MoveOntario 2020: GO Transit Electrification

[drum118]

Adding those extra 2 tracks under CP and CN Control will allow GO to operate all day service with little problems.

The problems are today as as well down the line are how CP/CN are to stay on thier 2 tracks in the station area without going from side to side crossover.

The Geoegetown line for CN starts on track 1&2 at Halton Juction going east. It use track 3 & 2 West of Brampton Station that is in place at this time.

Will use track 3 & 2 at Mount Pleasent when every the 3rd track get built for this station. Very little room to put a 4th track in and it would become track 1. All 3 tracks at MP can be used by GO.

Bulding a new 2 track bridge across the Credit River at Georgetown will not be cheap to keep GO on the north side at Geoegetown.

The same can be said about adding a 3 track at Brampton Station.

The Milton Line 4 tracks would keep CP out of GO way from West of Kipling to Milton 100%. CP will run on the south side tracks 3 & 4. From Kipling to Lampton Yard, GO will have to crossover CP tracks to get to south side.

The Lake Shore will have CN-CP-VIA running from side to side at various stations without rebuilting them to keep them to one side.

Any new stations built from this time forth, they should be built to keep out of CN-CP-VIA way as it will allow for better operation for everyone.

Putting in the 2nd track under GO Control will be fun at some of the existing stations today.

 

[Eug]

^ The above is a very accurate picture of the railway industry in Toronto, but I do think that we need to be more ambitious of our use of mainline railways in this city.

Running fast, frequent trains on all these lines and adding more stops effectively quadruples the amount of subways we have in the city. And everyone loves subways, right?

Maybe , if they didn't function almost completely independently of the other subways (and future LRTs).

There are very few places you can actually transfer to the TTC from GO.

 

[unimaginative2]

GO needs to add another GO Sub along the Milton line, ideally leaving the existing corridor to serve Square One.

Eug, full fare integration and better connections are obviously a prerequisite for decent regional transit service in the GTA.

 

[ShonTron]

GO needs to add another GO Sub along the Milton line, ideally leaving the existing corridor to serve Square One.

Really the answer is a two or three track corridor along the 407/Hydro corridor between Halwest and 407/9th Line - freeing up both the CP Galt and CN Halton subs. Most CP trains could then use this corridor beyond Halwest) to access their main Toronto (Agincourt) Yard, with limited freight service to/from on-line industries and Lambton Yards. Milton? Who cares - at least you'd get frequent all-day service as far as Meadowvale or Lisgar.

Kill two birds with one stone with minimal construction delays on the existing corridors. You might get some NIMBYs though in the border residential areas between Financial Drive and Hurontario Streets.

 

[doady]

I am not in favour of expanding GO at all. More GO service = more and larger parking lots = more congestion = even more delays for suburban transit riders such as myself. I say no thanks, it is already bad enough that I have to use alternative routes that do not pass by a GO station during rush hour, jsu tto avoid the congeston. I say that the 905 needs its own bus riders union, similar to Los Angeles, because we are in the same situation. Shifting funding from local bus service and directly local bus riders to benefit a few affluent persons is not right.

All-day service to Meadowvale? Who can actually access the Meadowvale station except for those who already have a car? All-day service to Meadowvale will only entrench the car culture in Mississauga even deeper.

 

[Voltz]

I am not in favour of expanding GO at all. More GO service = more and larger parking lots = more congestion = even more delays for suburban transit riders such as myself. I say no thanks, it is already bad enough that I have to use alternative routes that do not pass by a GO station during rush hour, jsu tto avoid the congeston. I say that the 905 needs its own bus riders union, similar to Los Angeles, because we are in the same situation. Shifting funding from local bus service and directly local bus riders to benefit a few affluent persons is not right.

All-day service to Meadowvale? Who can actually access the Meadowvale station except for those who already have a car? All-day service to Meadowvale will only entrench the car culture in Mississauga even deeper.

I would not worry about more congestion around go stations to much. With the kind of service frequencies planned for the go lines, there is no way all those passengers will be able to drive to their station, there would just not be room for them. A large increase in local transit services and better land use planning around stations would be required.

 

[Second_in_pie]

I am not in favour of expanding GO at all. More GO service = more and larger parking lots = more congestion = even more delays for suburban transit riders such as myself. I say no thanks, it is already bad enough that I have to use alternative routes that do not pass by a GO station during rush hour, jsu tto avoid the congeston. I say that the 905 needs its own bus riders union, similar to Los Angeles, because we are in the same situation. Shifting funding from local bus service and directly local bus riders to benefit a few affluent persons is not right.

All-day service to Meadowvale? Who can actually access the Meadowvale station except for those who already have a car? All-day service to Meadowvale will only entrench the car culture in Mississauga even deeper.

This is very true, but I think I would rather see GO have better frequency service on it's lines, and then Metrolinx work on improving feeder bus service to Go routes and steadily wean the region off car dependance. Right now, it's very hard to actually have feeder lines for GO, because basically all the routes operate only during rush hour, and that makes the service rather unreliable and inconvenient to take public transit to. With all-day service, higher, more reliable frequencies and integrated far, I think public transit as a whole will be a much better option than a car at all.

