GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[EnviroTO]

I know the text is all corporate bafflegab, but it really would be nice if "excellent customer experience" was emphasized.

Not sure if capital projects director for USRC really controls the customer experience beyond a corridor with the capacity and design to move trains in and out quickly. Doesn't seem like the position to control service levels, hire CSRs, define coach comfort, etc, Yelp review... Great use of cement and steel rails, five stars.

 

[PL1]

Not sure if capital projects director for USRC really controls the customer experience beyond a corridor with the capacity and design to move trains in and out quickly. Doesn't seem like the position to control service levels, hire CSRs, define coach comfort, etc, Yelp review... Great use of cement and steel rails, five stars.

I just referred to the last sentence: "The objective is to build a network... " while blah blah, while oh yeah, were also doing it for the plebes that take our service.

*Everything* should ultimately be in the service of the customers. Of course using cement and rails is the what, but the goal should be to improve the service, which helps customers. Maybe I'm just being sensitive to the order of the words and it really makes no difference

 

[Allandale25]

This job posting would suggest Metrolinx will continue intensive construction in the USRC beyond the current south-side rebuild.

View attachment 686258

The editor missed "GO" instead of "Go".

 

[dowlingm]

Milton still doesn’t have all-day, two-way GO train service. What’s the hold up?

“A complex challenge,” says Metrolinx.

www.insidehalton.com

 

[sixrings]

Milton still doesn’t have all-day, two-way GO train service. What’s the hold up?

“A complex challenge,” says Metrolinx.

www.insidehalton.com

What’s the hold up? Money.

To be clear there is money. It’s the will to spend it here which is the BIG hold up.

 

[drum118]

Oct 4
More up on my site

Haven't started any real work on the westside until OL3 is more advance.

It will not take long for the barrier are tag like the ones on the southside at Pape

Been about 7 years since I saw this area at Danforth

 

[catcher_of_cats]

I wonder if passengers at Danforth Station feel the oppressive 'weight' of the new Condo complex beside them. That is one massive street wall.

 

[crs1026]

I wonder if passengers at Danforth Station feel the oppressive 'weight' of the new Condo complex beside them. That is one massive street wall.

Welcome to Toronto, where we build tiny homes in dystopian towers with zeal, while fighting fiercely to prevent any careful, reasoned, low-rise, moderate-density transformation of our quieter streets.

At least it is on the north side, so doesn't shadow the entire station platform.

- Paul

 

[drum118]

I just noticed the towers are not 100 feet from the ROW like other towers as well no 20' crash wall for the east section. Mimico Station ,was to see something like this

 

[crs1026]

I just noticed the towers are not 100 feet from the ROW like other towers as well no 20' crash wall for the east section. Mimico Station ,was to see something like this

Good catch. It looks like they are not finished pouring the crash wall, so it may end up extending further east all the way to the end. I also wonder if there is an exemption or variance approved based on this line likely seeing only the odd freight movement, and perhaps even those being speed restricted..
in any event, the lower floors appear to be parking not residential….. but to this non-engineer, severing the verticals might be disastrous.

- Paul

 

[ProjectEnd]

I just noticed the towers are not 100 feet from the ROW like other towers as well no 20' crash wall for the east section. Mimico Station ,was to see something like this

25m from centre line of the nearest track is the FRA rule-of-thumb. See below re: crash wall. Mimico will absolutely have this as well, there's no getting out of it.

Good catch. It looks like they are not finished pouring the crash wall, so it may end up extending further east all the way to the end. I also wonder if there is an exemption or variance approved based on this line likely seeing only the odd freight movement, and perhaps even those being speed restricted..
in any event, the lower floors appear to be parking not residential….. but to this non-engineer, severing the verticals might be disastrous.

- Paul

They are pouring it in that second image. You can see the formwork (the yellow and silver lattice looking thing) at the end of the already-poured wall, and the rebar sticking up at the base continuing all the way to the eastern edge of the project.

 

[drum118]

25m from centre line of the nearest track is the FRA rule-of-thumb. See below re: crash wall. Mimico will absolutely have this as well, there's no getting out of it.

They are pouring it in that second image. You can see the formwork (the yellow and silver lattice looking thing) at the end of the already-poured wall, and the rebar sticking up at the base continuing all the way to the eastern edge of the project.

The condos on the Northside of CPKC corridor at Islington Station have their crashwall next to the ROW with the condo building been 100 feet from the ROW/. The condos at Burlington Station is next to Metrolinx ROW. If you look south off Dundas St W overpass, you will see the crashwall next to Metrolinx ROW. Metrolinx wants the residents building to be 100' from their ROW.

All the buildings on the southside of Union Station Corridor have the crashwall next to it that are about 2 feet thick.

 

[innsertnamehere]

25m from centre line of the nearest track is the FRA rule-of-thumb. See below re: crash wall. Mimico will absolutely have this as well, there's no getting out of it.

They are pouring it in that second image. You can see the formwork (the yellow and silver lattice looking thing) at the end of the already-poured wall, and the rebar sticking up at the base continuing all the way to the eastern edge of the project.

The Canadian standard is 30 metres from edge of the property line shared with the rail corridor, with caveats:

1. Can be reduced by a crash wall (typically by 5m)
2. Can be measured horizontally and vertically
3. "low occupancy space" can be constructed within these areas - i.e. parking, storage areas, etc.

https://www.railcan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2013_05_29_Guidelines_NewDevelopment_E.pdf

This is the full guideline for details. There are further nuances to it than that, but that's the general idea.

In the case of 6 Dawes, they built a crash wall, which reduced it to 25 metres, then filled that 25 metre area basically entirely with low-occupancy space (i.e. parking) until they got 25 metres up vertically, where the units start.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

The Canadian standard is 30 metres from edge of the property line shared with the rail corridor, with caveats:

1. Can be reduced by a crash wall (typically by 5m)
2. Can be measured horizontally and vertically
3. "low occupancy space" can be constructed within these areas - i.e. parking, storage areas, etc.


View attachment 686905

https://www.railcan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2013_05_29_Guidelines_NewDevelopment_E.pdf

This is the full guideline for details. There are further nuances to it than that, but that's the general idea.

In the case of 6 Dawes, they built a crash wall, which reduced it to 25 metres, then filled that 25 metre area basically entirely with low-occupancy space (i.e. parking) until they got 25 metres up vertically, where the units start.

A key piece here is that it is a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. With the proper negotiation and other mitigating factors it can be reduced. Also, one silly thing about this standard is that it's designed for freight trains. The standard should in practice be reduced on passenger-only lines.

 

[innsertnamehere]

A key piece here is that it is a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. With the proper negotiation and other mitigating factors it can be reduced. Also, one silly thing about this standard is that it's designed for freight trains. The standard should in practice be reduced on passenger-only lines.

Yes. And alas from my experience, Metrolinx likes to hold pretty close to the standard in negotiations, as silly and overly stringent as they are.

In this case a 25m setback was applied because they did provide the crash wall:

However Metrolinx did seem to allow a bit of flexibility on the definition of "low occupancy uses", with building lobbies, retail, amenity areas, and a small area of the daycare actually being located within the setback. No residential units are located within it.