GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[innsertnamehere]

That ROW is long gone, buildings, parks, and parking lots cross it all over the place. Plus it looks a lot more environmentally sensitive.

Allandale25, there is a very old long abandoned ROW to the east of old Newmarket that splits off the current GO line south of the old town and runs up towards Keswick.

 

[ShonTron]

That ROW is long gone, buildings, parks, and parking lots cross it all over the place. Plus it looks a lot more environmentally sensitive.

Allandale25, there is a very old long abandoned ROW to the east of old Newmarket that splits off the current GO line south of the old town and runs up towards Keswick.

The Toronto and York Radial Railway. Abandoned in 1930; it never "split off" the Newmarket Sub. The radial railway ran through Downtown Newmarket to the west, and crossed the Grand Trunk/CN tracks and the East Holland River on a trestle - the concrete arch over the river is all that's left. While most of the T&YRR alignment is a trail north of Davis Drive, I don't think it's an option for GO.

 

[reaperexpress]

Which rail line was that? When was it abandoned?

According to this link, it's the Toronto and York Radial Railway, abandoned in 1930.

That ROW is long gone, buildings, parks, and parking lots cross it all over the place. Plus it looks a lot more environmentally sensitive.

Yeah, the ROW is pretty bad, but it might be an option to double-track Newmarket Station. I was thinking the line might be able to follow the old ROW past the current Newmarket Station, then rejoin immediately after. That routing would involve demolishing one building (but a building much smaller than the one obstructing expansion of the current station).

I was thinking something along these lines (proposed route in white, abandoned railway in faded green, existing railway in bright green):

It definitely looks ecologically sensitive, but I figure that an elevated railway would have considerably lower impact than the Red Hill Valley Parkway, which was built through an ecologically sensitive area in 2007.

 

[royalrivers]

Substantial announcement on Kitchener GO service months away via CTV Kitchener

Vernile cautioned that full two-way, all-day service could be up to seven years away, but said the government’s plans also include an “interim solution” allowing people to travel between the two cities “faster and more frequently.”

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/substantial-announcement-on-go-service-months-away-vernile-1.2794862

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Substantial announcement on Kitchener GO service months away via CTV Kitchener



http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/substantial-announcement-on-go-service-months-away-vernile-1.2794862

Vernile cautioned that full two-way, all-day service could be up to seven years away, but said the government’s plans also include an “interim solution” allowing people to travel between the two cities “faster and more frequently.”

Probably a reference to express buses? If there's anything that needs improvement though, its some real direct GO bus service between KW and Guelph. It's retarded that you have to go south and transfer at Aberfoyle. What should be a 20-minute trip is 60+ minutes unless you find a more expensive and infrequent Greyhound.

 

[gweed123]

This announcement could be combining GO and HSR upgrades into a single corridor, probably by combination of upgrading the existing corridor in some sections and building a bypass in others.

 

[mdrejhon]

This announcement could be combining GO and HSR upgrades into a single corridor, probably by combination of upgrading the existing corridor in some sections and building a bypass in others.

I'm not sure the news is THAT big, but if it was, then THAT would be big news.

Anything that bypasses freight on that thorny 30km section -- for all-day 2-way Kitchener GO service -- and even merely protecting for HSR -- and simultaneously satisfying CN (+maybe CP) -- would be big news.

GO bought track all the way to Kitchener, that little 30km section is begging for infrastructure stimulus to connect two increasingly-connected cities.

And if the news involved beginning/preparatory element of a 407 Freight Bypass, even an EA go-ahead, then on our scanner radios will be overhearing nearby Pearson ATC assigning landing slots to flying pigs ("...Flying Pig FP-6478, you are cleared to land on runway 33L...").

 

[gweed123]

I'm not sure the news is THAT big, but if it was, then THAT would be big news.

Anything that bypasses freight on that thorny 30km section -- even merely protecting for HSR -- and simultaneously satisfying CN (+maybe CP) -- would be big news. They bought track all the way to Kitchener, that little 30km section is begging for infrastructure stimulus.

I don't think it'll stretch that far east. I see that as more of a Brampton-centric announcement (extending RER from Bramalea to Mt. Pleasant), since the RER through Brampton thing is going to be huge on its own.

I'm thinking more improvements from Kitchener to around Acton or Georgetown, i.e. the section that Metrolinx owns. Improving the speed and reliability of GO service now, while building an HSR-ready corridor for the future.

 

[mdrejhon]

I think the news is possibly simpler:
Full completion of the timetable of true hourly all-day 2-way service to Mt Pleasant that finally makes Brampton a practical true counter-peak commute destination. That, alone, will be big news from a Brampton news perspective -- hourly 2-way is a nice upgrade. Plus perhaps two more GO Trains for Kitchener, an incremental. This news feels biggish enough to be considered big news.

Now, a confirm of full electrification to Brampton, immediately replacing Bramalea. Now THAT would be big news as that means CN and Metrolinx negotiations went better than we thought. That would rank an uppercase-allcaps "BIG NEWS".

 

[Allandale25]

I don't think it'll stretch that far east. I see that as more of a Brampton-centric announcement (extending RER from Bramalea to Mt. Pleasant), since the RER through Brampton thing is going to be huge on its own.

I'm thinking more improvements from Kitchener to around Acton or Georgetown, i.e. the section that Metrolinx owns. Improving the speed and reliability of GO service now, while building an HSR-ready corridor for the future.

Maybe the first phase will be an announcement that CN has agreed to let a third track (GO-only) be installed between Bramalea and Georgetown. That might help in the short term. Some documents suggested it would be placed on the south side of the existing track and other documents suggested the north side.

 

[reaperexpress]

Probably a reference to express buses? If there's anything that needs improvement though, its some real direct GO bus service between KW and Guelph. It's retarded that you have to go south and transfer at Aberfoyle. What should be a 20-minute trip is 60+ minutes unless you find a more expensive and infrequent Greyhound.

And the Greyhound is pretty slow, too, taking 45 to 50 minutes.

Admittedly, the driving time is around 27 minutes according to Google Maps, so even a direct non-stop bus would probably need to be scheduled with at least 30 minutes.

But if the province actually intends to introduce all-day GO to Kitchener, they need to double-track the Guelph Subdivision at some point. That's even more of a constraint than the issues through Brampton since it actually makes the service physically impossible, rather than merely a difficult negotiation. Kitchener to Guelph would make a good first phase for rail upgrades since it would allow them to introduce a DMU shuttle between those cities until they can resolve issues through Brampton to extend direct all-day service from Toronto.

Upgraded to the standard of other mainlines in Ontario (at least 95 mph, up from current 70mph with several slow zones), the trip from Kitchener to Guelph would take 15 minutes, down from the current 25 minutes. This ten-minute travel time savings would of course benefit existing GO and VIA services too, and combined with rebuilding the passing siding in Acton could allow for counter-peak service from Toronto to Kitchener and Guelph if CN is willing to make that (comparatively small) concession.

 

[timio]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's just reannouncing the extra two peak trips alongside the new layover facility grand opening. Cynical, slightly.

It would be great to have more express buses to Bramlea to connect with the train downtown more regularly than it does currently.

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's just reannouncing the extra two peak trips alongside the new layover facility grand opening.

This is a good point, a spot-on guess.

 

[innsertnamehere]

The inclusion of of the word "liberate" makes me think an announcement of the Freight Bypass is incoming. A solution would mean keeping the freight there, but "liberate" suggests complete removal of the freight uses in the corridor.

 

[wopchop]

According to this link, it's the Toronto and York Radial Railway, abandoned in 1930.



Yeah, the ROW is pretty bad, but it might be an option to double-track Newmarket Station. I was thinking the line might be able to follow the old ROW past the current Newmarket Station, then rejoin immediately after. That routing would involve demolishing one building (but a building much smaller than the one obstructing expansion of the current station).

I was thinking something along these lines (proposed route in white, abandoned railway in faded green, existing railway in bright green):
View attachment 68462

It definitely looks ecologically sensitive, but I figure that an elevated railway would have considerably lower impact than the Red Hill Valley Parkway, which was built through an ecologically sensitive area in 2007.

Really don't understand the purpose of this "bypass". Why not just expropriate the 4 houses on Franklin St and part of the parking lot that is west of the current GO Station (Davis Tannery). Seems much easier than turning an old trail into an elevated ROW.

It also doesn't address any of the real constraints on the ROW .... ie. through the eastern part of Old Downtown from Queen to Timothy St to Water St