GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[Metroscapes]

Producing concrete ties also emits a lot of carbon dioxide. Remember when Canadians still cared about that?

True, but dead harvested trees don't cleanse carbon, lumbering is intrusive, and creosote is nasty stuff, especially if ties are burned at end of life.

The comparisons being made were on a different and more direct level, and more general environmental issues while valid are a different discussion that needs to be scoped appropriately.

- Paul

I will not derail this thread but simply state there is room for both proper timber management as well as more sustainable concrete.

Tangentially related because this isn't a ML/GO project, but a Peel Region project - Mississauga Road bridge over CN Rail west of Mount Pleasant GO. They made significant progress in the last year are expected to be done by 2026. From what I've seen, the trains pass under it perfectly fine, and it's definitely going to help traffic flow north of Mississauga Road / Bovaird.

If this shouldn't be here, please feel free to flag a mod down to move it to the appropriate topic.

View attachment 665623

View attachment 665622

That's a large bridge. Not sure of the benfit given the extent of the drive aisle in the foreground of the last pic, but strikes me as room for extended access roads, trails, or room for a future layover/flyover.

 

[JJTheJetPln]

That's a large bridge. Not sure of the benfit given the extent of the drive aisle in the foreground of the last pic, but strikes me as room for extended access roads, trails, or room for a future layover/flyover.

My apologies, I should have taken another photo. Basically, Peel Region is extending the area from 2 lanes to 6 lanes and adding a bridge given the population increase. Because of the population increase, and the number of people using the two lane road as it is right now, traffic from Bovaird/Mississauga Road gets straddled due to people blocking the intersection when CN is moving cargo over the rails. They manage to take up 800+ meters of road that backs out into the Mississauga Road / Bovaird intersection. The main benefit of all this is better traffic flow that keeps people moving in the area.

They essentially built the area up before extending the roads, so this was kind of needed for a while now.

 

[Metroscapes]

My apologies, I should have taken another photo. Basically, Peel Region is extending the area from 2 lanes to 6 lanes and adding a bridge given the population increase. Because of the population increase, and the number of people using the two lane road as it is right now, traffic from Bovaird/Mississauga Road gets straddled due to people blocking the intersection when CN is moving cargo over the rails. They manage to take up 800+ meters of road that backs out into the Mississauga Road / Bovaird intersection. The main benefit of all this is better traffic flow that keeps people moving in the area.

They essentially built the area up before extending the roads, so this was kind of needed for a while now.

Understood, but I didn't mean the road width, I meant space under the bridge.

 

[bpbpbpbp]

This announcement is in the works, apparently......

Dan

Been a while since getting on the threads, but is there anything more that you or anyone wlse knows about this?

I’m dying to know more about any positive news regarding GO, especially the Kitchener corridor. Any change that could be made for KT riders would be amazing to hear about. I would assume it’s the flyovee official announcement, maybe a mention of a fourth track in parts.

 

[dowlingm]

If that seems a bit rigid, consider that in 2003 the same venue (roughly) housed a concert with an audience of roughly 500,000.... with no subway line within walking distance. The only GO trains operated were used to transport performers, not paying public. The transit to this venue is very much improved, and will be even better when GO Expansion is completed.

By the same token, today’s operational culture makes it difficult to respond to one off events. There are things railways could pull off in the old days that would be completely ruled out now, either because of safety rules, lack of spare rolling stock, accessibility, or simply lack of headcount to throw at problems. GO did pretty well for the Niagara eclipse but the demand might have been larger if better viewing weather had been guaranteed - a “mid-20th century” response might have been piloting additional trains down the CP to a temporary wooden platform at the Niagara end. Now there is no inclination, no extra trains, and fairly basic station platforms apparently cost tens of millions if SmartTrack costs are to be believed…

 

[crs1026]

By the same token, today’s operational culture makes it difficult to respond to one off events. There are things railways could pull off in the old days that would be completely ruled out now, either because of safety rules, lack of spare rolling stock, accessibility, or simply lack of headcount to throw at problems. GO did pretty well for the Niagara eclipse but the demand might have been larger if better viewing weather had been guaranteed - a “mid-20th century” response might have been piloting additional trains down the CP to a temporary wooden platform at the Niagara end. Now there is no inclination, no extra trains, and fairly basic station platforms apparently cost tens of millions if SmartTrack costs are to be believed…

I have correspondence in my collection from the days of chartering steam excursions - it's remarkable how little bureaucracy it took to arrange a train and operating plan, much of it with local officials over a coffee at Union Station.
It's well documented how the legendary 1960 CPR triple headed "end of steam" excursion attracted a long line of walk-up customers.... rather than turn away anyone from the already sold out train, the organizers just phoned the coach yard and had additional coaches added to the consist, just in time for the departure.
These days, In the case of a major event, figuring out all the layover moves and shuffles to launch and then return consists to their point of origin before next day's operations is a fair sized planning task. And there just isn't slack in either staffing or equipment to add extra's.

