GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[drum118]

Best bet is probably September. Thinking that they want to get the most done before those lines make a return, including new 30 min service to Unionville (and maybe to Bramalea as well as Stouffville trains interline with the Kitchener line and they also seem ready for 30 min service as well).

There is still a lot of 2nd trackwork that needs to be install and will not be done by Sept on the Stouffville line. Both Agincourt and Milliken 2nd platforms can't go into service until the 2nd track work is done. Both stations will be ready come Sept with Agincourt ready now.

Then, what is happening at Kennedy?? Have to cut in a switch at the south end.

Lots of work on the Barrie Line for the Davenport grade separation as well the new Bloor St bridge, let along the Bloor Station.. Still single track in most places that I have seen this year..

 

[canarob]

Is any work actually being done in the evenings? It's always one step forward and two steps back on the Stouffville line. We're stuck with the same service we had 10-15 years ago and this construction has been what, four or five years?

It's frustrating to see work on the new Finch station going ahead before we get service back as well.

 

[Hairball]

Any rumours on when Stouffville and Barrie off-peak/weekend service are coming back?

I'm waiting for the news myself... would rather ride a late train than the bus.

Is any work actually being done in the evenings? It's always one step forward and two steps back on the Stouffville line. We're stuck with the same service we had 10-15 years ago and this construction has been what, four or five years?

It's frustrating to see work on the new Finch station going ahead before we get service back as well.

Is any work even being done at all? Hardly see much progress anywhere on the Stouffville line. It's going at a snail's pace. It would be great to at least have a night train to take after a downtown event like a Jays game, buses can be really packed at that time.

 

[Fritter]

I think if it was anywhere close to then, that they'd have said it would be sometime this year.

I expect it will be years, myself.

We all know how well Metrolinx is in keeping things close to their chest. I would not be surprised at all with just a weeks notice of return to service of off peak rail on those lines. If there is no announcement by late August, then yes, it will be longer begore mid day trains make their return.

 

[crs1026]

I haven't been out that way lately..... is any work actually getting done on the West Highland Creek bridges on the Uxbridge Sub north of Progress Road?

Without those new bridges there will be no progress possible on the Stouffville line.

- Paul

 

[smallspy]

Is any work even being done at all? Hardly see much progress anywhere on the Stouffville line. It's going at a snail's pace. It would be great to at least have a night train to take after a downtown event like a Jays game, buses can be really packed at that time.

The stations are all complete save for Kennedy (and the one platform that will be used there is almost done). Most of the trackwork is just about done and ready, except for the bridge over Highland Creek - and I've never been able to find out what the hold up is there.

Unfortunately, that bridge is pretty key in the whole project, as it sits immediately north of the set of new crossovers installed north of Progress Ave. - instead of having two tracks available from just north of Kennedy all the way to north of Unionville, there are two shorter sections from north of Kennedy to Progress, and from north of Milliken to north of Unionville.

Dan

 

[drum118]

Google map is a year old for the area to see what is new this year. If one of the dome folks could take some aerial shots, it would help to see where things stand today for the bridges.

The last I saw of the tracks north of Progress, trackwork still not done for the industry switch area. Still have to installed the west track at Milliken and could be done on a weekend or after the east platform is in service since it now more advanced than the existing one..

Have to install the switch at the south end of Kennedy or when the new connection is built to connect to the Lakeshore East Line. Then adding the missing section of the west track north of Kennedy Station.

 

[crs1026]

Have to install the switch at the south end of Kennedy or when the new connection is built to connect to the Lakeshore East Line. Then adding the missing section of the west track north of Kennedy Station.

Last I checked, the control point for the start of double tracking at Kennedy has been built but is not yet cut in, because the second track is not ready northwards from Kennedy. The CP signals are just north of the Kennedy platform.

The second platform at Kennedy and double track south to Scarborough Jct probably won’t be finished until after all the quad tracking on the Kingston Sub is done, so there will be a short stretch of single track between those points for some time yet.

- Paul

 

[smallspy]

Google map is a year old for the area to see what is new this year. If one of the dome folks could take some aerial shots, it would help to see where things stand today for the bridges.

The Google Maps imagery is older than that

A friend of Paul's and mine lives in a condo overlooking the bridges at Highland Creek. He's sent us lots of photos and video of the site in the time that he's lived there. There is not an awful lot of work going on.

The last I saw of the tracks north of Progress, trackwork still not done for the industry switch area. Still have to installed the west track at Milliken and could be done on a weekend or after the east platform is in service since it now more advanced than the existing one..

There is no industry north of Progress. The only switches there are for the new control point "Highland", which is located between Progress and the bridges over Highland Creek.

