Orangeville-Brampton Railway (OBRY)

[Bordercollie]

I know at this point it's beating a dead horse but I was driving down 10 and through Caledon East and i noticed its mostly Orangeville license plates driving south, i believe it definitely warrents a rail commuter line I'm very surprised the "environmentalists" aren't protesting this.

They fight against a proposed highway, but they don't fight to protect the last of our rail corridors?

And the argument of "we can always turn it back into a railway when we need it" is utter bs, like all the rest of the railways that were removed and turned into trails, none have been converted back into railways, once the rails are gone, it's not coming back ever.

It's a shame how none of the city's in the gta who "opposed" the 413, don't dare talk about this railway line, just a bunch of hypocrites, especially the Orangeville city council, absolute scum.

The problem is that it is single tracked and not very fast. The whole corridor would need to be rebuilt to allow 50mph running to be competitive with driving.

And the you get to Brampton and you transfer to the GO train? How do you get to your final destination?

 

[NW87]

Was cutting through Orangeville today and stopped by.

 

[Bordercollie]

Was cutting through Orangeville today and stopped by.
View attachment 390263
View attachment 390264
View attachment 390265

The irony of removing tracks from a GO station. In ten years they will need to rebuild it for 50millon dollars.

 

[robmausser]

The irony of removing tracks from a GO station. In ten years they will need to rebuild it for 50millon dollars.

Try 500 million.

 

[robmausser]

The problem is that it is single tracked and not very fast. The whole corridor would need to be rebuilt to allow 50mph running to be competitive with driving.

And the you get to Brampton and you transfer to the GO train? How do you get to your final destination?

The train would most likely operate as a branch line off of either the Kitchener Line or the Milton Line and continue to Union.

I believe the speeds of the line are about 40mph now for passenger rail. Remember that passenger rail has a higher allowed speed than freight on the same class of track. Don't go by freight speed limits on the line.

Rebuilding the corridor is fine when demand warrants it. You just buy the track and mothball it until then. Always way cheaper than building completely new transit.

 

[ShonTron]

The mainline is now history north of the yard in Town Line in Orangeville.

 

[Bureaucromancer]

The train would most likely operate as a branch line off of either the Kitchener Line or the Milton Line and continue to Union.

I believe the speeds of the line are about 40mph now for passenger rail. Remember that passenger rail has a higher allowed speed than freight on the same class of track. Don't go by freight speed limits on the line.

Rebuilding the corridor is fine when demand warrants it. You just buy the track and mothball it until then. Always way cheaper than building completely new transit.

Personally I think that it will end up a Milton line branch, if for no other reason than that we''ll get a Milton branch ending at Brampton long before there's any serious talk of rebuilding Orangeville... and that now it's gone any new Orangeville line should probably use a better corridor north of Brampton.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

I am hearing chatter that the scope of the rail lifting crew’s work is limited to Orangeville. Once lifting is done in the Town it will stop (allegedly). Would love to know if others have heard this too.

 

[ShonTron]

I am hearing chatter that the scope of the rail lifting crew’s work is limited to Orangeville. Once lifting is done in the Town it will stop (allegedly). Would love to know if others have heard this too.

That makes sense. It would be up to the purchaser of the remaining sections of right-of-way (the City of Brampton which owns a small section now) and most likely the Region of Peel) to remove the track. It’s impassable now, as concrete blocks have been put up at the creek and river bridges, likely to keep ATV users off.

Orangeville is eager to build the paved trail – it already removed a section north of Broadway and built a short trail on the ROW before the end of service.

 

[abovegrade]

Good News?

This is a screenshot from Brampton's Draft Official plan that just got sent to me by email.

under page 2-237.

https://www.brampton.ca/EN/City-Hall/Official-Plan/Documents/Draft Brampton Plan.pdf

 

[ShonTron]

Good News?

This is a screenshot from Brampton's Draft Official plan that just got sent to me by email.

under page 2-237.

https://www.brampton.ca/EN/City-Hall/Official-Plan/Documents/Draft Brampton Plan.pdfView attachment 396326

It’s good news. It will likely become a trail, and I’m doubtful it will ever be used for passenger rail, but it’s important that the corridor be preserved, rather than sold off or built upon.

 

[kamira51]

It’s good news. It will likely become a trail, and I’m doubtful it will ever be used for passenger rail, but it’s important that the corridor be preserved, rather than sold off or built upon.

That's not good news, once it becomes a trail, it's never going to have rails laid down ever again.

 

[andrewmaps]

I think this is good news... there is no reason it cannot be both. There are countless examples. Guelph, K/W, Hamilton, Toronto... It may mean a lower capacity single track line with passing loops sometime in the future, but this is a positive step forward.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Good News?

This is a screenshot from Brampton's Draft Official plan that just got sent to me by email.

under page 2-237.

https://www.brampton.ca/EN/City-Hall/Official-Plan/Documents/Draft Brampton Plan.pdfView attachment 396326

This is great news. For the possibility of passenger rail ever happening on the OBRY, the first step is municipal buy-in. A huge municipality at the centre of the corridor with influence on Peel Regional Council did just that.

It is also an opportunity for Metrolinx to try new tech like small DMUs with frequent service. Lots of opportunities to be creative. The Stadler Flirt comes to mind:

 

[abovegrade]

This is great news. For the possibility of passenger rail ever happening on the OBRY, the first step is municipal buy-in. A huge municipality at the centre of the corridor with influence on Peel Regional Council did just that.

It is also an opportunity for Metrolinx to try new tech like small DMUs with frequent service. Lots of opportunities to be creative. The Stadler Flirt comes to mind:
View attachment 396385

That's not good news, once it becomes a trail, it's never going to have rails laid down ever again.

I really think future density will require it - the city does seem committed to densification and creating new transit options and I'm sure it will be expropriated in the future if the city needs it. Can it not be a trail while still having track in the meantime?