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High Speed Rail: London - Kitchener-Waterloo - Pearson Airport - Toronto

^ Wonder if the $2.25B bypass between Bramalea and Milton is part of that $11B. I realize it may/likely is part of the $2.25B Metrolinx's Capital Group has in its reports for the "Kitchener Extension". Tagging Paul, @crs1026
 
As we all ought to have learned, there is no point counting on transit project promises and they are to be believed only when construction has not only started but gone a fair way towards completion so that a 'stop work' order will simply be too expensive.
 
If Patrick Brown was leader, I think this would have survived. With Ford? Can't see this surviving the election.
 
kEiThZ said:
If Patrick Brown was leader, I think this would have survived. With Ford? Can't see this surviving the election.
Click to expand...

It is worth noting that during the last PC debate (that took place in London), all three of the candidates present (including Ford) said they hypothetically supported the project when asked.

But yes I doubt Ford will back this project if he wins, probably because of the costs.
 
M636RF said:
But yes I doubt Ford will back this project if he wins, probably because of the costs.
Click to expand...

To be fair, I doubt the Liberals were really sincere either. I think this was a project they wanted to get mileage with over several election cycles. But they got caught off-guard by the backlash from Southwestern Ontario after they promised it at the last election and the public realized what a scam they were getting. Now they're stuck. I still say, I'll be shocked if there's a shovel in the ground for this, under a Liberal government, before 2022. And that would include attempting to portray works for RER as HSR investments.
 
News Release

Ontario Commits Over $11 Billion to Build First Phase of High Speed Rail
April 6, 2018

Transformational Project to Begin Service As Early As 2025
Premier Kathleen Wynne was at Info-Tech in London today to highlight Ontario's historic investment to build a high speed rail line along the Toronto-Windsor corridor that will connect communities and create jobs and economic growth across Southwestern Ontario.
As announced in the 2018 Budget, the government will make an initial investment of more than $11 billion to support construction of Phase One of the project between Toronto and London. Canada's first high speed rail line -- the largest new investment in the Budget -- will slash travel times in half along the corridor, offer people a convenient new travel option that will reduce carbon emissions, while creating new opportunities for workers, businesses and anyone traveling in this part of Ontario.

Electric-powered trains will move at speeds of up to 250 kilometres per hour on a combination of existing track and new dedicated rail corridors. The high speed trains will dramatically reduce travel times -- to an estimated 73 minutes between London and Toronto Union Station. This will give people a faster and greener way to get around, and will help businesses attract talented workers from across a wider area.

This project is one in a series of major investments Ontario is making to build and expand public transit and transition to a low-carbon innovation economy. These investments include the transformational GO Regional Express Rail (RER) project, which will introduce all-day, two-way service every 15 minutes across the GO rail network, with electrified service on core segments, including the Union Pearson Express. Weekly trips across the entire GO rail network will grow from about 1,500 to nearly 6,000 by 2025.

Building high speed rail is part of the government's plan to support care, create opportunity and make life more affordable during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes free prescription drugs for everyone under 25, and 65 or over, through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, and easier access to affordable child care.


QUICK FACTS
  • Phase 1 will include station stops at London, Kitchener, Guelph and Toronto Union Station, with a connection to Pearson International Airport. The Phase 2 service will add stops in Windsor and Chatham.
  • The Toronto-Windsor corridor is home to more than seven million people, and is a hub for leading start-ups and research institutions, and the manufacturing and agricultural sectors.
  • In December, Ontario issued a Request for Bids to develop the environmental assessment terms of reference for high speed rail project. The contract has now been awarded to WSP and work on the first stage of the environmental assessment is underway.
  • The government is committing up to $101 million over three years to support planning, preliminary design and an environment assessment for the Toronto-Windsor corridor.
  • Ontario is continuing to engage with partners in the private and public sectors, including municipalities and Indigenous communities, while the environmental assessment, design and ridership forecasts are completed.
  • Ontario is investing up to $170 million in a major new transit project that will make it faster and easier to travel around London. The London Bus Rapid Transit System will connect 23.7 kilometres of rapid transit along London’s busiest corridors with a hub in the downtown core.
 
^ So, we finally know that a company has been awarded the contract for the EA. I wonder what the cancellation costs (IE what WSP would get) if a new government cancels the EA?
 
Allandale25 said:
^ So, we finally know that a company has been awarded the contract for the EA. I wonder what the cancellation costs (IE what WSP would get) if a new government cancels the EA?
Click to expand...

IIRC, the EA is under $20M.

A much more interesting question is around Metrolinx staffing levels. They have a fairly large chunk of workforce finishing up on RER related design/engineering work. Doug's no-layoff promise will be tricky to hold if he doesn't plan something much larger than a Sheppard extension.
 
Last edited:
rbt said:
IIRC, the EA is under $20M.

A much more interesting question is around Metrolinx staffing levels. They have a fairly large chunk of workforce finishing up on RER related design/engineering work. Doug's no-layoff promise will be tricky to hold if he doesn't plan something much larger than a Sheppard extension.
Click to expand...
my understanding is that a lot of RER work is contract - meaning all the contracts simply end when the work is done. A lot of it has also been contracted out to engineering firms to act on Metrolinx's behalf.
 
rbt said:
A much more interesting question is around Metrolinx staffing levels. They have a fairly large chunk of workforce finishing up on RER related design/engineering work. Doug's no-layoff promise will be tricky to hold if he doesn't plan something much larger than a Sheppard extension.
Click to expand...

When the mother-of-all DBFOM RFP's is signed, ML needs to look at its staffing levels anyways. It takes only so many people to run the customer face and manage the contract. The DBFOM will make many at ML redundant. The contractor may need people anyways.

- Paul
 
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