News   Nov 25, 2024
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2024 Mississauga Mayoral Byelection Transit Plans

As announced to much fanfare in February, GO is building their own corridor in and beside the existing CPKC tracks/corridor. No need for a bypass now.

That would address the Milton line. Wouldn't a freight bypass still be needed for the Kitchener line to enable full two-way service?
 
In November 2019, Metrolinx issues an Initial Business Case Update that claimed 2-way all-day service between Toronto and Kitchener was possible by improving cooperation with CN over use of their Halton Subdivision (Bramalea - Georgetown) at about half the cost of a freight bypass and with lower deliverability risk. Service on the line has been increased (a train every 3-hours to Kitchener) but we're yet to see the investments that would enable hourly all-day 2-way service.

Recently CN reported that they will be awarding design work for enhancements between Bramalea and Georgetown but we don't know the scope of this. Limited work on the Georgetown to Kitchener (Guelph Subdivision) is about will finish soon but Metrolinx seems to be saying this will only improve reliability of the existing services. The contractor qualification process for "Packages 2 & 4" of improvements has also started but work will likely only start in 2025.

So yes a bypass may have been a better solution for Kitchener and Milton but we'll never know because Doug didn't want to pay for it.
 
In November 2019, Metrolinx issues an Initial Business Case Update that claimed 2-way all-day service between Toronto and Kitchener was possible by improving cooperation with CN over use of their Halton Subdivision (Bramalea - Georgetown) at about half the cost of a freight bypass and with lower deliverability risk. Service on the line has been increased (a train every 3-hours to Kitchener) but we're yet to see the investments that would enable hourly all-day 2-way service.

Recently CN reported that they will be awarding design work for enhancements between Bramalea and Georgetown but we don't know the scope of this. Limited work on the Georgetown to Kitchener (Guelph Subdivision) is about will finish soon but Metrolinx seems to be saying this will only improve reliability of the existing services. The contractor qualification process for "Packages 2 & 4" of improvements has also started but work will likely only start in 2025.

So yes a bypass may have been a better solution for Kitchener and Milton but we'll never know because Doug didn't want to pay for it.

Where did you see that CN reported this?
 
If you read into the announcement, lots of new stuff which makes this more real. First is a deal with CPKC being communicated publicly for the first time. Second is specifying Metrolinx is going with a dedicated passenger corridor, the first time we’ve heard this (versus simply a 3rd shared track). Third the public communication of a IBC for Milton and specific ridership numbers is new. And finally the price tag is new (Omar essentially made up a price in his announcement). The details of why it is so high have been discussed at length throughout UT so won’t repeat here.
Has CPKC given permission to go ahead with this? An announcement from Doug Ford means nothing. Was a representative from CPKC present when this announcement was made?
 
Has CPKC given permission to go ahead with this? An announcement from Doug Ford means nothing. Was a representative from CPKC present when this announcement was made?
May come out at budget time as no one wants to tip the hand until then.
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Having three tracks in the corridor will not cut it as it needs to be four period with a fifth if possible. I have seen nothing but four tracks in all RR corridors where CP/CN train run since 2002.
 
IMG-20240319-WA0010.jpg
 
It's exciting when politicians show interest in transit, especially on the service side. But I don't know if I like it when they start meddling in the route planning. Ms. Damerla is certainly trying hard to appeal to students. She went as far as to promise to make the U-pass part of the OneFare program (somehow). With such promises, I don't know how seriously to take her.
 
Alvin Tedjo’s transit plan is out now. Webpage here and detailed document here.
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Lots of additional things in the detailed document not in the plan like studying connecting the Milton GO Line to Mississauga City Centre, Orangeville Brampton Railway GO service, and more.

Quite ambitious and for sure a long-term play. Mississauga needs the vision however.
 
Alvin Tedjo’s transit plan is out now. Webpage here and detailed document here.
View attachment 564479
Lots of additional things in the detailed document not in the plan like studying connecting the Milton GO Line to Mississauga City Centre, Orangeville Brampton Railway GO service, and more.

