GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[crs1026]

That certainly appears to be the case. What I find curious (I'm being diplomatic) is that the tenders implied that road crossing safety was being addressed. Host's Railway Age article states: "new crossing protection (conforming to Transport Canada regulations)". He may also have been misled, his pieces I've read have always been based on reference, so there appears to be either 'sleight of hand' in the releases, or something on TC's part not being divulged.

I would read that a little less specifically. If you buy a new car today, it will 'conform to federal regulations'. That doesn't mean it will go faster and further than your old car. It may still be a beater, but one with the required airbags and seatbelts.

I don't know how often it's happened, but the Silver Creek Parkway (presently closed at the crossing until the underpass is built) now hosts both signals and the control shack *dead centre* over top of the road alignment.

There's definitely a statement here about how fast things changed (ie how little true planning and strategy there was) and how little collaboration there was between VIA and GO. The design was a bandaid to TC concerns about running passenger trains over old, 'dark' rail. GO and the Province were not looking to chip in on improvements. GEXR did not need CTC for its freight operations. VIA had no mandate to make improvements.

Further reading reveals this, something the press never did to the best of my knowledge. One wonders if CTC would have revealed this event, let alone prevent it:...

I won't speculate on this particular event, but.... while CTC does add layers of accident prevention over what was in place on GEXR at the time, it is not foolproof against wilful disregard of the rules nor against 'honest' human error. I do know that in this instance both train crews were eventually fired and the termination was upheld in arbitration. (The VIA termination award is on line in the CROA database, but I'm too lazy to go looking for the link). Higher order signalling eg PTC will add further safety assurance.

Certainly, the railroads are not about to fess up publicly to stuff. I am aware of one event involving a fully loaded GO train that was newsworthy. GO announced the event and resulting delay on their website simply as a 'switch malfunction'. I only found out because I was on the following train, which had to be bustituted. Being curious, I asked someone who knew the inside story. The public's 'right to know' is limited to what must be reported to TC, and what they then choose to investigate and report publicly.

- Paul

 

[Allandale25]

Concrete ties on a segment of track east of Union and before the Don River are now visible. First use of concrete ties in the Union Station Rail Corridor?

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Concrete ties on a segment of track east of Union and before the Don River are now visible. First use of concrete ties in the Union Station Rail Corridor?

Nah, maybe in such a long stretch, but they used some for the northernmost track in front of the John St tower IIRC...were those even 'ties' or just laid in a slab?

 

[mdrejhon]

Nah, maybe in such a long stretch, but they used some for the northernmost track in front of the John St tower IIRC...were those even 'ties' or just laid in a slab?

I've never seen them individually -- but yes, in small groups -- I've seen them being laid in groups of 6. I'm not sure if that is consistent throughout the whole corridor, but I've seen them also stacked in small groups that looked like multiples of 6.

 

[Allandale25]

Is the plan for all the tracks in the Union Station Rail Corridor to receive concrete ties?

 

[TN23]

the south track should continue to the bustling region of Humber Bay shores. An estimated 35k population boom with all the rising towers. This area will need proper transit with Parklawn and Lakeshore Blvd at a complete standstill during rush hour. The Christie factory is the perfect place to build this station with enough space to integrate shopping and parking. This will be a big miss if they don't add it into the smart track plans. Tracks already run right by the area on their way to Mimico station so this is an easy add-in.

http://www.bttoronto.ca/2017/10/05/private-bus-planned-for-park-lawn-residents/

The situation is already a mess and the local MP has been pushing for something to be done. If metrolinx ignores this area and then tries to retrofit this into the plans post construction... well keep adding tax payers $$ to solve the problem. Build it in now would be the smarter move.

 

[Allandale25]

the south track should continue to the bustling region of Humber Bay shores.

There are already tracks from Union to Humber Bay. I think what you're asking for is more capacity and more service. I think as part of the TPAP for electrification they've already identified the need for the 5th track between Strachan and Mimico. I'll try to find the reference.

 

[raptor]

It's the first time the notion that Downsview Park GO station will replace York University GO (in other words, York would close) is printed in an official document. From page 17 of this document (large file):

GO Transit, a division of Metrolinx, operates the commuter transportation services between the Weston Subdivision Junction and Allandale Waterfront GO station along the Newmarket subdivision. There are ten existing stations. In the future, York University GO station will be replaced with the proposed Downsview GO station

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

It's the first time the notion that Downsview Park GO station will replace York University GO (in other words, York would close) is printed in an official document. From page 17 of this document (large file):

No one wants to say it officially until some other ducks are in a row. TTC-GO co-fare was one of them. I can't help but feel like there's other stuff in the works, like subsidizing that extra cost for York U commuters, or making Presto waive the TTC fare entirely...

