Toronto GO Transit: Davenport Diamond Grade Separation | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx

mdrejhon said:
Till this summer, I was somewhat skeptical that the Barrie line can actually meet projections of dramatic increases in GO ridership, but after driving the 400 by car a few times, I think the Barrie line can have one of the biggest ridership percentage increase of any GO line, post-electrification and infill-stations (e.g. Innisfil) with 365-day 2-way service, and justify any good Davenport grade-separation solution.
Click to expand...
The other thing a sufficiently fast and frequent Barrie-Toronto-Barrie service could deliver is a migration of Ontario Northland's southern terminal to Barrie GO. But that would require MTO and Northern Development and their subsidiaries to play nice.
 
smably said:
Reading between the lines: "maybe if the city actually coughs up some money for once, you can have your fancy bike path". (I don't particularly care where the money comes from, but I hope somebody pays for the connection to the railpath.)
Click to expand...

The City has finished an EA for the West Toronto Railpath extension south, which will involve a bridge over the Barrie line north of Parkdale junction. If there isn't room on the surface, maybe some kind of elevated solution may be achievable.

Bv0grfX.png


To the north, an east-west connection to the West Toronto Railpath is tricky. If the city managed to negotiate something with CP to get a path adjacent to the West Toronto sub, it would be nice. But that's unlikely.

The next best option would be the SADRA Park Trail, but that would require a northerly WTR extension.
 
From the contact that I have had with people around the Diamond, it's obvious that the expansion and enhancement of this trail is one of the most impactful things that is mitigating the considerable opposition to the Davenport Viaduct proposal. Creating some east-west connections would be a big enhancement.

I just hope the trail people are keeping an eye on what has to happen at Bloor Street when the fourth track is constructed for RER. There will be temporary disruption (the GO station tunnels will require excavation under the path, or pedestrian access to the station will be lost on the east side) and the short stretch past the station will become a very narrow tunnel. That step has to be just around the corner (or maybe not, if the promises to improve service on the Kitchener line are just talk).

- Paul
 
crs1026 said:
From the contact that I have had with people around the Diamond, it's obvious that the expansion and enhancement of this trail is one of the most impactful things that is mitigating the considerable opposition to the Davenport Viaduct proposal. Creating some east-west connections would be a big enhancement.

I just hope the trail people are keeping an eye on what has to happen at Bloor Street when the fourth track is constructed for RER. There will be temporary disruption (the GO station tunnels will require excavation under the path, or pedestrian access to the station will be lost on the east side) and the short stretch past the station will become a very narrow tunnel. That step has to be just around the corner (or maybe not, if the promises to improve service on the Kitchener line are just talk).

- Paul
Click to expand...
Until the new yard is built in KW, you will have to run deadhead to/from Georgetown and that costly for any new service. Then, are their crews for all these new service and still short at best guess these days.

As for Bloor Stations, there is a plan to have a entrance with elevator on the east side of the RailPath up by the street the last time I saw of the plan. The 2nd tunnel north of the current one has been kill as far as I know at this time due to cost.

The RailPath will be haft of its current size in a number of areas up to Wallace Ave and shift to the east north of it, but to be the same width.

I expect a contract will go out late 2017 with construction starting in 2018 or sooner, depending on getting the engineering drawings done. Have to set a timetable with CP as to when foundation and piers can be built to go over their tracks.
 
Anticipated start date of September 1, 2016?

Thought actual construction is going to take a while longer to begin. Is some preliminary stage (e.g. surveying) beginning in September?
 
mdrejhon said:
Anticipated start date of September 1, 2016?

Thought actual construction is going to take a while longer to begin. Is some preliminary stage (e.g. surveying) beginning in September?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if the September start date relates to actual construction or when the money flows. Also, I haven't seen a RFP for this project so I don't know if an engineering or construction firm has been hired.
 
crs1026 said:
From the contact that I have had with people around the Diamond, it's obvious that the expansion and enhancement of this trail is one of the most impactful things that is mitigating the considerable opposition to the Davenport Viaduct proposal. Creating some east-west connections would be a big enhancement.

I just hope the trail people are keeping an eye on what has to happen at Bloor Street when the fourth track is constructed for RER. There will be temporary disruption (the GO station tunnels will require excavation under the path, or pedestrian access to the station will be lost on the east side) and the short stretch past the station will become a very narrow tunnel. That step has to be just around the corner (or maybe not, if the promises to improve service on the Kitchener line are just talk).
Click to expand...
I live just adjacent to that, been watching that for some time. And I'm more than an avid cyclist. The cycle trail (save for perhaps a few inches in spots) sits on City land. That corridor was CP owned, not CN.

