JasonParis
Moderator
It happened!
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GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)
- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
rbt
Senior Member
Looks like Aecon is starting to hire for the OnCorr work.
Commercial Director - GO Rail Expansion (RER)
Cost Control Manager - GO Rail Expansion (RER)
Surveyor
Procurement Coordinator
and a whole bunch more:
Commercial Director - GO Rail Expansion (RER)
Cost Control Manager - GO Rail Expansion (RER)
Surveyor
Procurement Coordinator
and a whole bunch more:
canarob
Senior Member
This is one transit project I'm optimistic about! Nice to see the hiring in action.
Chris R.
Senior Member
RFP request is here, but doesn't provide much information: https://www.metrolinx.merx.com/public/solicitations/2729157660/abstract?origin=0Does anyone know more about the Hamilton upgrades?
As part of the Existing Stations Renovations program, a new project will be delivering improvements to GO’s pair of stations in the City of Hamilton, Hamilton GO Centre and West Harbour GO Station. Work planned across these two stations includes parking lot and bus loop improvements, secure and sheltered bicycle parking, digital signage, improved signage and wayfinding, accessibility upgrades and an upgraded station building. The Request for Proposals was released on December 14. Bids are expected this spring, after which construction will begin in summer.
Where can I find the request for proposal documents? I'm really curious what upgrades we should be expecting to the Hunter GO Station this summer. Apparently these are significant upgrades, valued at between 20 and 200 million dollars, so I figured there would be some designs floating around.
TheHonestMaple
Active Member
Thanks. That's too bad. You'd think for a project of 20 to 200 million dollars, and starting in just a few months, there would be more information online.
reaperexpress
Senior Member
With all the talk recently about bringing all-day service to the Milton Line, I started looking into the infra along the corridor.
It seems to me that given the feds have already offered to fund half of a $1.2 billion infrastructure improvement, the obvious path forward is to create a phased implementation plan of which the first phase costs $1.2 billion, so the two governments can stop bickering and start building.
So the question then is: what viable first phase could we build for $1.2 billion, while meeting CPKC's requirements to not have any at-grade crossings or any shared track with freight?
Here are the level crossings along the line currently:
Level crossings in orange, grade separations in green
A big part of the budget will be blown on a rail-to-rail grade separation somewhere between West Toronto Diamond and Kipling, so there won't be much left over for grade separations. Grade--separating through Streetsville will be a huge obstacle so there's no way we'd get through that within the budget. But we could probably get as far as Cooksville and maybe as far as Erindale in the first phase. A regular off-peak train service from Union to Cooksville could be a useful express alternative to the subway+transitway service. Removing the existing at-grade conflict between peak-direction Milton trains and CPKC trains could potentially be used as a bargaining chip to permit a couple counter-peak trips all the way to Milton.
To save on track costs, the initial phase could include a mix of single and double track on the passenger line, e.g. for 30-minute headways, while protecting for the full double track to be added in future phases.
While work is underway on the $1.2B first phase, planning can continue on the challening subsequent phase that would extend the dedicated passenger tracks through Streetsville.
It seems to me that given the feds have already offered to fund half of a $1.2 billion infrastructure improvement, the obvious path forward is to create a phased implementation plan of which the first phase costs $1.2 billion, so the two governments can stop bickering and start building.
So the question then is: what viable first phase could we build for $1.2 billion, while meeting CPKC's requirements to not have any at-grade crossings or any shared track with freight?
Here are the level crossings along the line currently:
Level crossings in orange, grade separations in green
A big part of the budget will be blown on a rail-to-rail grade separation somewhere between West Toronto Diamond and Kipling, so there won't be much left over for grade separations. Grade--separating through Streetsville will be a huge obstacle so there's no way we'd get through that within the budget. But we could probably get as far as Cooksville and maybe as far as Erindale in the first phase. A regular off-peak train service from Union to Cooksville could be a useful express alternative to the subway+transitway service. Removing the existing at-grade conflict between peak-direction Milton trains and CPKC trains could potentially be used as a bargaining chip to permit a couple counter-peak trips all the way to Milton.
To save on track costs, the initial phase could include a mix of single and double track on the passenger line, e.g. for 30-minute headways, while protecting for the full double track to be added in future phases.
While work is underway on the $1.2B first phase, planning can continue on the challening subsequent phase that would extend the dedicated passenger tracks through Streetsville.
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crs1026
Superstar
A sound suggestion - build as much as we can afford quickly, to get whatever level of service CP can allow.
My vote would be to grade separate the two crossings at Erindale Station and Wolfedale - for two reasons
a) they are among the busiest crossings
b) those crossings are the biggest impediment to CP operations, because there is no longer enough room to hold a freight train in the existing triple track between Erindale and Mississauga, given that today's freights are much longer than previously....
Let's say that costs $250M per grade separation, that's $500M total, leaving $700M.
Then build about 5.5 km of triple track from Tenth Line to Streetsville Jct (giving CP a place to park longer trains, and utilising a great deal of roughed-in third track bridgework that doesn't represent any new expense) and 3 kms of track from Mississauga east to Dixie (one new bridge span at Hurontario, and one bridge span over Cooksville Creek).
Dixie and Cooksville Stations do not need new platforms, as both can become island platforms with the third track on the north side. But they will need an underpass to the station.
