News   Apr 01, 2026
Lombard Canyon
 77     0 
News   Mar 31, 2026
City Council March, 2026: Plenty of Rental, Mutli-Phase Redevelopments Approved
 1.4K     2 
News   Mar 31, 2026
Building Toronto’s Skyline Podcast Event to Feature Brad Bradford in Concord
 234     3 

GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

crs1026 said:

A bridge and a deal: Metrolinx’s plan to get GO trains across Hwy. 401​


Some very interesting details in this one..... a new bridge alongside the CP bridge, "lighter shorter passenger trains" outfitted for both diesel and electric......

The kind of details that hint at this taking a long time to get off the ground!

- Paul
Click to expand...
I mean Metrolinx is planning for smaller trains as a part of GO expansion already, so it's not too much of a stretch. It basically means that the peak 12 car haulers we have today that will continue to get used won't be able to take the route though.
 
crs1026 said:

A bridge and a deal: Metrolinx’s plan to get GO trains across Hwy. 401​


Some very interesting details in this one..... a new bridge alongside the CP bridge, "lighter shorter passenger trains" outfitted for both diesel and electric......

The kind of details that hint at this taking a long time to get off the ground!

- Paul
Click to expand...

Of note here: (from the article)

In November, when GM announced it was reopening the Oshawa truck plant — which could make train traffic crowded on the spur bridge — it threw another engineering challenge at Metrolinx.

The GM bridge reopening means Metrolinx will build a second bridge right next to the spur bridge, which may be a better way forward, according to Verster

So the intent was to use the existing bridge, until the plant re-opening was announced.
 
^It sounds like the vision for the service plan is for new, light, dual mode trains that run express after some point (Pickering?). Am I reading too much in to believe that ML anticipates a new equipment type, as opposed to simply buying dual mode locos for use with existing bilevel fleet? I'm wondering about the prospect of single level DMU/EMU with shorter wheelbase cars, to get around that tight curve. A four- or six-car bilevel train with a dual-mode loco is no lighter (in weight on axles) or curve friendlier than a 12-car diesel powered train.

My fear is (as with the Ontario Line train size problem) one person's creative solution is another person's Rube Goldberg machine. Okay, we have a path forward to Bowmanville, but it's contingent on a) electrification b) a new equipment type and c) sufficient track capacity west of Oshawa to handle both local and express trains on a 2WAD service plan. Plus, the construction along the CP line. How long will all that take? Are all those components in the committed plan, or are they when-we-can-get-to-them items?

Is the new equipment type something ML was forced into, just to solve the Oshawa curve problem? Or are they merely using this to roll out an equipment type (and service model) that was already in the works for the network generally?

It sure feels like the decision to build the new Oshawa station has painted ML (and VIA) into a corner, and this is the result.

- Paul
 
Allandale25 said:
^ @crs1026 do you think there's a possibility they would use the UP Express rolling stock once it's replaced by the OnCorr contract?
Click to expand...
Can't say never, but that fleet is just too small, and that product isn't immediately re-orderable. One hopes that ML sticks to a generic fleet rather than buying smaller numbers tied to specific routes or services.

- Paul
 
innsertnamehere said:
I mean Metrolinx is planning for smaller trains as a part of GO expansion already, so it's not too much of a stretch. It basically means that the peak 12 car haulers we have today that will continue to get used won't be able to take the route though.
Click to expand...

My only concern is if this small addendum causes them to abandon using EMU's on the entire Lakeshore line.

Because there are few EMU/DMU hybrids out there.

So the conclusion might be to use dual mode loco hauled trains on the entire corridor, to keep consistency.

Which would be a shame.

Perhaps EMU's with dual mode pantograph/batteries should be examined, for the Bowmanville portion. Recharge while on the electrified portion and run on battery to Bowmanville.
 
Metrolinx (the provincial agency that runs GO Transit) has been working to reach an agreement with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) to use their railway corridor.
“Most importantly we had to resolve the commercial agreement with CP the freight operator. We had to get consent to build the railway on their property. That corridor where we build the railway all the way to Bowmanville belongs to CP. The type of agreement we reached with them was going to affect our design … A lot of energy went this year into progressing that and to get that ready for approval,” said Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster, at a virtual town hall hosted by MPP Park on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
Click to expand...