Best I quote this:
[...]
The City of Toronto first authorized purchase of the land for the portion from Cariboo Avenue to Dundas Street West (known as the CP LEAD spur) in 1997. Funds to the amount of $920,000 were approved in 2000.

This land was acquired in July 2003 by the City of Toronto from the St. Lawrence and Hudson Railway. The purchase agreement demanded that the vendor remediate the soil to industrial standards. After acquiring the lands, the City of Toronto needed to terminate a lease that a salvage yard (M&S Waste and Salvage) had for a portion of the land, leased when the land was owned by Canadian Pacific.[3]

Construction of Phase 1 of the path, running from Cariboo Avenue to Dundas Street West and Sterling Road, was designed by Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc. in conjunction with Brown and Storey Architects, and began in 2008 and was completed in 2009.[4] The project combined the restoration of historical rail bridges with the installation of new public art pieces by artist John Dickson, all situated among indigenous planting. New entrance points at Dupont and Bloor Streets allow pedestrians to access the trail from the street and use the restored rail bridges that cross over these streets. Concrete plazas are located along the trail where existing streets intersect it, providing neighbourhood connections and gathering places.[...]
Click to expand...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Toronto_Railpath

It is going to be tight, doubtless, and the fence is going to have to impinge on the present trail course, but there's enough room to relocate it. Your point on access tunnels is an interesting one though. It's going to have to involve the City. A lot of locals access the platforms by crossing the trail, and it's also a welcome shortcut from the locals on the east side to Shoppers and Freshco on Dundas via the GO station northern underpass. The Wallace St bridge is also used, but much more precarious to many. The trail is *very well used*, it is highly deserving of Phase 2, but space will certainly be tight past Bloor Station.

Creating some east-west connections would be a big enhancement.
Click to expand...
Absolutely, and it will give the WT Trail much more of a cause d'etre, because right now, the northern end pretty much dumps you back onto harsh roads, the exception being Annette, which is better than most on-road cycle lanes, a lot to do with the width and the re-gentrification of the neighbourhood. Dupont is brutal, as is Dundas going north from the junction of all three.

So a connection east-west would be a magnificent addition. In ways, the fly-over allows a split community to mend again. I have met locals who detest the NIMBYs, most of the latter being nouveaux to the neighbourhood. The established locals see it as a plus, with caveats, of course.

Considering how truncated the WT Trail is, I'm astounded at the traffic load on it at times.
 
Last edited:
Just saw this posted on MERX. Not sure why it says "Kitchener Corridor" when it's on the "Barrie Corridor". Maybe a typo.

RQQ-2016-CBA-023:ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR DAVENPORT DIAMOND GRADE SEPARATION

Request No. RQQ-2016-CBA-023

Technical Advisory Services for the Davenport Diamond Rail Grade Separation

Metrolinx is accepting bids (“Requests”) for emergent survey services for the Kitchener Corridor, as more particularly described in this Request Document as required by Metrolinx.

Request enquiries and other communications are to be directed to the procurement representative Robert Cava at (416) 202-5849, Robert.Cava@metrolinx.com.

Request submissions will be accepted until the Closing of 3:00 p.m., Thursday, September 15, 2016, via Merx electronic bid submission (EBS) and will be opened by Metrolinx staff as soon as is practicable after the designated Closing. Details on where and when vendors can obtain information on bids received, will be made available on Metrolinx’s website.

Only Consultants who possess the following experience and qualifications will be considered for award of this Contract.

The Consultant must demonstrate that it possesses the following experience and qualifications:
  1. The necessary resources to sustain and complete the Services to the satisfaction of Metrolinx;
  2. Demonstrated experience with the full range of infrastructure delivery methods including Design-Bid-Build (“DBB”), advanced Public Private Partnerships (“P3”) and Alternative Finance and Procurement (“AFP”) models;
  3. Demonstrated experience in projects where different levels of government and government agencies are the stakeholders;
  4. Demonstrated experience in providing similar technical advisory services for major infrastructure projects relevant to the Work contemplated; and
  5. Demonstrated extensive and broad experience both nationally and internationally in large transit infrastructure projects including but not limited to structures, track, bridges and other significant civil work.
  6. Ten (10) years of experience in design, construction support and project management of transportation facilities;
  7. Ten (10) years demonstrated experience with construction projects undertaken on a facility which continues to operate during construction.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top