News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 02, 2020
 8.4K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
 39K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
 4.7K     0 

April 24
More upon my site

Going out on the limb, Steeles will be back to normal by July. Widening of Steeles east of Silver Star Blvd underway to Midland. From the looks of things, widening is also taking place east of Midland. Base of the northside sidewalk being pour.

Not much change to the eastside platform of Milliken, but a lot to the westside
52030255166_908030e437_h.jpg

52030770300_41a3b684c9_b.jpg

52030505334_d41f918aa6_b.jpg

52030255476_84fbfe52d6_b.jpg

52030255551_3e2b67dbd5_b.jpg

52030289828_910cbcc26d_b.jpg

52030256061_92c404cfca_b.jpg

52030506194_332c6317f4_b.jpg

52030290533_687f5cf99a_b.jpg

52030290843_5e9645b62c_b.jpg

52029210487_5f93960980_b.jpg

52030291053_7c43d78ed7_b.jpg

52030506929_42f0b55ef0_b.jpg

52030770390_be5c96b1c7_b.jpg

52030772390_f0213569ab_b.jpg
 
Last edited:
The walkway over the tracks at the height they put them is so inconvenient. The bridge over the tracks works when people approach the corridor from that height (attached garage, depressed rail corridor, road grade separation, etc) but to go up those 4-5 stories and back down the other side when they could have an underpass that only has you travel down 1 storey is a painful trade off. On the subway this works fine because the clearance of a bridge over the subway can be very low, but the clearance they give over railways often looks like they are set to handle electrified double stack freight.
 
The walkway over the tracks at the height they put them is so inconvenient. The bridge over the tracks works when people approach the corridor from that height (attached garage, depressed rail corridor, road grade separation, etc) but to go up those 4-5 stories and back down the other side when they could have an underpass that only has you travel down 1 storey is a painful trade off. On the subway this works fine because the clearance of a bridge over the subway can be very low, but the clearance they give over railways often looks like they are set to handle electrified double stack freight.

Even with catenary and the bilevels, the grandiose height is hard to understand. No reason for the overpass to be higher than, say, the Bush trainshed at Union Station... .which is the limiting clearance on the route.

- Paul

20150919 Carlisle.jpg
 
The King City station overpass is ridiculous, and reminds me of the VIA overpasses at Cobourg and Belleville (which at least have lower throughput). I suspect most people will cross at the grade crossing.
 
Even with catenary and the bilevels, the grandiose height is hard to understand. No reason for the overpass to be higher than, say, the Bush trainshed at Union Station... .which is the limiting clearance on the route.

- Paul

View attachment 395947
The Bush Trainshed can't clear a lot of modern, extra-height freight cars. That's why the bypasses outside of the trainshed were not fully covered, to ensure that there is enough clearance.

Tunnels are generally the best option as they only need to clear a human, and nothing more. It's too bad that they are so expensive, and that a lot of people on here think that they are evil.....

Dan
 
Tunnels are generally the best option as they only need to clear a human, and nothing more.

Agreed

It's too bad that they are so expensive, and that a lot of people on here think that they are evil.....

Dan

Has anyone actually said this?

I think there have generally been two sets of complaints around tunnels:

1) They are often dark, drab, unattractive places, rather than pleasant ones. This is not difficult to change, its quality lighting and tile; and making sure some natural light gets in at that platforms.

2) The lack of escalators ( a complaint that would apply equally to bridges); as waiting for an elevator often seems wasteful; but if laden w/groceries or luggage, or just exhausted after a long day, the stairs, particularly going up can seem a burden
to many.

Also not complicated to address, though a bit more expensive, in getting GO to reverse its anti-escalator policy.
 
It was a crummy day for gardening, so I left the pollenators alone and went for a train ride instead.

I am wondering if all the fancy ML prose in that recent release was actually trying to say that ML intends to extend the existing double tracking north a very small ways north to include the Rutherford station. That small extension would add a little flexibility to operations since the current hourly "meet" north of Steeles would have a little more leeway. As you can see below, it would be a small and cheap extension to move the turnout at the north end of the double track to the north end of the Rutherford platform..(If this isn't the case, the second platform at Rutherford will be a white elephant for years, until more work is done).

Other than this small stretch of double track at Rutherford, the only double track work that is in progress is from the Bloomington/Bathurst area south to Dufferin Street. There is a lot of new security fencing in that section, plus preliminary grading for a second track. However, they are still messing with conduit and are nowhere near ready to pour the granular material for subgrade. it's just mud so far. I would predict another year before track can be laid there. I didn't see so much as surveyors' stakes anywhere else north of Rutherford. So much for "getting ready to lay more track".

