Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited

Klees is trying to score points but sometimes that happens because there is a public perception. I always felt the Sumitomo deal seemed very rushed - there was virtually nothing talked about and then suddenly there's a DMU order for an FRA compliant design which isn't running anywhere yet. Obviously we hope it goes without a hitch but the travails of Colorado Railcar shows it's not a no-brainer. For me the conversion option is the wrong one but only because we should be looking to reuse the diesels elsewhere either for weekend service on thinner GO routes or even to replace the non-FRA cars of the O-Train to permit more operating flexibility, plus as former airport cars the O-Train track is probably as close to YOW as the Georgetown line is to YYZ.
 
re: Bloor West mobility hub.

In an ideal world, there is a used car lot directly north of the Crossways that could be turned into an intermodal station/TOD development. It could be connected to the subway station via a footbridge, but also serve as a major non-downtown rail station, like Clapham Jct. in London, Gesundbrunnen in Berlin, or even Jamaica in New York.
 
Hipster Duck said:
re: Bloor West mobility hub.

In an ideal world, there is a used car lot directly north of the Crossways that could be turned into an intermodal station/TOD development. It could be connected to the subway station via a footbridge, but also serve as a major non-downtown rail station, like Clapham Jct. in London, Gesundbrunnen in Berlin, or even Jamaica in New York.
Click to expand...

And in that sense I feel that Dundas W/Bloor has the potential to become a more significant secondary node that Y/E is now (or even NYCC), provided there's the will to allow it to happen.

Imagine a subway line, streetcar line, and regional rail line all converging at one station. That is a rare and ripe opportunity.
 
Drove through the area where the East Corridor Bridges projects are located today. They have the concrete supports for the new Queen bridges done... they might have had those built when they shifted the rail corridor north for construction. On Brock St the support columns in the middle of the street are under construction. Lansdowne should have the spans installed the weekend of March 26-27. Not sure what is happening on Bloor. As reported earllier Dupont is complete.
 
dowlingm said:
For me the conversion option is the wrong one but only because we should be looking to reuse the diesels elsewhere either for weekend service on thinner GO routes or even to replace the non-FRA cars of the O-Train to permit more operating flexibility, plus as former airport cars the O-Train track is probably as close to YOW as the Georgetown line is to YYZ.
Click to expand...

For better or worse the current O-Train line is going to become part of the future LRT network. This means it will be grade separated from heavy rail crossings thus allowing LRV's to run on it. Considering FRA compliant DMU's is a non starter. Personally, I think this line should have been left for heavy rail use, but, that is not the case and life moves on.

Regarding the mobility hub....it just makes sense. It doesn't need big and grand architecture, it just needs to be functional, and provide the most efficient means to switch between rail, subway and streetcar. It may not reach its full potential until GO is able to electrify more of its network, but at least it will be there waiting and ready to go.
 
I think everyone understands that council is only voting to appease the voters, and doesn't really have any desire to delay the project - and won't pursue or stonewall the project.
 
nfitz said:
I think everyone understands that council is only voting to appease the voters, and doesn't really have any desire to delay the project - and won't pursue or stonewall the project.
Click to expand...

This is one of those no lose political situations......this vote gives the impression they are in the "stop the diesels" camp making those people happy for the support but they know they will never really stop them so they don't risk upsetting the folks that want the trains to start rolling pre-electrification
 
At the Strachan Avenue Overpass Design Update meeting in October 2010, we shared how the Strachan Avenue Overpass would look once built. The design includes a series of struts running across the lowered rail corridor roughly from Stanley Terrace to Shaw Street.

The community asked us to explore if the struts could be designed to incorporate architectural elements that would reflect the overall aesthetics of the surrounding community. In February, we asked residents to review four strut options and vote for their favourite.

With feedback from over 150 community members, we are excited to announce the winner:

strachan_new_rendering_east-1000x750.jpg


strachan_new_rendering_closeup-1000x750.jpg


strachan_new_rendering_west-1000x750.jpg

​

Source
 
Last edited:
Coruscanti Cognoscente said:
Erm, I'm sorry. I don't really get it. What's the point of this?
Click to expand...

It's a grade separation project to eliminate an at-grade crossing, one that has surprisingly survived for this long in spite of how busy that railway corridor is. The city recommended depressing the rail corridor rather than building a steep bridge over it; they stood up for the highest quality solution. I don't know why GO uses the elaborate struts over the depressed section. I've seen more generic designs used in more isolated suburban and rural areas. But since they do, they might as well be shaped with some style at the heart of the metropolis.
 
The struts could be used instead of extensive rockbolting and pile driving to keep the walls upright. Pressure balance it all.
 
junctionist said:
It's a grade separation project to eliminate an at-grade crossing, one that has surprisingly survived for this long in spite of how busy that railway corridor is. The city recommended depressing the rail corridor rather than building a steep bridge over it; they stood up for the highest quality solution. I don't know why GO uses the elaborate struts over the depressed section. I've seen more generic designs used in more isolated suburban and rural areas. But since they do, they might as well be shaped with some style at the heart of the metropolis.
Click to expand...

I get the grade separation. I don't get all that other junk. I'm not sure how attractive it'll be in real life.
 
junctionist said:
It's a grade separation project to eliminate an at-grade crossing, one that has surprisingly survived for this long in spite of how busy that railway corridor is. The city recommended depressing the rail corridor rather than building a steep bridge over it; they stood up for the highest quality solution. I don't know why GO uses the elaborate struts over the depressed section. I've seen more generic designs used in more isolated suburban and rural areas. But since they do, they might as well be shaped with some style at the heart of the metropolis.
Click to expand...
Darwinkgo has the right of it, those struts are used on retaining walls over 2.5m tall and the minimum high clearance reserved on new structures for future electrification is 4.8m, so it's struts or tunnel where the retaining walls can't be archored because of tight builds.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top