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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

Yikes. Better oversight is needed.

Ontario auditor general exposes litany of government snafus in annual report

[...]

The GTA’s regional transit agency Metrolinx has gone off the rails when it comes to properly completing projects on time and on budget, Lysyk said, citing a litany of problems including lax oversight of work that cost taxpayers “significant amounts.”

She highlighted a pedestrian bridge over 14 lanes of Highway 401 to the GO station at Pickering, in which an unnamed contractor made mistakes such as installing a bridge truss upside down, but was hired back for Phase 2 of the project and was eventually fired after continued “poor performance” that included careless welding that will take $1 million to fix.

And yet the company, which was paid fully for the first contract and 99 per cent of the value of the second contract, was hired for another $39 million project.

“Metrolinx does not have a process in place to identify poorly performing contractors when it is making the decision to award contracts,” Lysyk said, noting the Pickering bridge contractor had “no experience” installing trusses.

“Thus, contractors can take advantage of this and continue to perform poorly without repercussions.”

Metrolinx, which operates GO Transit, also “rarely takes action” against contractors for missing deadlines, resulting in budget overruns, the audit concluded.

Lysyk cited an example where errors by design consultants in a random sample of six projects cost taxpayers an extra $22.5 million, and another case where projects such as the Pickering GO parking garage and Burlington GO station building completed up to 25 months behind schedule cost $2 million for consultants to shepherd them to completion.

The audit also found Metrolinx “does not know that it is getting what it pays for” in rail contracts with CN and CP, with CN’s construction charges up to 130 per cent higher than a competitor’s and no questions asked by the transit agency.

On one project, Metrolinx paid for new parts in railway construction and got used ones instead.

“It does not check to ensure that parts are new,” said Lysyk.

[...]
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https://www.thestar.com/news/queens...ny-of-government-snafus-in-annual-report.html
 
mdrejhon said:
I'll have to say the rail trails around Hamiton are such a pleasure to cycle on compared to anything nearby.

Now if only the Niagara Bike Train (that already passes inches by Hamilton West Harbour GO) can stop at West Harbour in 2017 instead of 2018 or 2019... that reconnecting rail stub east of the platforms, is all that is needed, to continue the Niagara trains on their merry way.

The upcoming new Bay Street cycle track will also connect to West Harbour too, and connects to pre-existing Cannon, so I'll be on a cycle track 90 percent of the way from my home to West Harbour. As car-friendly Hamilton is, and how patchwork/flawed Hamilton's cycle network is, I'm still amazed we are now so far ahead of City of Niagara Falls in cycling. Especially when Claremont Cycle Track arrives in a couple years.
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Hamilton's blessing is the industrial heritage, ditto Brantford, and the litany of abandoned rail RoWs that left, but still, credit must go to both Hamilton and Brantford, the latter especially being tight fiscally, for realizing the huge benefit to turning them into ribbons of health and positive social engagement. Cyclists per se don't bring a lot of money into the local economy, but they make up for that by bringing *vitality*. Cyclists, as a rule are missionaries for other cyclists to become attuned to flowing through communities and bringing a positive predisposition with them. Ditto hikers, of course, although most cyclists are day-trippers, and leave very little waste behind.

Brantford, as tight as their coffers are, even goes over the top to pave some of the rail-trails coming in from the south. The trail up from Port Dover becomes a super bike-way with the smoothest asphalt possible once inside Brantford's city limits. Frankly, I think they paid more than they had to to do that, (even with today's road tires, the right grade of crushed limestone with a binder is imperceptibly almost as fast, safer, and far cheaper to lay and maintain. In a rare accident going down on crushed limestone is far safer than asphalt.

There's a number of very straight and almost zero graded abandoned RoWs across Southern Ontario from Niagra Falls west, two to Windsor/Sarnia. One of them (ex Canada Southern) is at least partially used at Waterford, I've crossed it on the magnificent Waterford bridge going north to Brantford from Port Dover, but never explored it. There's also the ex-Canada Air Line, status unknown to me at this time. Sean Marshall would know a lot more on that than I do, albeit I'm searching on it.

The point is, and Paul is getting good use as a recreational cyclist with the canal trails, as do many others, Niagara has the financial where-with-all to start connecting these trails to allow much greater use for cyclists to 'do the distance'...and GO fits into this superbly *where available* to allow day-trippers like myself to get a ride to distant starting point (say, Goderich, the G2G trail is being connected as I type, hopefully ready next season) and then jump on GO at either Kitchener/Waterloo or Guelph to get back into Toronto. (East of Milton, there's no safe way in to cycle, trust me, I've explored it many times).

Even better, as Niagara could offer, is connecting to the Hamilton trails, better to the west than east, to allow cycling to Hamilton in from the west, or Brantford to the north, or even Cambridge to the northwest, and in each case, GO is available at both start and finish.

I'd work for GO gratis to promote it! And nothing against the athletes who participated in the Pan Am games, credit to them, albeit they're being used as slaves, won't go there...but the least the promoters of the Pan Am Games could have done (mostly Queen's Park) is to give more than the silly "Pan Am Paths" in Toronto, and actually invest in some lasting legacy like trails (mostly abandoned RoWs for railtrails) to better tie the province together.

Some municipalities do this very well (Hamilton, Peterborough, Brantford, etc), and others 'just don't get it'. I leave it at that for now.
 
mdrejhon said:
I was at the final GO Electrification Open House last night.

Greg Percy mentioned to the room, some phrase similar to "over their dead bodies" alluding to CN/CP letting electrification go all the way to Hamilton. (I'm not sure of the exact phrase, but it sounded like that. It was very, very discouraging in respect to Hamilton electrification, it sounded like it wouldn't happen in our lifetimes).

In addition, everyone I asked said the electrification EA ends at Burlington.

So, this implies this is what happens in about ten years for all-day 2-way:
-- Electrified 15-Minute service to Burlington
-- Hourly Diesel to Aldershot & Hamilton

So Hamilton gets an upgrade, and Aldershot gets a downgrade.
Unless something changes (new EA stage, etc).

This was discussed before, but it was reconfirmed last night that electrification ends in Burlington (the plan at the moment).
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CN/CP can shove it. Metrolinx/the province can ask the feds to intervene. It's a discussion we've had at the freight bypass thread.

I understand that there's likely political calculation in not upsetting your stakeholders or your party donors, but it takes political courage to put your foot down and demand better.
 
steveintoronto said:
Some municipalities do this very well (Hamilton, Peterborough, Brantford, etc), and others 'just don't get it'. I leave it at that for now.
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That is a compliment because many of us are frustrated at the slow pace of transit/bike/intermodal/etc changes in Hamilton. Half-baked bike trails like the gaps on Hunter -- and Cannon Cycle Track stopping short of Gage Park. Etc.

But I guess that's a good thing indirectly in a way -- major projects have been accomplished in recent decades -- like the Millennium Project (2000) and the Hamilton Waterfront Multi-Use Trail is a huge gem of a windfall addition to Hamilton's (recreational, at least) bikeability near West Harbour. It's only more recently that the City has started actually (in fits, stops and starts) implementing real cycle infrastructure useful to commuting, that also simultaneously glues all these wonderful recreational trails together into a more cohesive network as time passes.

DonValleyRainbow said:
Metrolinx/the province can ask the feds to intervene. It's a discussion we've had at the freight bypass thread.
I understand that there's likely political calculation in not upsetting your stakeholders or your party donors, but it takes political courage to put your foot down and demand better.
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Yeah, literally Hamilton's equivalent of the 407 Freight Bypass.

A fully grade-separated right-of-way -- built in the mid 2030s as a RER phase 2 -- along with a Waterfront Rail Yard Relocation, can certainly solve the whole problem. All that real estate waiting to be unlocked (once sufficiently valuable) could help fund all of this. Especially once pressures to electrify to USA occurs (climate change spending budgets)...
 
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DonValleyRainbow said:
CN/CP can shove it. Metrolinx/the province can ask the feds to intervene. It's a discussion we've had at the freight bypass thread.

I understand that there's likely political calculation in not upsetting your stakeholders or your party donors, but it takes political courage to put your foot down and demand better.
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We just have to accept that in this nation, the backbone to stand up to CP and CN isn't there. Ironically, in the US (until Trump gets in) the Feds have stood firm on a number of instances. There is an answer, albeit indirectly, to this, and as both you and Rejohn indicate, it's the Missing Link. It will be a massive bargaining device of give and take. But until that eventuality, we're stuck. More on that later, as I'm sure others will comment too.

mdrejhon said:
That is a compliment because many of us are frustrated at the slow pace of transit/bike/intermodal changes in Hamilton -- and half-baked bike trails like the gaps on Hunter -- and Cannon Cycle Track stopping short of Gage Par. But I guess that's a good thing indirectly in a way -- the Millennium Project (2000) and the Hamilton Waterfront Multi-Use Trail is a huge gem of a windfall addition to Hamilton's bikeability near West Harbour.
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Yeah, there are *segments* of trail, I did the Burlington to east end of Hamilton trail in the Summer, but it was just an appetizer. It was over in an hour, lovely as it was. I went up the Red Hill Valley Trail, across to the Escarpment Trail and back down. All very nice, but claustrophobic as it was circuitous. I've studied the trail along the waterfront further west and east, and it's a huge disappointment. I ended up cycling along Lakeshore all the way back to Toronto, just because I was pumped and didn't want to admit defeat by getting on GO. When I think of Hamilton's railtrails, I think of the TH&B and Escarpment ones, albeit the latter can be done in about two to three hours. Needs to be extended down through Caledonia, which I believe is in the works.

mdrejhon said:
Yeah, literally Hamilton's equivalent of the 407 Freight Bypass.

A fully grade-separated right-of-way -- built in the mid 2030s as a RER phase 2 -- along with a Waterfront Rail Yard Relocation, can certainly solve the whole problem. All that real estate waiting to be unlocked (once sufficiently valuable) could help fund all of this. Especially once pressures to electrify to USA occurs (climate change spending budgets)...
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Yeah...it would also allow a bus-way west from West Harbour to gain highway access directly.
 
In the Electrification Open House did they say anything about when electrification construction would begin as opposed to when it is suppose to be finished? Until Metrolinx/GO gets shovels in the ground this is all hypothetical and at the whim of any new government. If, on the other hand, electrification is well underway soon then any new government would find it hard {and very expensive} to cancel or even have it's construction timetable pushed back.

I find it very odd that Metrolinx/GO has the money to build mega-garages but doesn't have it right now to build catenaries.
 
ssiguy2 said:
I find it very odd that Metrolinx/GO has the money to build mega-garages but doesn't have it right now to build catenaries.
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It's not just a matter of money, it's a matter of planning, design, and much more complicated+novel construction. The garages are a known quantity, they're fairly simple to build--contractor incompetence aside--and have been done before. Electrification is brand new for Metrolinx.

Also, if you think catenaries are the only thing needed for RER you're way off the mark. Do the catenaries just get their power by the magic of wishful thinking? How will the current diesel locomotives and unpowered coaches make any use of catenaries? How will the stations on many lines with only one track and one platform service trains going in two directions every 15 minutes each? Will the trains take off and fly over one another when they meet along a single track? And, yes, with parking already full at many stations and parking being the predominant method of access to GO stations in most suburban stations, why waste the time and money on RER when there won't be any significant number of additional riders along much of most lines since people have nowhere to park?

We need power, an electric fleet of EMUs and electric locomotives plus space to store them, crews and other staff for the extra service (CSAs, station attendants full time and 24/7, enforcement officers...), track, platforms, signalling, parking, and much, much more. Compared to a couple of (been there/done that) parking garages? Sounds a bit more complicated and expensive to me.

As for your overall question, when will work start towards electrification--it already has. The second track on the Barrie line from York U to Rutherford, planning for the davenport diamond grade separation, and as you mentioned, the parking structures at Rutherford and Maple. Grade separation along Stouffville. Station double tracking/platforming and tunnels along Barrie and Stouffville. Work on the Don Yard. Work to expand service and layover in the Hamilton area. Lots of work on the Kitchener corridor. Track acquisition. TPAPs everywhere. Public information to help offset NIMBYism, which in cases like Davenport delays electrification. Union Station is having this little touch-up project done on it. I want to see catenary going up as much as anyone on here, but let's not kid ourselves into thinking A) it's coming soon or B) there's not already a ton of work done that is largely prep work for RER.
 
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I have a question about RER.

I know the system will be electrified and a lot of new track and bridges etc but will the RER {not all the GO commuter system} be completely grade separated. I can't find anything on the Metrolinx/GO sites that state whether it will be or not. It certainly talks about many grade crossing being separated but not the whole system or even individual lines.

So, will all of RER be grade separated or just some lines or none with total separation?
 
ssiguy2 said:
I have a question about RER.

I know the system will be electrified and a lot of new track and bridges etc but will the RER {not all the GO commuter system} be completely grade separated. I can't find anything on the Metrolinx/GO sites that state whether it will be or not. It certainly talks about many grade crossing being separated but not the whole system or even individual lines.

So, will all of RER be grade separated or just some lines or none with total separation?
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I don't think they will g/s the whole thing. Why would they where legal and operational requirements don't force the money spend? What is important is that sufficient money be spent on height protection structures either side of crossings so they take the hit and not the 2 x 25kV overhead.
 
Megaton327 said:
It's not just a matter of money, it's a matter of planning, design, and much more complicated+novel construction. The garages are a known quantity, they're fairly simple to build--contractor incompetence aside--and have been done before. Electrification is brand new for Metrolinx.

Also, if you think catenaries are the only thing needed for RER you're way off the mark. Do the catenaries just get their power by the magic of wishful thinking? How will the current diesel locomotives and unpowered coaches make any use of catenaries? How will the stations on many lines with only one track and one platform service trains going in two directions every 15 minutes each? Will the trains take off and fly over one another when they meet along a single track? And, yes, with parking already full at many stations and parking being the predominant method of access to GO stations in most suburban stations, why waste the time and money on RER when there won't be any significant number of additional riders along much of most lines since people have nowhere to park?

We need power, an electric fleet of EMUs and electric locomotives plus space to store them, crews and other staff for the extra service (CSAs, station attendants full time and 24/7, enforcement officers...), track, platforms, signalling, parking, and much, much more. Compared to a couple of (been there/done that) parking garages? Sounds a bit more complicated and expensive to me.

As for your overall question, when will work start towards electrification--it already has. The second track on the Barrie line from York U to Rutherford, planning for the davenport diamond grade separation, and as you mentioned, the parking structures at Rutherford and Maple. Grade separation along Stouffville. Station double tracking/platforming and tunnels along Barrie and Stouffville. Work on the Don Yard. Work to expand service and layover in the Hamilton area. Lots of work on the Kitchener corridor. Track acquisition. TPAPs everywhere. Public information to help offset NIMBYism, which in cases like Davenport delays electrification. Union Station is having this little touch-up project done on it. I want to see catenary going up as much as anyone on here, but let's not kid ourselves into thinking A) it's coming soon or B) there's not already a ton of work done that is largely prep work for RER.
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But we have people, they went on a mass hiring spree some years ago. The electric stuff costs money sure, but that is an investment for the future. The province would be giving more to local transit systems rather then building garages if they were serious.
 
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