GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[smallspy]

Yes, that pocket track is included in the New Track and Facilities TPAP. The included drawing, dated October 2020, shows the extra track on the east side, which is surprising since from the construction photos it looks like the extra track would go on the west side.

View attachment 361734

Those are from two different projects, just to confuse the issue.

The currently in-progress work will have a third track on the west side of the station, with the buffer a little bit short of the bridge. The double-track will continue over the bridge by a couple of hundred feet, and then end a new signal plant which has already been made live. There will also be a huge revamp to the existing Hagerman interlocking south of the station, and that part is currently underway as Paul noted. This all dates back to the original 2017 project announcement and the original Stouffville Line double-tracking EA of 2014-ish.

The New Track & Facilities TPAP as you've shown is the most recent one, and which oddly doesn't show all of the changes and improvements that are currently underway. It show the two tracks through the station along with the new platform but not the in-construction third track to the west, and adds a fourth track to the east. It also shows the two outer tracks tying back in to the mainline tracks, which will necessitate the shifting of the platforms south by a hundred feet or so - platforms which are only now being completed.

Dan

 

[Allandale25]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1458434296931364868

 

[Leo_Chan]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1458434296931364868

How far east does the Steeles Ave widening go? I thought the Milliken GO section stops at Midland Ave as it's separate from the part with the Morningside Ave extension.

 

[reaperexpress]

How far east does the Steeles Ave widening go? I thought the Milliken GO section stops at Midland Ave as it's separate from the part with the Morningside Ave extension.

Correct. The construction in the photo has nothing to do with Metrolinx. It is a separate City of Toronto project.

The Metrolinx project area is from Redlea to Silver Star.

From a City of Toronto report:

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Unsure if this is regular maintenance of way work, or some early work to indicate that they’re moving ahead with Breslau station. Maybe I’m being too optimistic.

PT-2021-CMLE-394 - PT-2021-CMLE-394: Breslau Tree Removals​

 

[Garuda]

Unsure if this is regular maintenance of way work, or some early work to indicate that they’re moving ahead with Breslau station. Maybe I’m being too optimistic.

PT-2021-CMLE-394 - PT-2021-CMLE-394: Breslau Tree Removals​

I've seen the plans and pretty much all the background stuff is done. Just a mattered of announcing funding and putting shovels in the ground.

It's great that Kitchener and Guelph are true urban stations but having a station in the suburbs with decent parking is solely needed.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

I've seen the plans and pretty much all the background stuff is done. Just a mattered of announcing funding and putting shovels in the ground.

It's great that Kitchener and Guelph are true urban stations but having a station in the suburbs with decent parking is solely needed.

Both the King-Victoria transit hub and Breslau are very worthy projects. The province has already committed about $40 million for the transit hub, and hopefully federal funding can help make both projects a reality.

 

[Garuda]

Both the King-Victoria transit hub and Breslau are very worthy projects. The province has already committed about $40 million for the transit hub, and hopefully federal funding can help make both projects a reality.

Especially with frequent service All dayish that is somewhat decent right now. Breslau will be popular with people going to guelph or Kitchener for work.

 

[Allandale25]

^ I assume adding Breslau will add a few minutes to the Kitchener-Guelph portion travel time?

 

[smallspy]

^ I assume adding Breslau will add a few minutes to the Kitchener-Guelph portion travel time?

It will for those trains stopping there, but it is also hoped that the other improvements currently underway will negate this, or make the schedule even with the addition of Breslau better than it was before.

Dan

 

[drum118]

While waiting for a GO Train at Brampton Friday, I noticed a block of houses removed on the southside of the station and a new parking lot being built It on It.. It is lot larger than the close one and another poor use of urban land in a downtown area.

It would be a better idea to bury he lot a few levels and built something above it.

 

[IRT_BMT_IND]

Milton certainly has huge latent demand and needs significant service increases.

Regarding Milton, how much freight traffic currently operates on the Galt sub in Mississauga? I suspect it's less than on CN between the York Halton sub and Bayview. I used to live in London and would listen to the RTC giving OCS clearances to trains on the scanner, there were usually less than 10 freight trains passing through to/from the Windsor sub in London on a typical day, and some of these were service between the Toyota plants and the US which would never enter Toronto. There also would be interchange traffic to CSX in Buffalo and whatever rail served industries are left in Niagara, but this can't be more than a handful a day.

 

[crs1026]

Regarding Milton, how much freight traffic currently operates on the Galt sub in Mississauga? I suspect it's less than on CN between the York sub and Bayview. I used to live in London and would listen to the RTC giving OCS clearances to trains on the scanner, there were usually less than 10 freight trains passing through to the Windsor sub in London on a typical day, and some of these were service between the Toyota plants and the US which would never enter Toronto. There also would be interchange traffic to CSX in Buffalo and whatever rail served industries are left in Niagara, but this can't be more than a handful a day.

Trains 142-143 (Montreal-Buffalo-Chicago), 246-247 (Alliston-Lambton--Buffalo) 234-235 (Toronto -London) 140-141 (Toronto-Windsor) and some junk freight. 147 Toronto-Wolverton-London autos. Roadswitchers west of Guelph Jct.

That may not sound like a lot, but given that some of these trains run long, there is a dearth of passing opportunity during the hours that GO is tying up one track. Adding more GO service would exacerbate that.

- Paul

 

[reaperexpress]

^ I assume adding Breslau will add a few minutes to the Kitchener-Guelph portion travel time?

Station stops typically add about 2 to 3 minutes to GO schedules, depending on the speed limit. Breslau is in a 70 mph zone so I'd guess slightly over two minutes.

The Kitchener Expansion BCA describes a 90 minute travel time for express trains including extra stops at Breslau, Malton and Woodbine (Pearson Junction). Today the travel time is 101 minutes, though I expect that to drop to around 98 minutes in the next timetable.

While waiting for a GO Train at Brampton Friday, I noticed a block of houses removed on the southside of the station and a new parking lot being built It on It.. It is lot larger than the close one and another poor use of urban land in a downtown area.

It would be a better idea to bury he lot a few levels and built something above it.

A more optimistic theory is that GO is assembling properties on the south side of the tracks to make room for another pair of tracks. And the surface parking lots are just a placeholder until that happens.

 

[tsm1072]

A more optimistic theory is that GO is assembling properties on the south side of the tracks to make room for another pair of tracks. And the surface parking lots are just a placeholder until that happens.

Isn't this a placeholder until they build the new bus loop? I thought I saw a drawing indicating this is where the bus loop was moving to once the new track was installed.