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GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

I'm surprised Liberty will be operational 2026. Thats just 3 years.

I was under the impression these downtown stations didn't have platforms long enough for the bilevels and were dependant on the GO-RER EMU's. I guess that was incorrect?
They are full length, ~300m platforms:

https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc0f073d-bb35-4705-af83-46d1341bb26e_2142x1308.png
 
Could just be a long ramp for handicapped access to the overpass, for if/when the elevator breaks down.
On the south side there's an alternate entrance with an elevator, if an elevator breaks down.
That's all I could think of.
 
Is there enough room in the corridor for two platforms and eight tracks, or would the Milton Line have to be single-tracked through the area?

The planned track layout was reduced to seven tracks as there was not enough width for more, given two platforms.

.Milton appears to get the single track.

- Paul
 
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I'm surprised Liberty will be operational 2026. Thats just 3 years.

I was under the impression these downtown stations didn't have platforms long enough for the bilevels and were dependant on the GO-RER EMU's. I guess that was incorrect?
Just a reminder, GO RER won’t use EMUs. They’re going with shorter, electric locomotive-hauled trains.
 
The planned track layout was reduced to seven tracks as there was not enough width for more, given two platforms.

.Milton appears to get the single track.

- Paul
Will the Milton Line now be serving King-Liberty station? Last word was that Kitchener Line trains would serve the station while Milton Line trains would bypass it if my memory serves correct.
 
Will the Milton Line now be serving King-Liberty station? Last word was that Kitchener Line trains would serve the station while Milton Line trains would bypass it if my memory serves correct.

The latest plan (it had been changing several times, but since it has gone through procurement it’s effectively final) is for only Kitchener/UP tracks to have platforms.

- Paul
 
Source? I thought it was simply up to the awarded consortium to decide what to do.
pretty much back to the official announcement last march they explicitly said that the consortium showed them that they could do the exact same service levels without buying new emu train sets.

which means theyre going to keep all the bi-levels and refurbrish them
 
Source? I thought it was simply up to the awarded consortium to decide what to do.

True. They're in the Development Phase at the moment, so there is no firm plan yet.

That said, Alstom's press release when winning the contract gives a pretty clear direction they intend to follow as there is mention of electric locomotives and existing bilevel car upgrades, and no mention of either new passenger rolling stock or EMUs.


If the agreement was a 40 year maintenance period, rather than 25 year, then a different decision may have been made. 40 years is enough time to build new rolling stock and run them into the ground.
 
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True. They're in the Development Phase at the moment, so there is no firm plan yet.

That said, Alstom's press release when winning the contract gives a pretty clear direction they intend to follow as there is mention of electric locomotives and existing bilevel car upgrades, and no mention of either new passenger rolling stock or EMUs.


If the agreement was a 40 year maintenance period, rather than 25 year, then a different decision may have been made. 40 years is enough time to build new rolling stock and run them into the ground.
For context, the DB-led consortium probably won (got advanced into the development phase) due to the "creative" decision to use electric locomotives and bi-levels with enhanced frequencies, which likely resulted in significant cost savings (no massive EMU purchase, no complex maintenance facility upgrades).

I am fine with electric locos and shorter bi-level trains for now - as long as the system is electrified it leaves the door open for EMUs down the road. Maybe, if something like the Milton Line gets enhanced and electrified in the next decade, we will start to see EMUs introduced, if more rollingstock is needed.
 
For context, the DB-led consortium probably won (got advanced into the development phase) due to the "creative" decision to use electric locomotives and bi-levels with enhanced frequencies, which likely resulted in significant cost savings (no massive EMU purchase, no complex maintenance facility upgrades).

I am fine with electric locos and shorter bi-level trains for now - as long as the system is electrified it leaves the door open for EMUs down the road. Maybe, if something like the Milton Line gets enhanced and electrified in the next decade, we will start to see EMUs introduced, if more rollingstock is needed.

Exactly. At the end of the day, it's a spreadsheet exercise.

We spectators may have a theoretical understanding of some of the underlying variables and tradeoffs - cost of building and maintaining locos and coaches versus EMU's, cost of buying a new fleet versus minimising new acquisitions and getting the most out of current assets, relative performance capabilities of each.

But somebody did a spreadsheet using the real world data and projections, and a fiscal model driven by their real world experience and expectations.

We spectators can't replicate that calculation and so the answer that ML goes with may be different than our semi-informed guesses and opinions.

- Paul
 
The West Harbour GO track connection appears to have started construction. Looks like it'll be a new track beside the existing CN tracks to about Ferguson, so about 700m of new track. I wonder if GO will try to park 2 trains on it overnight.

From James looking east:

IMG-8175.jpg


From John looking east:
IMG-8177.jpg


Also - CN has cleared far, far more than 11 mature trees here that look way more unnecessary to clear.. funny how there isn't an injunction here.
 
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