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

[MrsNesbitt]

There is no report....just a Premier at a podium and minister of transportation on radio show.

All GO lines are being upgraded to 15 minute bi-directional service according to those sources.

Oh well that explains why I haven't found anything to read yet the GO line upgrade is excellent news and I suppose makes this announcement a little less odd. I still don't exactly understand how the UPX will fit into this plan, if we're also to have high-speed rail between downtown Toronto and Pearson - sounds like duplication of service.

 

[gweed123]

This would frankly be somewhat overkill; electrification and improvement of GO service on the Kitchener corridor (and extension to London) is by all means welcome, but what use is this link to Pearson when that could be accomplished much more easily with a Link train extension (or even better actually funding Eglinton West to the airport so it can be linked in to the TTC network)? And of course, why choose high speed rail to London when the Toronto-Ottawa and Toronto-Montreal corridor (which could sorely use it) still will remain the same VIA service?

I said this in the other thread, but I think it bears repeating: Perhaps we're seeing only the first portion of a Tri-Liberal HSR platform. Ontario Liberals promise to build London-Toronto stretch, the Federal Liberals build the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal stretch, and the Quebec Liberals build the Montreal-Quebec City stretch.

 

[Adjei]

There is a terminal 2 at Pearson?

 

[newearthling]

My parents live in London and it is hard to get to, considering I choose not to drive. There is no GO service to London, only Via and Greyhound, so anything will help.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

I feel this will be hourly, GO to mount pleasant will be hourly as well unless new tracks are being built.

 

[newearthling]

I said this in the other thread, but I think it bears repeating: Perhaps we're seeing only the first portion of a Tri-Liberal HSR platform. Ontario Liberals promise to build London-Toronto stretch, the Federal Liberals build the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal stretch, and the Quebec Liberals build the Montreal-Quebec City stretch.

Have you heard this idea as a rumour? Or is it your idea?

 

[Voltz]

Asked Glen about the whole HSR/RER thing on Twitter:

@DKsan: Hey @Glen4ONT, I appreciate the Ldn-KW-TO HSR, but will it also have one stop in #Brampton?
@Glen4ONT: @DKsan Brampton will be served on all @GOTransit lines by fast RER electric trains running every 15 minutes not HSR.
@DKsan: But does mean someone going from Kitchener to Brampton (like I would ) would have to go to Toronto (or Pearson) 1st?
@DKsan: Or does that mean there will be a fast RER local line stretching all the way out to KW?
@Glen4ONT: There will be connections at each of 4 stations with other services.

So four stations. London, Kitchener, Pearson, and the Union? All the London-based services would collect at London? Region of Waterloo (and probably Guelph) would collect at Kitchener? Mississauga and Brampton would collect at Pearson?

Details like this just haven't been worked out yet, such as station locations and service levels, it's just a rough proposal at this point, I wouldn't think that anything has been set in stone yet.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I said this in the other thread, but I think it bears repeating: Perhaps we're seeing only the first portion of a Tri-Liberal HSR platform. Ontario Liberals promise to build London-Toronto stretch, the Federal Liberals build the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal stretch, and the Quebec Liberals build the Montreal-Quebec City stretch.

Not a bad idea that, but it sounds a bit shaky given the current Liberal government.

AoD

 

[MrsNesbitt]

If the tri-Liberal HSR platform were indeed the case then I'd be thoroughly impressed. Fingers secretly crossed for that. Of course it also relies upon the Federal Liberals finally ousting Harper in the next election...

 

[gweed123]

Have you heard this idea as a rumour? Or is it your idea?

I'm just putting the pieces together here. It's a good opportunity for vote-buying (even if it is justified) for the Ontario Liberals, and the Federal Liberals seem to be leaning more towards making infrastructure a key component of their 2015 platform. The Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal route is one of national importance, not so much the Toronto-London route, or the Montreal-Quebec City route.

Maybe I'm just being overly optimistic though.

Not a bad idea that, but it sounds a bit shaky given the current Liberal government.

AoD

If the tri-Liberal HSR platform were indeed the case then I'd be thoroughly impressed. Fingers secretly crossed for that. Of course it also relies upon the Federal Liberals finally ousting Harper in the next election...

Very true. I'd be more worried about the Ontario Liberals losing than the Federal Liberals not winning though. Unless Harper can mount a massive comeback or Trudeau falls flat on his face, it's Liberal minority in Ottawa, at the very least. Ontario's prospects aren't nearly as clear now though.

 

[Hipster Duck]

Details like this just haven't been worked out yet, such as station locations and service levels, it's just a rough proposal at this point, I wouldn't think that anything has been set in stone yet.

I wouldn't even say it's a proposal. I'd say it's some out-loud musing by a government minister who has a track record of waffling and empty rhetoric should be taken with a container of salt.

I mean, it can't be a total coincidence that the $29B funding story - which, if it were true, would be the biggest thing to happen to Toronto in generations - is only being tepidly picked up by the media.

 

[BMO]

down for this too bad it'll take so long.

 

[TOareaFan]

Very true. I'd be more worried about the Ontario Liberals losing than the Federal Liberals not winning though. Unless Harper can mount a massive comeback or Trudeau falls flat on his face, it's Liberal minority in Ottawa, at the very least. Ontario's prospects aren't nearly as clear now though.

Not to derail this too much into politics but I am not sure how you can be so sure on that......If you break the country into its 3 main component parts (West, Ontario, Quebec) as it relates to federal politics....I am not sure what smoke signals are indicating a Liberal victory? In Quebec, they draw a pretty clear line between federal liberal party and the provincial one (geez, the latter was recently led by a federal Tory cabinet minister) and the federalist voters in the last election went pretty solidly NDP. In Ontario there may be some opportunities for Tory losses but here we tend to lump the federal liberals with the provincial ones and, as you mention, the provincial liberals aren't doing the federals any favours with their "popularity"......out west, I don't think there is any significant move away from the Conservatives.

If there was a federal election tomorrow (and I know there isn't) I would be inclined to say a Tory minority was the most likely outcome.

 

[TOareaFan]

Details like this just haven't been worked out yet, such as station locations and service levels, it's just a rough proposal at this point, I wouldn't think that anything has been set in stone yet.

They must have thought through the things they talk about in enough detail to figure out that, in total, they would be spending $2.89B (province wide) a year on the transit initiatives they outlined.

 

[diminutive]

I wouldn't even say it's a proposal. I'd say it's some out-loud musing by a government minister who has a track record of waffling and empty rhetoric should be taken with a container of salt.

I mean, it can't be a total coincidence that the $29B funding story - which, if it were true, would be the biggest thing to happen to Toronto in generations - is only being tepidly picked up by the media.

It's probably just a project designed to produce announcements and stage photo-ops whenever popularity dips a bit.

"Ontario Government supports clean, efficient high speed rail route linking the country's biggest innovation superclusters to its biggest intermodal transport hub and international airport, promoting environmental sustainability, innovation and the growth of the creative class."

They'll just throw so many buzzwords at this thing.

It wasn't even that long ago that the QC-Windsor HSR study found that the route between Toronto and London would be a flop. They'll prob drag out the preliminary assessment for one or two election cycles then quietly ignore any negative results and switch to the next political vanity project. Probably Toronto-St.Catherines high speed rail, which is "essential" to connect the innovative super clusters of the Greater Golden Horseshoe Region or some such.