Quite ambitious and for sure a long-term play. Mississauga needs the vision however.
I always envisioned a BRT on Erin Mills and Dixie.

Lakeshore will be tough. Lack of space for bus lanes in Clarkson and Port Credit.
 
Alvin Tedjo’s transit plan is out now. Webpage here and detailed document here.
View attachment 564479
Lots of additional things in the detailed document not in the plan like studying connecting the Milton GO Line to Mississauga City Centre, Orangeville Brampton Railway GO service, and more.

Quite ambitious and for sure a long-term play. Mississauga needs the vision however.
It feels rather moot. The mayor of Mississauga is not empowered to realize such a plan. At most, they could advocate to Metrolinx/Province to include in the RTP. This is like the student council president promising to make the cafeteria lunches taste better.

Rather unserious when it comes to details on costing, and how to fund the construction (and operation!) of such a plan.

Not criticizing the ideas, just saying this seems like a crayoning exercise.
 
It feels rather moot. The mayor of Mississauga is not empowered to realize such a plan. At most, they could advocate to Metrolinx/Province to include in the RTP. This is like the student council president promising to make the cafeteria lunches taste better.

Rather unserious when it comes to details on costing, and how to fund the construction (and operation!) of such a plan.

Not criticizing the ideas, just saying this seems like a crayoning exercise.
Didn't the federal government already approve funding for a BRT along Dundas? Why are we talking about a LRT now?
 
Didn't the federal government already approve funding for a BRT along Dundas? Why are we talking about a LRT now?
I think changing the Dundas BRT to LRT is the dodgiest suggestion. If Milton Line is upgraded to allow all-day service, the BRT is not all that useful for getting to Kipling station. So the BRT is more for movement directly on the corridor, not about shuttling people to Kipling.
 
The 26A is a dead horse as an 106 from CCTT to UTM is coming in Sept with beef up service for 41 and 110

The BRT ideas make sense as proposed, but Lakeshore one will have to be tunnel under Port Credit due to lack of road width. Even an LRT would see the same thing.

The idea of an LRT to Kipling was proposed as part of the Hurontario Line, but was kill off by Hydro One and is still opposed by them for any connection to Kipling since it is their land, not TTC. It makes sense to have an LRT there, but goes against ML plan for an BRT on Dundas from Kipling to Hamilton.
 
It feels rather moot. The mayor of Mississauga is not empowered to realize such a plan. At most, they could advocate to Metrolinx/Province to include in the RTP. This is like the student council president promising to make the cafeteria lunches taste better.

Rather unserious when it comes to details on costing, and how to fund the construction (and operation!) of such a plan.

Not criticizing the ideas, just saying this seems like a crayoning exercise.

Though David Miller's Transit City and RoDoFo's "subways, subways, subways" made their mark. Even Patrick Brown got an underground LRT through Brampton.

If I lived in Mississauga, I'd happily vote for Alvin Tedjo. There's things I'd pick apart from his platform, yes, but he's the only one with a positive vision. Parrish is the Bailao of the Mississauga by-election, where Dipkia is the Saunders/Furey.
 
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I think changing the Dundas BRT to LRT is the dodgiest suggestion. If Milton Line is upgraded to allow all-day service, the BRT is not all that useful for getting to Kipling station. So the BRT is more for movement directly on the corridor, not about shuttling people to Kipling.
You are serving two different markets and they have both different needs. Right now, the LRT will work going to Toronto, but where do you put a bus terminal for buses going west?? Unless the LRT is underground on Dundas at Aukland Station if you cannot get away with a surface one that Hydro One will not object to, where do you put the station with short walking transfer?? An option is to use the platform that was built for the RT that never got built, but it is only a single track.

Those coming from Toronto and going to UTM will have to change twice to get there. Bulk of the ridership falls at Hurontario and continue to fall going west and more so after Erin Mills to say an BRT or LRT is not needed for some decades.

These days, transit planning sucks as it is done by political people who don't use transit and listen to the minority, not the majority as well get reelected. Planning and scheduling in Mississauga has been the pits close to 2 decades.
 

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