Supposedly that new section was undertaken as a solution to the CN roadswitcher conflicts. The lumber yard that caused that fuss seemed to be inactive, but I spotted recently spotted freight cars in two sidings north of Maple, in the Teston-Kirby section.

And as for Rutherford's pedestrian overpass, you will see that I didn't have much time to take pictures as my northbound train was approaching. I can attest - There are a LOT of steps to get down from the bridge. I barely made it.

- Paul

20220426 Rutherford North View.jpg
20220426 Rutherford South View.jpg
 
Last edited:
A few more pics from Maple GO.

Kenaidan is mobilized in the small overflow parking lot to the south to start works at Maple. Tree clearing is underway on both sides of the current fence for the new retaining wall:
20220426_152542.jpg

The Eagle Rock Way extension for the bus loop is progressing with the retaining wall starting to curve. The new stairs are also being formed:
20220426_152241.jpg

Tunnel from the bus loop elevator to the platforms:
original_89b09619-0887-4f47-8b9c-8e7bd3a48ed8_20220426_152416.jpg

Haven't read anything on the start of the McNaughton grade sep:
original_1426d9db-02e0-4ea7-a1d2-8ce12a08a57f_20220426_152941.jpg
 
A few more pics from Maple GO.

Kenaidan is mobilized in the small overflow parking lot to the south to start works at Maple. Tree clearing is underway on both sides of the current fence for the new retaining wall:
View attachment 396026
The Eagle Rock Way extension for the bus loop is progressing with the retaining wall starting to curve. The new stairs are also being formed:
View attachment 396025
Tunnel from the bus loop elevator to the platforms:
View attachment 396027
Haven't read anything on the start of the McNaughton grade sep:
View attachment 396028
Liking the TOD progress down at Maple.
 
April 26
More up on my site for all 3 sites

Weston Station

This stations is nearing completion for the 3rd platform with crews installing ceiling wiring and schedule screens. Still a fair bit of flashing and ceiling panels to be install, but only a month of work left to be done. Once that is done, track 1 can be install.
52032548818_22373a1078_b.jpg

52033031545_39b4960085_b.jpg

52032511886_e3b60f32ec_b.jpg

52032548388_5337232f43_b.jpg

52032511591_5215e72bba_b.jpg


Mount Dennis
Still a fair amount of work on the first 2 platforms with framing going up on platform 3
52033046805_ba0fe7c7eb_b.jpg

52031476527_2772cbe2a5_b.jpg

52032518596_a46ee7a7cc_b.jpg

52033037645_1195ec4bd0_b.jpg

52032518306_feaae8f54a_b.jpg

52032518156_d4dc65b9f6_b.jpg

52032555183_321e6c4d35_b.jpg


Rogers Rd
Since track 1 can't be use at this time for the cut off to CP MacTier Sub, track 2 is being used for it. A fair bit of grading will be require to move the switch to track 1 as well reline the cut off once track 1 can go live. Bulk of the grading for track 1 south of Black Creek is done like I thought it was.
52032565113_5d06fa7188_b.jpg

52032779139_dff94a8eef_b.jpg

52032527741_977d934910_b.jpg

52032564898_7261085077_b.jpg
 
Has anyone actually said this?

That's a wee bit of hyperbole on my part, sure.

But there does seem to be a lot of gnashing of teeth here when it comes to the whole overpass-versus-tunnel argument. Look through the thread about the new bridge in Liberty Village as evidence.

I think there have generally been two sets of complaints around tunnels:

1) They are often dark, drab, unattractive places, rather than pleasant ones. This is not difficult to change, its quality lighting and tile; and making sure some natural light gets in at that platforms.

That's a fair statement to make, and as you point out they certainly don't need to be.

I think that it's also fair to point out that some of the bridges finished most recently, although pretty(-ish) to look at from outside, do absolutely nothing for the safety of its users - which is another argument that gets thrown around here quite often.

2) The lack of escalators ( a complaint that would apply equally to bridges); as waiting for an elevator often seems wasteful; but if laden w/groceries or luggage, or just exhausted after a long day, the stairs, particularly going up can seem a burden to many.

If we're talking about a GO Transit-specific installation, than the exact same argument must be made about bridges as well - along with the additional caveat that any users have a far greater distance to climb or descend.

Also not complicated to address, though a bit more expensive, in getting GO to reverse its anti-escalator policy.

No arguments here.

Dan
 

Back
Top