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That curve has a 45-25 speed limit sign (45 psgr, 25 freight) for the existing track. Could be for construction only.

- Paul
It's probably for construction only, as they're now building a wider bridge just to the west of the curve. They're currently working on the pillars - 3 pillars wide.
 
Wow, they certainly upgraded that culvert. Should help with flash floods as well. Great to see the update and thanks for posting!

Barrie Line double tracking update, April 10 2016.

It looks like work been focused on the embankment south of Langstaff Road, which includes replacing the culvert over the West Don river with a viaduct. The rest of the line looks the same as it did when I visited four months ago.

For comparison, here was the same view in September 2015:
26409509306_0fd8ef9488.jpg
 
I wonder if the Bowmanville extension will be electrified straight out of the gate.
VIA HFR negotiations is going a little further than I expected...
Note that the VIA $4bn plan includes $1bn for electrification...

Reasons:
-- VIA HFR includes electrification, construction might begin by end of decade
-- VIA HFR needs a way to link to Metrolinx's electric RER network.
-- VIA aims to be shovel-ready by 2017 and begin construction shortly after.

If VIA HFR gets approved this year...
...Then mark my words, diesel GO trains will never go to Bowmanville.

(a.k.a. They're just going to run the electric LSE trains further east instead... Maybe not 15-min. They could do peak-only or hourly using the same short-turn technique Metrolinx plans for Unionville to have 15-min Unionville and 60-min MtJoy. And with an electrified Whitby yard nearby, it's not a long deadheading. And even if there's a 5-year delay in VIA construction plans, it will still finish before Bowmanville if GO did it on their own.)
 
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It's probably for construction only, as they're now building a wider bridge just to the west of the curve. They're currently working on the pillars - 3 pillars wide.

It's not for construction only, it's an advance notice for the Permanent Slow Order at Snider Diamond 2 miles down the line. For more information, read this post and this post by our resident train driver, Vegeta Skyline.
 
The province announced widening of the 401 yesterday, from Hurontario to the Credit River (6 to 12 lanes). It's been on the books for a long time, but still cheeses me off that it gets funds before anything for the Milton line and/or the Missing Link.

All other lines are looking at RER upgrades, and on the Milton line's page its all like 'we added 3 rush hour trains since 2009 guyz!'. I know it's a huge infrastructure challenge, but the fact that we haven't heard ANYTHING about plans to start tackling it has me exasperated.
 
The province announced widening of the 401 yesterday, from Hurontario to the Credit River (6 to 12 lanes). It's been on the books for a long time, but still cheeses me off that it gets funds before anything for the Milton line and/or the Missing Link.

I get the frustration, I do, but really how much of a dent on the Milton Line issue or the Missing Link would that 81 million have made? My guess is that this project is actually meant to appease the voters in the areas most directly impacted by the cost/length of the solution(s) on the Milton line. Years and hundreds of millions of dollars away from solving rail issues....but we can add 6 lanes of travel (2 of which will be bus/hov lanes) to ease travel times in the meantime.
 
The 401 widening had money dedicated to it long before the missing link even existed. Its not like the province just randomly allocated money to it after picking between the two.

And as TOareaFan said, its an 80 million dollar project. Missing Link is 5 billion. The entire 401 widening program, widening it from the 403/410 to Highway 25 in Milton is a billion dollar project over 15 years or so, and even that is 1/5th of the missing link project.

The province is widening a few highways and extending a few more in the GTA right now, but in terms of level of investment, transit is vastly, vastly outnumbering road projects. Roads probably have about 3 billion in investment scheduled in the GTA over the next 10 years. Transit is probably closer the 30 billion. I wouldn't worry about it too much. That ratio is far above that of even europe in terms of transit spending vs highway spending.

Dropping highway spending entirely would be a colossal mistake regardless. A huge portion of the GTAs economy relies on reliable shipping times down the 401, letting those get worse and worse will not help the economy.
 
I think that the VIA Rail proposal is supposed to use the line from Toronto to Peterborough and will go nowhere near Bowmanville.
 
Roads probably have about 3 billion in investment scheduled in the GTA over the next 10 years. Transit is probably closer the 30 billion. I wouldn't worry about it too much. That ratio is far above that of even europe in terms of transit spending vs highway spending.
Very impressive ratio, but doess this include the 407 East cost and municipal/provincial/federal and all the bridge rebuilds as well as grade separations? Some of that RER budget benefits roads via that stuff.

Yes, I did notice that after decades of transit neglect, we are in a situation of real transit-panic-catching up.

The fully funded construction pipeline AND the planning pipleine (funded and unfunded) is getting clogged up. Big Move indeed. RER/ECLRT and its extensions/Hurontario/Finch West/York TTC/GO electrification (including ST-funded enhancements/infills/extra EMUs/frequency), UPX (in its proper new RER integrated form), bus upgrades system wide, Presto TTC rollout, new streetcaes (delayed regardless, much needed anyway), Leslie Barns and similar infrastructure, and finally even DRL finally getting more serious attention than it ever has lately.

Not to mention VIA HFR (and potential HSR) and the other outside LRTs like Ottawa/Kitchener/Waterloo/Hamilton/eventually Cambridge/even London, integrating into one large combined Ontario rapid/commuter/intercity network.

Good thing, because rapid transit had been been relatively static for two decades until recently.

Our transit deficit built up much bigger than the road deficit, and there is no room to easily make roads move more people inside a city -- without adding well-connected high capacity rapid transit options. We are finally exiting the transit Dark Ages after the completion of the Sheppard stub.
 
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I think that the VIA Rail proposal is supposed to use the line from Toronto to Peterborough and will go nowhere near Bowmanville.
After decades of VIA Rail reports not using this alignment, what is your basis for them to switching to an alignment that would be slower than the current one, with all the tight curves?
 
Not sure where I should put this, but NIMBY folks are at it in Mississauga again from the building of the 3rd Lakeshore Track.

I wonder if they understand what was coming their way during the EA stage or paid no attention to it? Did they attend any of the public meetings and voice their concerns?? I know the issues was raise during the EA.

Another bunch of residents who fail to understand what RR can do in in the future, specially the coming of the RER that will double the current volume of traffic in the corridor.

How long has there been 30 minutes service to this now surfacing??

Metrolinx rail lines a nightmare for Lorne Park residents
 
From Drum's linked news story:
When the couple moved in to the house on Bramblewood Lane, there were two sets of CN-owned rail tracks running parallel to their property, with trains passing by roughly once an hour, said Dan.
I call their bluff. Has traffic increased? Beyond doubt, but it was not that light "22 years ago".

Metrolinx are due criticism in some instances, it's next to impossible to avoid some conflicts, they must be addressed as they arise, but absolutely agreed with Drum, they had an opportunity to speak up, they seem to be informed, aware individuals. A wall might be the answer, and then they'll complain about lost sight-lines.
 
Maybe they would like to revert to the days when the Oakville Sub was CN's main line freight route across the GTA? When it was CP's preferred route for trains to Hamilton and Buffalo? When there was much more industry along the line?

- Pau
 

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