I hope that sets a precedent moving forward, that will allow Metrolinx to build a 4th track on CP's property on the Milton Line.
 
wait what?
Wasnt the main reason to use that gm spur instead of the old plan of crossing the 401 and closing the go station because they didnt have to build a large bridge over the 401?
if they have to build a new bridge, What the hell was the point of redrawing the bowmanville business case over the last 2 years

I would like to point out how bad of a location the oshawa go station is in the first place
 
Sorry I am new to GO travel. My in laws live near cookeville. Is cookeville not getting GO RER 15 minute service. If not, why not? And is it the next step after the other lines get theirs or will cookeville be forever only getting trains one direction during rush hour?
 
generalcanada said:
wait what?
Wasnt the main reason to use that gm spur instead of the old plan of crossing the 401 and closing the go station because they didnt have to build a large bridge over the 401?
if they have to build a new bridge, What the hell was the point of redrawing the bowmanville business case over the last 2 years

I would like to point out how bad of a location the oshawa go station is in the first place
Click to expand...

The existing bridge plan was not only much larger and more expensive, but it created a spur situation rather than running through the existing Oshawa GO station.

There will still be a station in downtown Oshawa (Knotts Berry Farm location) with this plan, the previous plan of another station North on Thickson Road was simply because the tracks ran there, it would have been a bad idea imo.

The best plan was to use the existing bridge, but thats not on the table anymore. This is still a better plan than what was originally intended.
 
sixrings said:
Sorry I am new to GO travel. My in laws live near cookeville. Is cookeville not getting GO RER 15 minute service. If not, why not? And is it the next step after the other lines get theirs or will cookeville be forever only getting trains one direction during rush hour?
Click to expand...
Cookesville GO is on the Milton Line, which is not planned to have RER service, unfortunately.

While the Milton GO line is one of the highest ridership GO lines, Metrolinx does not own the corridor, which limits what it can do. GO RER as planned today is primarily on corridors Metrolinx owns.

The Milton Line is owned by CP Rail, which does not permit off peak service on the line in order to prevent it interfering with their freight movements. As it is today they only permit service during narrow peak periods, where Metrolinx runs as many trains as it possibly can to meet demand.

Metrolinx has potential long term plans to add new dedicated tracks along the corridor to allow for 15 minute service, but this is heavily dependant on CP agreeing to the plan. Which again, is totally up to CP. No funding for the plan has been identified at this time and it should be considered a longe range plan.
 
innsertnamehere said:
Cookesville GO is on the Milton Line, which is not planned to have RER service, unfortunately.

While the Milton GO line is one of the highest ridership GO lines, Metrolinx does not own the corridor, which limits what it can do. GO RER as planned today is primarily on corridors Metrolinx owns.

The Milton Line is owned by CP Rail, which does not permit off peak service on the line in order to prevent it interfering with their freight movements. As it is today they only permit service during narrow peak periods, where Metrolinx runs as many trains as it possibly can to meet demand.

Metrolinx has potential long term plans to add new dedicated tracks along the corridor to allow for 15 minute service, but this is heavily dependant on CP agreeing to the plan. Which again, is totally up to CP. No funding for the plan has been identified at this time and it should be considered a longe range plan.
Click to expand...
Even a train once an hour in both directions would be enough for me. It’s strange since my kid likes to go for walks by Fairview park so he can see the trains. But it is not that often a freight trains comes around. We’re super lucky if we catch one on the way home from watching the go trains come in.
 
robmausser said:
The existing bridge plan was not only much larger and more expensive, but it created a spur situation rather than running through the existing Oshawa GO station.

There will still be a station in downtown Oshawa (Knotts Berry Farm location) with this plan, the previous plan of another station North on Thickson Road was simply because the tracks ran there, it would have been a bad idea imo.

The best plan was to use the existing bridge, but thats not on the table anymore. This is still a better plan than what was originally intended.
Click to expand...
Was it going to be a spur? i thought it was basically moving the Go station to across the 401... which is a much better position for it

Thats basically why i was a fan of it. The Oshawa Go station as we know it is just the worst position for any go train station that exists. Its nowhere near any residential neighborhood
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top