- Paul

 

[dowlingm]

I have correspondence in my collection from the days of chartering steam excursions - it's remarkable how little bureaucracy it took to arrange a train and operating plan, much of it with local officials over a coffee at Union Station.
It's well documented how the legendary 1960 CPR triple headed "end of steam" excursion attracted a long line of walk-up customers.... rather than turn away anyone from the already sold out train, the organizers just phoned the coach yard and had additional coaches added to the consist, just in time for the departure.
These days, In the case of a major event, figuring out all the layover moves and shuffles to launch and then return consists to their point of origin before next day's operations is a fair sized planning task. And there just isn't slack in either staffing or equipment to add extra's.

- Paul

For the Papal Visit to Dublin in 1979, Irish Rail not only reopened a station closed for 40 years, but installed a temporary signal box

https://twitter.com/x/status/781539533171089410

https://twitter.com/x/status/781072630480793600

 

[innsertnamehere]

Understood, but I didn't mean the road width, I meant space under the bridge.

View attachment 665714

The south side is apparently due for a service road:

https://peelregion.ca/sites/default/files/2024-08/esr-plan-prof-03.pdf

Not sure why the north side seems to have it as well as the EA does not identify a service road there.

 

[Bojaxs]

Understood, but I didn't mean the road width, I meant space under the bridge.

View attachment 665714

Impressive to think that the Kitchener line is almost entirely grade separated from Union Station up to this point with the exception of the at grade crossing beside Brampton GO and the other one at Scarboro St. just west of Malton GO.

 

[Sauga89]

The south side is apparently due for a service road:

https://peelregion.ca/sites/default/files/2024-08/esr-plan-prof-03.pdf

View attachment 665949

Not sure why the north side seems to have it as well as the EA does not identify a service road there.

I think it says Ontario Hydro easement on the north side.

 

[cbrown2009]

Impressive to think that the Kitchener line is almost entirely grade separated from Union Station up to this point with the exception of the at grade crossing beside Brampton GO and the other one at Scarboro St. just west of Malton GO.

There are 2 crossings in the vicinity of Brampton Go: John St just east of Queen and Mill St just west of the Go platform itself.

 

[crs1026]

We don’t know the final track plan - sounds like ML and CN may be close to announcing something. The link house foundations on the south side do hint at there being a road allotment (houses need separation from tracks) but still lots of rooms for more tracks under the overpass. Let’s hope !

- Paul

 

[WB62]

For the Papal Visit to Dublin in 1979, Irish Rail not only reopened a station closed for 40 years, but installed a temporary signal box

For the 1984 Papal visit in Toronto, the Government of Ontario did a similar thing by constructing 2 new GO stations for the one-off event:

Service also ran every 20 minutes between Pickering and Oakville, and every 40 minutes between Union and Hamilton that day:

 

[ShonTron]

There is a hint of what’s coming in a development proposal adjacent to Brampton GO.

35 Railroad Street | 190.5m | 58s | Beyrose Capital | Kirkor

That decision doesn't lie as much with the city as it does with OMERS/Oxford and the commercial tower tenants/landlords choosing to move from MCC; and whether they can find/build adequate replacements at Port Credit. Plus the business case for large malls like Square One usually dictates that...

urbantoronto.ca

 

[Northern Light]

Let me bring @ShonTron 's insights forward:

More materials here - look for documents submitted May 26, 2025. https://planning.brampton.ca/Citize...0009J&agencyCode=BRAMPTON&IsToShowInspection=

Interesting to me was to see in the landscape plan the plan for the closure of Railroad Street except for transit, with Railroad Street shifted considerably to the south to allow for an additional track, with an off-set exit onto Mill. All vehicular access to the development would be via Mill Street.