Anyway that might be further debate for the service thread.

 

[ShonTron]

No one wants to say it officially until some other ducks are in a row. TTC-GO co-fare was one of them. I can't help but feel like there's other stuff in the works, like subsidizing that extra cost for York U commuters, or making Presto waive the TTC fare entirely...

Anyway that might be further debate for the service thread.

I bet that the York University GO Station, like the GO buses continuing to the campus instead of terminating at Highway 407 Station, will stick around until the end of April 2018. That will minimize immediate impact on students and give them more time to figure out their fare integration plans.

 

[mdrejhon]

Being the most imminent GO station-relocation event, this is fairly big: the first GO station that really truly prioritizes TTC integration in a serious way.

Eventually, if they close York University station, then the TTC subway needs to act as the free shuttle bus (that currently runs to York U GO). York University students must be offered free transit transfers to TTC with the showing of University ID. If this happens, then it is relatively easy to accept the full closure of York University station (and its free shuttle).

There's a big pipeline of GO-TTC-LRT connectivity optimizations (Bloor GO, Danforth GO, Bathurst RER station, Oriole GO, etc), and not to mention the huge, biggie -- any appetite for resurrecting a future move of Mimico to Park Lawn -- future small optimization shifts of GO stations for transit-integration prioritization over automobile commuters.

Although the door is closed right now on this currently, GO network optimizations towards transit-prioritization (station shifting, minor and big) will likely continue happening over the next few decades. Oriole GO station relocation has been on the books since the 1980s and only in recent years (under Metrolinx) that GO has finally gradually become serious about station-location transit optimization.

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Eventually, if they close York University station, then the TTC subway needs to act as the free shuttle bus (that currently runs to York U GO). York University students must be offered free transit transfers to TTC with the showing of University ID. If this happens, then it is relatively easy to accept the full closure of York University station (and its free shuttle).

1. Totally agree that York U students should be getting that TTC ride for free, but I don't think it's the TTC's responsibility to figure that out. York U should be leading that instead of trying to cling to the ineffective status quo. Maybe make a pitch for funding, sure, but pick your battles and quit yer bitchin'.
2. Why aren't post-secondary Student ID cards integrated with Presto chips yet? Just re-writing the code in the back end could have made free Downsview Park-York U transfers easy.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

1. Totally agree that York U students should be getting that TTC ride for free, but I don't think it's the TTC's responsibility to figure that out. York U should be leading that instead of trying to cling to the ineffective status quo. Maybe make a pitch for funding, sure, but pick your battles and quit yer bitchin'.
2. Why aren't post-secondary Student ID cards integrated with Presto chips yet? Just re-writing the code in the back end could have made free Downsview Park-York U transfers easy.

Some perspective from outside of the GTHA. At Western, we get to use London Transit for free (well, some of the cost is in our student fees), and our student cards allow us to tap on to busses like PRESTO. It's possible, and is already happening, but outside of the GTHA.

 

[wolfewood]

Some perspective from outside of the GTHA. At Western, we get to use London Transit for free (well, some of the cost is in our student fees), and our student cards allow us to tap on to busses like PRESTO. It's possible, and is already happening, but outside of the GTHA.

If anything, that's the norm. Only other place I've lived where I had to pay for a student fare was Montreal and it was heavily subsidized still. At the time, it was $88 for an adult monthly pass and $44 for a student, if I remember right. Just checking now it's still just under $50 a month for students. Only Toronto seems to charge such a ludicrously large amount for student passes.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

Some perspective from outside of the GTHA. At Western, we get to use London Transit for free (well, some of the cost is in our student fees), and our student cards allow us to tap on to busses like PRESTO. It's possible, and is already happening, but outside of the GTHA.

I saw a youtube video from the University of Michigan and students there get that sam with the local buses in Ann Arbor Michigan.

The problem with doing it with one University in Toronto means thaty have to do it with all of them plus the colleges as well. itès easier when there is only one in town vs. 3 universities (York, UofT, Ryerson) and Four Colleges (Centennial, Seneca, Gorge Brown and Humber) you can see how hard it would get. The TTC does currently have post-secondary metropass but you have to be a full-time student at a post-secondary school.