 

[unimaginative2]

Exactly, second in pie. The reason GO is only a commuter service with people who drive their cars to the station is because they only offer service that's convenient for commuters. If GO operated all-day rapid transit service, there would be much more demand for people to live and work near GO stations and for connecting bus routes.

I'd also like to see the 905 force all new office and high-density residential development to be built around GO stations. Look at the new Churchill office park. Nowhere near any GO route, and yet they're building 8 million square feet of space. That's more than RBC, Bay Adelaide, and Scotia Plaza combined.

 

[lead82]

Looks like the car culture continues to thrive with these large office parks in the middle of nowhere. Thats what happens when the city charges high property taxes on businesses.

 

[unimaginative2]

I don't really buy that argument, at least not as a complete explanation. Those buildings would pay the same taxes whether they're in Meadowvale or near Square One.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Looks like the car culture continues to thrive with these large office parks in the middle of nowhere. Thats what happens when the city charges high property taxes on businesses.

They also give more square footage for an automobile than the typical office cubicle. I think that most of the suburban office buildings have one space for each office worker, but give them less space to do actual work than to store their automobiles which do nothing for the company in the building.

By the way, even my home office is half the size of a single car garage.

 

[doady]

Exactly, second in pie. The reason GO is only a commuter service with people who drive their cars to the station is because they only offer service that's convenient for commuters. If GO operated all-day rapid transit service, there would be much more demand for people to live and work near GO stations and for connecting bus routes.

I'd also like to see the 905 force all new office and high-density residential development to be built around GO stations. Look at the new Churchill office park. Nowhere near any GO route, and yet they're building 8 million square feet of space. That's more than RBC, Bay Adelaide, and Scotia Plaza combined.

Look what happens so when Mississauga built high density office and residential around Cooksville station: the station still has a huge park-and-ride lot, thanks to GO.

As for office, can the city really force offices to locate around GO station. Look at the trouble it has attracting office around Square One. There are different types of office and not all are willing to pay the premium. The city has tried to encourage high-density office along Hurontario between Matheson and Britannia as well, and guess what? Most of the land is still vacant.

 

[unimaginative2]

Look what happens so when Mississauga built high density office and residential around Cooksville station: the station still has a huge park-and-ride lot, thanks to GO.

Three points:

• There really isn't that much high density around Cooksville. It's just a couple buildings.
• Like I said, GO is just a commuter service. That's why it attracts so many commuters. If it were a real regional rail service it would be the rapid transit backbone of the city and would be fed by many other transit routes just like the Yonge and Bloro subway.
• Isn't it better that they park their cars and ride the train than drive their cars all the way into the city?

As for office, can the city really force offices to locate around GO station. Look at the trouble it has attracting office around Square One. There are different types of office and not all are willing to pay the premium. The city has tried to encourage high-density office along Hurontario between Matheson and Britannia as well, and guess what? Most of the land is still vacant.

That's the problem with the decentralization plan that was in force for years. If people aren't going to locate downtown, they're going to want all of the advantages of real suburbia: lots of space, lots of free parking. They're not going to move to the suburbs only to have to park in an expensive underground garage and deal with high land prices. That's why actively discouraging development downtown was, in retrospect, not a good move.

That said, the city can force developers to do anything. If they only zone for office around GO stations, that's the only place offices can be built. If those corridors had real rapid transit, you wouldn't have such demand for parking. I also think that they should accept that maybe some people want to be in an office park and not on a "main street." That's not such a problem if the office park is at least centred on a rapid transit station.

 

[kettal]

TORONTO, le 30 juillet /CNW/ - Aujourd'hui Metrolinx a publié l'avis d'achèvement du projet d'expansion du service sur la ligne Georgetown sud, qui comprend la liaison ferroviaire entre la gare Union et l'aéroport Pearson (GSSE/UPRL), dans le cadre du processus d'évaluation des projets de transport en commun de l'Ontario.

Au cours des sept derniers mois, Metrolinx a mené de larges consultations auprès d'organismes de quartiers et de citoyens le long du corridor ferroviaire. Plus de 2 000 personnes ont participé aux 18 journées portes ouvertes; 700 commentaires ont été affichés sur le site Web des portes ouvertes virtuelles. L'équipe du projet a organisé plus de 20 réunions auxquelles ont participé des établissements et des groupes communautaires afin de discuter de solutions aux problèmes locaux. En réponse au nombre important de commentaires et de suggestions formulés, un certain nombre de modifications et d'améliorations ont été apportées au projet d'expansion du service sur la ligne Georgetown sud.

"Metrolinx a collaboré étroitement avec la collectivité afin de comprendre les avantages de ce projet ainsi que ses répercussions", a déclaré Rob MacIsaac, président du conseil de Metrolinx. "Les résultats recommandés montrent que nous avons écouté et que nous avons l'intention d'aller de l'avant avec une solution appropriée."