Surely that can be done for under $700M ? Any money left over can extend third track east from Milton, or add a fourth short passing siding at Meadowvale
That defers the need for any work at Streetsville including any need for a new span over the Credit River. It would be nice to grade separate Mississauga Road, but the above work gives CP two long stretches (10th line to Streetsville, and Erindale to Haines) where a freight train can hold without blocking crossings while GO trains go by. Or, where two freights can pass so that CP only needs one track between Dixie and Milton to run freights in both directions.
I suspect the big operating problem for CP is most likely that any meet between two GO trains forces CP freight to stop, even briefly.... and there is no place to do that any more without blocking crossings.
When I look at Google Maps, it's apparent that so many of the past grade separations have roughed in space for a third (and occasionally fourth) track. The key is to build over those separations, as that can be done without expensive new civil works.
- Paul
Bojaxs
Senior Member
They would have to re-design the Streetsville portion to something similar to the Kitchener line just west of Weston (John st - Chruch St.) or West Harbour in Hamilton.
Streetsville should also be "future proofed" for a potential Orangeville line extension.
drum118
Superstar
As it stands today, you have triple track between the 403 and Confederation Dr as well Between 427 and the Humber River area. There was a third storage track between Hurontario to the east of Cawthra Rd with a 4-track bridge over Cawthra. Cooksville GO Station is ready for the third track for it now that needs a bridge over Hurontario St and tracks between Confederation Dr and 427. Confederation bridge is four tracks as well Dixie Rd bridge. The corridor can handle four tracks with room for a fifth one. You got three grade crossings that are hard to grade separate.
The biggest cost will be building the fly under at Humber River and should be done first as it will eliminate the current interference with CPKC.
The grade separation for Wolfdale and Erindale will not be cheap to do. The most expensive one will be Mississauga Rd and Thomas St.
Dixie Station will have to be fully developed as a centre and side platform with room to do it.
This will allow all day service every 30 minutes to Meadowvale.
Phase 1: Fly under
Phase 2: Third track from 427 to Confederation including the bridge over Hurontario
Phase 3: Grade separate Wolfdale or Erindale first with the other behind it.
Phase 4: Redeveloped Dixie GO Station.
As a note, if the 2014 plan to upgrade the corridor to four tracks to Milton was around $2.1 Billion, that is vastly different from the current cost. To do Mississauga grade separation will be close to a Billion to do it that needs to be added to the $2.1. Billion cost along with the 30% increase of cost as well as well to about $4 Billion.
The biggest cost will be building the fly under at Humber River and should be done first as it will eliminate the current interference with CPKC.
The grade separation for Wolfdale and Erindale will not be cheap to do. The most expensive one will be Mississauga Rd and Thomas St.
Dixie Station will have to be fully developed as a centre and side platform with room to do it.
This will allow all day service every 30 minutes to Meadowvale.
Phase 1: Fly under
Phase 2: Third track from 427 to Confederation including the bridge over Hurontario
Phase 3: Grade separate Wolfdale or Erindale first with the other behind it.
Phase 4: Redeveloped Dixie GO Station.
As a note, if the 2014 plan to upgrade the corridor to four tracks to Milton was around $2.1 Billion, that is vastly different from the current cost. To do Mississauga grade separation will be close to a Billion to do it that needs to be added to the $2.1. Billion cost along with the 30% increase of cost as well as well to about $4 Billion.
allengeorge
Senior Member
These numbers are mind blowing. Could someone explain why grade-separation would cost 250M per intersection?
crs1026
Superstar
I pulled that number out of thin air, with the intent of being extremely conservative around what $1.2B can actually buy.... but also because the numbers we are seeing on recent projects are indeed very high.
I have no particular explanation, other than assuming that any contemporary civil structure will rough in additional capacity over "traditional" projects (added width for bike lanes, better sidewalks, added track capacity) and perhaps more elaborate environmental measures during construction (drainage and grading, protection over creeks and streams, for instance) or more elaborate contingencies against things such as groundwater etc. Maybe utility relocation is becoming more challenging in built up areas with more telecom etc.
It's also clear that productivity is lower... when you are building a grade separation on a line that sees twenty GO trains a day, there will be a lot of pauses. And there isn't much space within the built form to divert roads or tracks around the construction site in some of these locations, where an overpass out in the country is built in a much bigger open space. Hours of work in a dense residential area. Flagging and safety practices driven by current safety rules chew up a lot of labour hours, and we are seeing jersey barriers placed as safety barriers where in past eras there might only be a snow fence or pylons. Adjacent land is expensive.... expropriating million dollar homes gets costly.
I have to say, when I ride GO trains through its construction zones, I see lots of places where six or eight workers are gathered. I sure hope that's not a sign of overstaffing or lack of proper work planning and sequencing.
- Paul
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smallspy
Senior Member
I've asked this before, but I'll ask it again.....
Why do we need to have a grade separation/flyover to move the GO operations to the north side of the corridor? It strikes me as being better in the long-term to keep the GO runs on the south side of the corridor (and therefore negate the reason for flying the GO trains over to the north side), even if that means paying a bit more up front to build more platform faces.
Dan
Allandale25
Senior Member
Isn't one factor that CP has a small yard on the south side between Milton and Lisgar?
crs1026
Superstar
A very good question.... if nothing else, building the flyover out around Lisgar where there is more room and cheaper land might make sense.
- Paul