steveintoronto
Superstar
RER on that line is only planned as far as Aurora. Of course on all the lines planned for electrification, diesel will still be used for the sections beyond RER, that's a given, so electrifying the bridge from the get-go, and then the rest of the line to Aurora sets in play a guarantee (one would hope) of what's to follow. This isn't a wholesale commitment to electrifying the whole system, it's a commitment to the nearby residents that the bridge heralds the beginning of the next, cleaner, quieter, faster era.
In light of Metrolinx' failing to meet commitments in the past, and then falling victim to political persuasion and poor decisions like opening the UPX in haste under false pretenses and a poor choice of rolling stock and propulsion mode (the auditing of the PanAm Games shows a massive lack of accounting on huge sums), then it's not a stretch to expect a show of good faith, let alone wise decision and accounting, to electrify to Aurora and Bramalea in close timing as one combined project to 'stone two birds with one kill'.
I didn't think I'd see the community group blink and be so pragmatic. It's time for Metrolinx to do same....let me be more specific on this, since the Greenwash from Queen's Park is turning my stomach (and I'm *VERY* Green, but in a pragmatic way). If Wynne et al want to make good their haughty weasel words, they'd better show something for their tiresome spiel, and electrification of GO is a damn good place to start. Not in the future ("trust us, have we ever lied?") but *NOW*. Electrification is surprisingly affordable in the big scheme of massive infrastructure projects.
So start the process now, for both lines, and start the process of tendering for suitable rolling-stock with an eye to continued acquisition of stock for the rest of the planned RER.
Edit to Add: I was doing second thoughts on what I proposed prior, and one of the stumbling blocks to moving ahead immediately on electrification is the inevitable "we haven't budgeted for that yet". OK...since it would *save* large amounts of money in the long-run to electrify now, let's take an innovative approach, a la Desjardins-Siciliano's missive on private equity tapping the Ontario pension funds. (Among others, but Caisse has just committed to doing the massive Montreal transit project)
Invite them to make a proposal to do the investment to make this happen now where Queen's Park is waffling. Pension funds are *looking* to invest, especially the Ontario ones:
Need more dots to tie this together?
Where's the dialog on concepts like this, Ms Wynne? I'm far from being either a raving Capitalist or a snivelling Socialist, but I am a Radical Centrist. And I'm getting just a little tired of excuses to not move things forward at a natural and meaningful rate,.
I mean, Ontario's only decades behind the RoW....
Second Edit to Add: And as a further thought: Invite those same Funds to entertain Desjardins-Siciliano (VIA Rail) in a *joint* project, perhaps secondary to the Ontario transit lines, to enter into an encompassing consortium to do both GO electrification and/or rolling stock and VIA's HFR from Montreal via Ottawa to Toronto.
Ontarians investing in Ontario. What a concept....
In light of Metrolinx' failing to meet commitments in the past, and then falling victim to political persuasion and poor decisions like opening the UPX in haste under false pretenses and a poor choice of rolling stock and propulsion mode (the auditing of the PanAm Games shows a massive lack of accounting on huge sums), then it's not a stretch to expect a show of good faith, let alone wise decision and accounting, to electrify to Aurora and Bramalea in close timing as one combined project to 'stone two birds with one kill'.
I didn't think I'd see the community group blink and be so pragmatic. It's time for Metrolinx to do same....let me be more specific on this, since the Greenwash from Queen's Park is turning my stomach (and I'm *VERY* Green, but in a pragmatic way). If Wynne et al want to make good their haughty weasel words, they'd better show something for their tiresome spiel, and electrification of GO is a damn good place to start. Not in the future ("trust us, have we ever lied?") but *NOW*. Electrification is surprisingly affordable in the big scheme of massive infrastructure projects.
So start the process now, for both lines, and start the process of tendering for suitable rolling-stock with an eye to continued acquisition of stock for the rest of the planned RER.
In many ways, but not flattering.A better analogy would be Cirque du Soleil.
Edit to Add: I was doing second thoughts on what I proposed prior, and one of the stumbling blocks to moving ahead immediately on electrification is the inevitable "we haven't budgeted for that yet". OK...since it would *save* large amounts of money in the long-run to electrify now, let's take an innovative approach, a la Desjardins-Siciliano's missive on private equity tapping the Ontario pension funds. (Among others, but Caisse has just committed to doing the massive Montreal transit project)
Invite them to make a proposal to do the investment to make this happen now where Queen's Park is waffling. Pension funds are *looking* to invest, especially the Ontario ones:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repo...ent-in-public-infrastructure/article30309488/Major public assets like airports, ports and highways would offer some the most intriguing opportunities for private investment should stakes in such assets ever go on the block, says one of the country’s biggest potential investors.
The federal Liberals are considering a system that could see Ottawa — as well as other levels of government — sell infrastructure assets under their jurisdiction.
Mature Canadian infrastructure is still mostly owned by governments and putting a “For Sale” sign on it would offer a tantalizing opportunity for large players such as the massive Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.
Andrew Claerhout, who leads the pension plan’s infrastructure group, said he’s encouraged by Ottawa’s recent signals it could make more public infrastructure available.
Claerhout said the organization, which holds net assets of about $170 billion worldwide, is on the lookout for “relatively large” investment opportunities — from the “hundreds of millions to the billions.”
It’s looking for projects that would produce returns through user fees — everything from snack bar sales in an airport to a highway toll booth.
The pension plan already holds about $17 billion worth of infrastructure investments internationally, but just $3 billion — less than 20 per cent — in Canada.
That’s the conundrum — there’s a limited number of federal assets with a lot of investment potential, Claerhout said in an interview.
“If there were enough high-quality infrastructure projects to invest in Canada, we would have a program that was predominantly Canadian,” he said.[...]
Need more dots to tie this together?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repo...r-latest-infrastructure-play/article30372560/Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and CPPIB buy into Mexican toll highway
A curving toll road is bringing two of Canada’s largest pension funds to Mexico in an investment poised to tap into growth in the country’s manufacturing sector.
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan said Thursday that they would team up and contribute a combined $1.35-billion for nearly half of the Arco Norte toll road.
[...]
Now that the road is operational, with toll plazas, security systems and staff in place, IDEAL could be looking to fund its next big project. The Mexican government has ambitious plans to bolster the country’s productivity and ability to compete on the world stage, and part of that will be replacing crumbling infrastructure in areas such as electricity distribution and building new projects from the ground up, such as transit lines.
IDEAL’s plans could align with the global trend of “asset recycling” that has gathered steam in recent months as more investors seek to invest in hard assets such as infrastructure. Governments and other developers may look to sell more mature infrastructure assets and use the money to fund new development. It’s a system that has been popular in Australia and an idea that Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau has been considering, and even mentioned in the federal budget.
Where's the dialog on concepts like this, Ms Wynne? I'm far from being either a raving Capitalist or a snivelling Socialist, but I am a Radical Centrist. And I'm getting just a little tired of excuses to not move things forward at a natural and meaningful rate,.
I mean, Ontario's only decades behind the RoW....
Second Edit to Add: And as a further thought: Invite those same Funds to entertain Desjardins-Siciliano (VIA Rail) in a *joint* project, perhaps secondary to the Ontario transit lines, to enter into an encompassing consortium to do both GO electrification and/or rolling stock and VIA's HFR from Montreal via Ottawa to Toronto.
Ontarians investing in Ontario. What a concept....
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