Le projet d'expansion du réseau de transport en commun permettra d'améliorer grandement le service vers le secteur ouest de Toronto, Mississauga et Brampton. Le projet permettra de construire les infrastructures nécessaires visant à offrir des services de GO Transit plus fréquents et pratiques afin de relier les collectivités et de répondre à la demande croissante en matière de transport ferroviaire. Il permettra également d'adapter la liaison ferroviaire indispensable entre l'aéroport international Pearson et la gare Union.

"Le public comprend instinctivement que nous devons développer le réseau de transport en commun et offrir de meilleures options aux voyageurs", a déclaré Rob Prichard, président et chef de la direction de Metrolinx. "La raison d'être d'une participation des collectivités est d'écouter ce que les gens ont à dire et de tenir compte de leurs préoccupations. Nous avons écouté, nous avons pris au sérieux les commentaires et nous avons élaboré les solutions les plus raisonnables possible ainsi que des stratégies visant à atténuer les inquiétudes. Le processus de consultation populaire a permis de renforcer le projet. Nous remercions le public d'avoir participé en grand nombre."

La version définitive du rapport environnemental sera affichée pour examen du 31 juillet au 31 août 2009 à l'adresse suivante : www.metrolinx.com/gsse/fr/default.aspx. Les personnes intéressées, les organismes gouvernementaux et les membres des Premières nations peuvent étudier le projet et faire part de leurs commentaires à Metrolinx pour qu'il les analyse et en débattre. L'avis d'achèvement du projet résume les prochaines étapes du processus ainsi que le calendrier qui est associé et indique la marche à suivre pour soumettre une objection par écrit adressée au ministère de l'Environnement au plus tard le 31 août 2009.

Par la suite, le ministre disposera de 35 jours pour examiner les objections et déterminer si le projet peut se poursuivre tel qu'il est décrit dans le rapport environnemental final, autoriser sa réalisation sous réserve de certaines conditions ou exiger de nouvelles études. Tous les commentaires reçus feront partie du dossier public.

L'expansion de la ligne Georgetown fait partie du Programme d'amélioration du réseau ferroviaire de GO Transit (GO TRIP, en anglais seulement), initiative d'expansion de 1 G$ financée par les gouvernements fédéral et provincial et les municipalités locales par l'intermédiaire du Fonds canadien sur l'infrastructure stratégique. Le lien ferroviaire entre la gare Union et l'aéroport Pearson sera financé et exploité par une entreprise du secteur privé.

Metrolinx est une agence de la couronne de la province de l'Ontario. www.metrolinx.com

 

[CDL.TO]

Not quite sure why you chose to post the french...

Metrolinx Successfully Completes First Stage of Province’s Transit Project Assessment Process

TORONTO (July 30, 2009) – Today, Metrolinx issued the Notice of Completion for the Georgetown South Service Expansion project, including the Union-Pearson Rail Link (GSSE/UPRL), under the Province of Ontario’s Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP).

Over the past seven months, Metrolinx has consulted extensively with neighbourhood organizations and individual citizens along the rail corridor. Over 2,000 people attended 18 Open Houses; 700 comments were posted on the Virtual Open House website. The project team held more than 20 meetings with community institutions and groups to talk about solutions to local issues. In response to the tremendous amount of feedback and suggestions, a number of amendments and refinements to the Georgetown South Service Expansion proposal were made.

“Metrolinx has worked closely with the community to understand the benefits and impacts of this project.” said Rob MacIsaac, Chair of Metrolinx. “The recommended result shows we have listened and that we are intent on moving forward with an appropriate solution.”
The proposed transit expansion will bring vastly improved service to the west-end of Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton. The project will build the infrastructure needed to run more frequent and convenient GO Transit services to connect communities and meet growing demand for more train trips. It will also accommodate a much needed rail connection between Pearson International Airport and Union Station.

“There is an intuitive public understanding that we need to build more transit and provide better options for travellers," said Rob Prichard, President and CEO of Metrolinx. “One of the underlying purposes of community engagement is to listen to what people have to say and deal with their concerns. We listened, we took the community's comments seriously and we developed the most reasonable solutions and mitigation strategies available to address those concerns. The community consultation process has strengthened the project and we are grateful for the active participation of so many.”

The final Environmental Project Report (EPR) will be posted on July 31, 2009 at metrolinx.com for review until August 31, 2009. Interested persons, government agencies and First Nations can study it and provide their comments to Metrolinx for review and discussion. The Notice of Completion for the project outlines the next steps in the process and the associated time lines, and how to submit an objection in writing to the Minister of the Environment on or before August 31, 2009.

The Minister then has 35 days to review the comments and determine whether the project can proceed as described in the EPR, proceed subject to conditions, or require further study. All comments received will become part of the public record.

The Georgetown expansion is part of the GO Transit Rail Improvement Program (GOTRIP), a $1B expansion initiative funded by the federal and provincial governments and local municipalities through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund. The Union-Pearson rail link component of the project will be financed and operated by a private sector operator.

Metrolinx is a Crown agency of the Province of Ontario. For more information visit our website www.metrolinx.com.