GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[EastYorkTTCFan]

Paint does not work in the cold?

They said on the Metrolinx podcast that they don't do it because of required ultrasonic testing of the rails from the federal transit ministry, but there could be other factors too. For example environmental concerns with the paint.

 

[Allandale25]

Councillor Fletcher is trying to get the Don Valley Layover relocated.

Agenda Item History 2022.IE31.20

Agenda Item History 2022.IE31.20

app.toronto.ca

 

[nfitz]

Councillor Fletcher is trying to get the Don Valley Layover relocated.

Agenda Item History 2022.IE31.20

Agenda Item History 2022.IE31.20

app.toronto.ca

Good. It's an atrocious location for such a facility.

 

[Allandale25]

^ the options are extremely limited. Getting more cars off the road and having more people use the Milton Line would be beneficial for GHG reductions.

There are two sites within the Don Valley that the City owns that could be naturalized as a further mitigation measure.

 

[kamira51]

Good. It's an atrocious location for such a facility.

What are the other possible locations?

 

[reaperexpress]

Good. It's an atrocious location for such a facility.

An abandoned rail line near Union? Sounds like a jackpot to me...

 

[nfitz]

What are the other possible locations?

For just 2 trainsets (or has it now bloated to 3). Lakeshore East width is good for 6 tracks; but with 2 lost from the Don to Pape, for the Ontario Line, park some trainsets between Pape and Coxwell, along new track there. Or east of Danforth GO, where there's not any environmental concerns.

An abandoned rail line near Union? Sounds like a jackpot to me...

For just parking a train or two perhaps. But the amount of other infrastructure that's too be built in an environmentally sensitive area - which seems to keep increasing - is the issue. It also makes future use of that track (which hasn't been legally abandoned) very difficult.

Also problematic was the lack of a process about the selection of this site. The first time anyone heard that such a proposal for additional storage was on the table, was in a public meeting about the future additional city GO stations, and this plan just appeared there out of nowhere - completely skipping the site selection phase.

The lack of transparency and public communication at Metrolinx is stunning.

 

[Allandale25]

It's not just parking. I think the Metrolinx material said some cleaning and waste disposal.

USRC East on the southerly side won't work because it would involve too many crossover movements that would interfere with the LSE and Stouffville service. Paper/Coxwell/Danforth is too far and again, would interfere with revenue service runs. It's a lot more complicated than looking at the map and saying, hey put the trains there.

Update: I believe the Metrolinx material mentions other constraints on the USRC East southerly side. It may mention the additional tracks 7 and 8 being installed and the hydro transmission line.

 

[MrGoose]

Oh man won’t someone please protect this sensitive part of the Don Valley LITERALLY RIGHT NEXT TO THE DVP.

If you can’t build this kind of light train parking and cleaning facility right next to a highway, there is nowhere else you could build it.

 

[smallspy]

Oh man won’t someone please protect this sensitive part of the Don Valley LITERALLY RIGHT NEXT TO THE DVP.

If you can’t build this kind of light train parking and cleaning facility right next to a highway, there is nowhere else you could build it.

While I agree with you that the "environmentally sensitive" part has been very seriously overplayed.....

Metrolinx has a far better site quite literally less than 2 miles further up the very same track.

Dan

 

[Allandale25]

^ The former CP yard at Leaside?

 

[Northern Light]

^ The former CP yard at Leaside?

View attachment 410851

Definitely what he's meaning.

My understanding was Mx didn't want to spend on the rehab/reconstruction of the 1/2 mile bridge, and thus discounted this option, which I think is shortsighted.

Not a problem unique to Mx.

***

Here's a shot of the CP Mainline at Bartlett in the west end...........a corridor capable of and that used to support 4 tracks at this location........today there are 2.........but look at where they installed the crossing signals.....

That's right...........directly in the path of restoring the additional tracks...........sigh....

 

[Allandale25]

^ I would have to assume that in addition to any work required for the bridge they'd also have to lease the land from CP and get an agreement. So the cost/time would also factor in.

 

[nfitz]

Oh man won’t someone please protect this sensitive part of the Don Valley LITERALLY RIGHT NEXT TO THE DVP.

So two wrongs make a right?

How does this justify the lack of consultation on site selection - and other aspects of Metrolinx's incompetence?

 

[reaperexpress]

Here's a shot of the CP Mainline at Bartlett in the west end...........a corridor capable of and that used to support 4 tracks at this location........today there are 2.........but look at where they installed the crossing signals.....

View attachment 410852

That's right...........directly in the path of restoring the additional tracks...........sigh....

At least those additional tracks are purely theoretical. In 2015, Metrolinx relocated a bunch of signals in Guelph onto the path of the second track which was already being planned at the time and is now under construction in 2022. See for example at the Yorkshire Street crossing:

2011: 2 tracks in place

2014: 2nd track has been removed

2019: signal has been relocated into space of old 2nd track: