I have a question....may be dumb...
I always assumed that they needed both CN and CP to sign on before this could happen. In particular....Milton. How is the CN line going to get from Milton to the 407? I always thought the CN line would turn onto the CP ROW through Milton. And then just before Winston Churchill it would use the Hydro ROW to get to the 407. (and CP would likewise use the CN line in the east)
Without CP on board, how will the CN get to the 407? A new ROW either south or north of Milton? It'll certainly add to the cost.
Not "dumb" at all. You are *right* to be asking this question, and others! Watch this like a hawk. It's all a bit too slick for my liking. My sixth-sense is buzzing, and of course, you're looking for an answer where there are none at this time. That was my immediate question too, so had to listen doubly hard to the live announcement carried live on Youtube until I heard "Bramalea to Milton". I'd only caught the live proceedings half way through, and it was really cagey and ambiguous until Del Duca got asked at the end from a journalist and had to state it clearly. The fact that a journo was asking for clarification is interesting in itself. It wasn't just me noting the ambiguity throughout. (Edit to Add: A surmise: CP was originally meant to be included, but things got complicated for whatever reason, so they had to 'dance' around not mentioning CP)
Here's what I presume, partly from what I've gathered previously: Between the Milton alignment (Old Hamilton NW) up to Georgetown, a new cutoff is to be installed to a *new track* (this was always on the table) to parallel CP until the cutoff along the Hwy 407/Hydro One xmssn corridor to Bramalea. This is still pretty nebulous though...it could we be that negotiations are still ongoing with CP, and you can bet your leaky booties it's to do with value of some sort. Another poster has linked to a dollar figure, I suspect it's not that simple, but *assigning value* to assets is most likely what much of this is about. For instance, a proposal might go: (CN to CP or vice versa) "We'll provide the RoW between X and Y for single track if you provide RoW between V and W". Add in the Province and the Feds, and who contributes what, and/or overhead rights, running rights, etc and you have a complicated negotiation, and indeed, Transport Canada might have to intercede to mandate some aspects to make this happen. 'Arbitration' with a dose of legislation.
Here's something I think I can state for some other posters too: The announcement was *necessarily* premature. The lack of any sign of CP could be for many reasons, but one thing undeniable is that the absence was *incredibly conspicuous*.
I suspect a number of us are scouring to get something more substantial on this beyond the facile headline announcement.
