Mid-Peninsula Highway/Niagara-GTA Corridor

[Kiwi]

One of the big points of the Mid-Peninsula Highway is to connect the Hamilton Airport, the province and the City sees the Airport as a big chance to create more jobs for the Hamilton and Niagara Region.

 

[waterloowarrior]

One problem is that MTO EAs will usually have a serious comprehensive analysis of a new or upgraded highway corridor, but the analysis of intercity rail/transit corridors are much less comprehensive and less bold. They will look at the current intercity transit network and any planned minor upgrades of existing network and say it can't meet demand.

The EA's rarely would suggest a serious upgrading of an intercity corridor (unless it is a GO Transit EA ), the "transit improvements" section is always a "business-as-usual plus minor upgrades" scenario. Transit/intercity solutions are usually included as background/base case options, rather than being carried forward as a potential solution. Although this "corridor study" is supposed to be different, it looks like a similar situation.

 

[EnviroTO]

GO is studying the Niagara rail corridor currently as well. The biggest issue there is that they will need to build a tunnel under the Welland Canal in order provide any form of reliability on the route and that cost is probably an obstacle to the plan moving forward. If the project was tied to the Mid-Peninsula Corridor where the highway takes over the Townline Tunnel and a new rail tunnel is built in St.Catharines as a replacement then the rail corridor might get what it needs.

 

[jn_12]

Unless they route trains through Welland. There is already a rail tunnel under the canal parallel to highway 58A. Mind you it would have to then turn north to Niagara Falls and you'd be missing the entire St Catharines market so it's probably not the best plan (though great for southern Niagara)

I guess it'd depend on the cost, but if I'm not mistaken there's a lock near the current train bridge, which might make things a bit more challenging. To be honest, I think the cost might be a huge deterrent.

 

[andomano]

The biggest issue there is that they will need to build a tunnel under the Welland Canal in order provide any form of reliability on the route and that cost is probably an obstacle to the plan moving forward.

I thought that the track that GO used over the summer crossed at a lock which doesn't affect train or ship traffic? I have a hunch I am wrong...


On a lighter note:
It seems the engineers missed when they built the Garden City bridge.

 

[EnviroTO]

I thought that the track that GO used over the summer crossed at a lock which doesn't affect train or ship traffic? I have a hunch I am wrong...

On numerous occasions Niagara trains, both VIA and GO, are forced to wait for ships which have priority. Why would the presence of a lock change anything? Ships still need to enter and exit the lock.

 

[Millstone]

I think the point of a mid-peninsula highway would not be to provide routes for sprawl or commuters. The real issue is that our manufacturing sector needs a way to move trucks in and out of Ontario without the gridlock that exists now. New highways that are built should be built away from the city providing a way to pass the city. Trucks from the Toyota plan or Honda plant, despite them purposely locating those facilities away from Toronto, currently cannot avoid the GTAH gridlock. Lanes added on the QEW provide greater incentive for sprawl than a by-pass which provides no new avenues into the city.

This is already how it's been done for the last 50 years. The 401 originally bypassed Toronto by a large margin to the north. Eventually the cities grow toward the highways.

 

[EnviroTO]

I don't think it would be as much of an issue when the way to get to that highway is not being relieved and the highway is on the far side of a wide greenbelt.

 

[jn_12]

Wouldn't the fact it's on the other side of the Greenbelt be a huge issue for sprawl? We're already seeing it in Simcoe County. You really don't think subdivisions will pop up around highway exits? It's happened elsewhere, I don't see why this would be any different.

 

[unimaginative2]

The problem with the Mid Pen is that if it's a toll highway, all the trucks will remain on the free QEW.

 

[jn_12]

and no one in Niagara will be able to afford it.

 

[afransen]

The problem with the Mid Pen is that if it's a toll highway, all the trucks will remain on the free QEW.

Not true. Commercial truckers are likelier than anyone to pay a toll, since time is money. If a truck+driver costs $25/h, being able to travel 10 kph faster is worth quite a bit.

 

[GregWTravels]

Opinion piece from the Niagara Falls Review on high-speed rail. Time has arrived for high-speed rail.

It (High-speed rail) would also allow government to shelve the ridiculous idea of a mid-peninsula corridor proposal in Niagara. In case you forgot, the proposal calls for building a four-lane highway through beautiful farmland connecting Hamilton to an area on the 406. It's a wrong-headed idea on many levels, not the least of which is the effect on the environment this would have. The money for such a project could be put to use for a more environmentally friendly proposal like high speed rail.

 

[confusion]

I would love to see a special GO express train which runs from St Catherines, to Hamilton, to Toronto.

I don't know anyone who wouldn't. I'd even extend that to Niagara. Imagine being able to take a train all the way to Clifton Hill for the weekend.

 

[catcher_of_cats]

An express train would rid the highways and parking lots of those hideous casino/tourist buses but some major work will be required to make the travel from those stations to the destinations more user friendly.