Have to install the switch at the south end of Kennedy or when the new connection is built to connect to the Lakeshore East Line. Then adding the missing section of the west track north of Kennedy Station.

The only switches in the area will be the new control point immediately north of the station, "Oakworth" (as well as the single switch to the Geco Spur immediately south but which isn't to be signalized at this time). The second track isn't going to be completed south of Kennedy for a while.

Dan

 

[drum118]

Last I checked, the control point for the start of double tracking at Kennedy has been built but is not yet cut in, because the second track is not ready northwards from Kennedy. The CP signals are just north of the Kennedy platform.

The second platform at Kennedy and double track south to Scarborough Jct probably won’t be finished until after all the quad tracking on the Kingston Sub is done, so there will be a short stretch of single track between those points for some time yet.

- Paul

This is what I saw on April 20 for Kennedy

 

[drum118]

The Google Maps imagery is older than that

A friend of Paul's and mine lives in a condo overlooking the bridges at Highland Creek. He's sent us lots of photos and video of the site in the time that he's lived there. There is not an awful lot of work going on.


There is no industry north of Progress. The only switches there are for the new control point "Highland", which is located between Progress and the bridges over Highland Creek.


The only switches in the area will be the new control point immediately north of the station, "Oakworth" (as well as the single switch to the Geco Spur immediately south but which isn't to be signalized at this time). The second track isn't going to be completed south of Kennedy for a while.

Dan

The switch I was referring to is this one unless it has been removed since I last saw it. Have a better shot, but can't find it at this time

Edit: My mistake as the switch of south of Passmore

 

[urbanite55]

Is any work actually being done in the evenings? It's always one step forward and two steps back on the Stouffville line. We're stuck with the same service we had 10-15 years ago and this construction has been what, four or five years?

It's frustrating to see work on the new Finch station going ahead before we get service back as well.

Share the same frustration too with the Stouffville line. In fact, service has worsened compared to almost 40 years ago. A 1986 train schedule shows the same 38 minute train ride from Union Station to Unionville, making one more stop in between than we do now: http://goingstrong.gotransit.com/images/80s/timetable/go-80s-timetable-1.jpg

With all this construction (that could have been sped up before ridership has increased again), I would have expected the Stouffville line to have more frequent and faster trains, even exploring express options between Union and Unionville similar to the 71 bus.

However, all we have now are slow, packed, and infrequent trains that do not run on off-peak times, with equally infrequent express buses that could easily be increased to half hour frequencies like we had a few years back. To make it worse, the train schedules are very padded, as recently, the trains actually arrive at each station 2 to 3 min earlier than the expected arrival times. This adds up a lot for the majority of commuters who live north of Unionville, which GO seems to have forgotten as their main commuter base with all the changes they made over the years (starting with the massive express bus cuts a few years back pre pandemic).

Hopefully with the next schedule change, GO will increase service frequency (extending the morning and evening rush hour 30 min frequency schedule to 9 am and 7 pm respectively), bring back more train service, and start looking into express train options (with the current train frequency and double tracking, there is no way it would catch up to an all stops train, and it would make the commute for those living north of Unionville much quicker and more preferable than driving)

 

[Mr Finish Line]

I have a theory about the Stouffville service cuts. They were not for construction on the Stouffville line. They were for the Ontario Line/LSE Joint Corridor work. Most of the double tracking work on Stouffville was done before the cuts, and since the cuts almost nothing has been done. Meanwhile it's been reported on UT that tons of work is going on in the Joint Corridor. I think they don't want those extra 2 TPH there and they already cut express service on LSE so they'd rather cut Stouffville than further cut LSE, which has significantly more ridership.

The sad thing is, as has been pointed out many times, Metrolinx seems to be absolutely blowing it with construction staging. This is the perfect time to get the West Highland Creek bridge done, but nothing is happening.

I'll take my drone out and get a vid of the West Highland Creek bridge this weekend to show some hard lack of evidence.

 

[nfitz]

Meanwhile it's been reported on UT that tons of work is going on in the Joint Corridor. I think they don't want those extra 2 TPH there and they already cut express service on LSE so they'd rather cut Stouffville than further cut LSE, which has significantly more ridership.

I haven't seen much going on at all on the joint corridor between Pape and the Don. There was some tree cutting earlier ... perhaps some utility work.

 

[crs1026]

I haven't seen much going on at all on the joint corridor between Pape and the Don. There was some tree cutting earlier ... perhaps some utility work.

There is lots of evidence of Telco relocations. But yeah, west of Pape the work hinges on the Ontario Line, and I bet a lot of the engineering is still to be done. Wholedifferent staging of work in that zone.

- Paul