing and construction of access roadway along the LSE between Don and Scarborough Jct. Some of the vegetation removal is troubling but much is necessary…. and I’m not a fan of railway lines that are so overgrown as to have unsafe sightlines. The line is simply back to how it was thirty years ago. There is a lot to be done, eg just building fences and retaining walls, and replacing or shifting utilities, before any serious roadbed construction can start…. but construction is clearly mobilised.

In short, while I cringe at some of ML’s “we are about ready to lay tracks” hyperbole, there are finally lots of shovels in the ground. A 2WAD network is definitely shaping up.

- Paul

 

[ARG1]

Some very preliminary site clearing was also going on near Rutherford, and at Maple station, but those additions are likely years away.

If you're talking about the smoothed out grade at Maple for the 2nd track, the bad news is that has been there for the past 4-5 years. They did the preliminary work for the 2nd track, and have done nothing with it since.

 

[crs1026]

If you're talking about the smoothed out grade at Maple for the 2nd track, the bad news is that has been there for the past 4-5 years. They did the preliminary work for the 2nd track, and have done nothing with it since.

There were workers on site at Maple today, mostly dismantling and removing old sections of wooden fencing which had been installed along the ROW in past years and is generally falling apart. It looked like other rubble was also being cleared.
A contractor has erected temporary fencing and built a couple of access roadways along the west side of the ROW from Rutherford north to Major Mac, this seems to be the first step in turning the ROW in that area into a secured construction zone. Some of the berms separating the line from the subdivisions were being regraded - or maybe were just being chewed up by the construction vehicles.
All in all, very very preliminary tasks.

- Paul

 

[squircle]

As I write this, CN work crews are commissioning the new controlled location at Waterdown West, which connects the west end of track 4 back to the mainline. This will allow half-hourly service to Hamilton using only a single track between Bayview and Burlington West, keeping GO trains separate from CN's busy mainline.

I posted some preliminary photos in this Twitter thread, and will post some higher-quality ones once I dump my SD cards off my good camera. Since I'm out here already, I may as well stick around for another few hours till sunrise to get some photos by daylight.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

As I write this, CN work crews are commissioning the new controlled location at Waterdown West, which connects the west end of track 4 back to the mainline. This will allow half-hourly service to Hamilton using only a single track between Bayview and Burlington West, keeping GO trains separate from CN's busy mainline.

I posted some preliminary photos in this Twitter thread, and will post some higher-quality ones once I dump my SD cards off my good camera. Since I'm out here already, I may as well stick around for another few hours till sunrise to get some photos by daylight.

Awesome stuff, thanks for covering it!