[crs1026]

I would go further and theorise that one of the asks of CN in negotiations is a full 6 track row across the Halton/York Subs. Six tracks Milton to Bramalea makes no sense unless yoo can go all the way across the GTA.
Considering that it's CN land, and admits CP (a competitor) to use of the CN investment, that likely makes the ask a pretty high dollar proposition.

- Paul

 

[reaperexpress]

Double-tracking update from Rutherford Station last weekend:

Work is well underway to move the drainage ditch between the platform and the station building underground into a culvert.

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Considering that it's CN land, and admits CP (a competitor) to use of the CN investment, that likely makes the ask a pretty high dollar proposition.

- Paul

My understanding is that it was that exact reason why CN balked at the initial proposal to allow CP to use it the whole way. CP was fully on board and CN said 'no way.'

 

[steveintoronto]

I would go further and theorise that one of the asks of CN in negotiations is a full 6 track row across the Halton/York Subs. Six tracks Milton to Bramalea makes no sense unless yoo can go all the way across the GTA.
Considering that it's CN land, and admits CP (a competitor) to use of the CN investment, that likely makes the ask a pretty high dollar proposition.

- Paul

My understanding is that it was that exact reason why CN balked at the initial proposal to allow CP to use it the whole way. CP was fully on board and CN said 'no way.'

This is exactly where the Relocations Act imposes the Rule of Reason as well as the Rule of Law, and the Feds are the only ones, short of QP taking Ottawa to Superior or Supreme Court (highly unlikely), who can impose it:
It becomes the theatre of the absurd, merely because it can and the Class 1's are playing it that way. What's missing in all of this is the essential player: The Feds. Without the powers of the various pertaining Acts (Railway Relocation and Crossing Act
Canada Transportation Act )
invoked by (effectively) the Transport Minister, then the Province is left to deal with vultures and QP has absolutely no cudgel to use to invoke the Law for the benefit of provincial taxpayers. CN and CP can walk all over Metrolinx on this, and are.

Oh the rusty irony!

Minister Garneau introduces legislation to support Canadian travellers and promote economic growth

https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-...eslegislationtosupportcanadiantravellers.html
So where's Garneau's concern on rail?

Railway Relocation and Crossing Act

R.S.C., 1985, c. R-4

PART I
Joint Urban Development and Transportation Plans
Marginal note:Application to Agency
[...]

• 3 (1) Where, in respect of an area in a province that includes or comprises an urban area, in this Part called a “transportation study area”, the government of the province and all the municipalities within that area have agreed on an urban development plan and transportation plan, in this Part called an “accepted plan”, for that transportation study area, the province or a municipality may, subject to subsection 4(1), apply to the Agency for such orders as the Agency may make under section 7 or 8 and as are necessary to carry out the accepted plan.

[...]
Powers to acquire land
(2) When the Agency makes an order under subsection (1) requiring a railway company to build a railway line or to make any connections between railway lines, all the provisions of law at that time applicable to the taking of land by the railway company, to its valuation and sale and conveyance to the company, and to the compensation therefor, apply to the land required for the proper carrying out of that order.

• R.S., 1985, c. R-4, s. 8;
• R.S., 1985, c. 28 (3rd Supp.), s. 359, c. 32 (4th Supp.), s. 116;
• 1999, c. 31, s. 187(E).

Marginal note:Acquisition of railway land
9 When the Agency makes an order under section 7 requiring a railway company to cease to operate over a line within a transportation study area, the Agency may recommend that the Minister of Public Works and Government Services acquire any land that is or was occupied as part of its railway undertaking by the railway company subject to such conditions as the Agency may prescribe, and the Minister of Public Works and Government Services may acquire such land by purchase or by expropriation under the Expropriation Act.

• R.S., 1985, c. R-4, s. 9;
• R.S., 1985, c. 28 (3rd Supp.), s. 359;
• 1999, c. 31, s. 188.

Marginal note:Necessary laws
10 An order under section 7 or 8 shall be issued only after the Agency is satisfied that the government of the province and each municipality that has agreed to the accepted plan have caused such laws to be passed or such orders to be made as are necessary to carry the accepted plan into effect.

• R.S., 1985, c. R-4, s. 10;
• R.S., 1985, c. 28 (3rd Supp.), s. 359.

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/R-4/page-1.html#docCont

Canada Transportation Act (S.C. 1996, c. 10)

Running Rights and Joint Track Usage
Marginal note:Application by railway company

[...]

• 138 (1) A railway company may apply to the Agency for the right to
  • (a) take possession of, use or occupy any land belonging to any other railway company;
    
    
  • (b) use the whole or any portion of the right-of-way, tracks, terminals, stations or station grounds of any other railway company; and
    
    
  • (c) run and operate its trains over and on any portion of the railway of any other railway company.
• Marginal note:Application may be granted
  (2) The Agency may grant the right and may make any order and impose any conditions on either railway company respecting the exercise or restriction of the rights as appear just or desirable to the Agency, having regard to the public interest.
  
  
• Marginal note:Compensation
  (3) The railway company shall pay compensation to the other railway company for the right granted and, if they do not agree on the compensation, the Agency may, by order, fix the amount to be paid.

Marginal note:Request for joint or common use of right-of-way

• 139 (1) The Governor in Council may
  • (a) on the application of a railway company, a municipal government or any other interested person, or on the Governor in Council’s own initiative, and
    
    
  • (b) after any investigation that the Governor in Council considers necessary,
  request two or more railway companies to consider the joint or common use of a right-of-way if the Governor in Council is of the opinion that its joint or common use may improve the efficiency and effectiveness of rail transport and would not unduly impair the commercial interests of the companies.
  
  
• Marginal note:Order in Council for joint or common use of right-of-way
  (2) If the Governor in Council is satisfied that significant efficiencies and cost savings would result from joint or common use of the right-of-way by two or more railway companies and would not unduly impair the commercial interests of the companies, the Governor in Council may make any order for the joint or common use of the right-of-way that the Governor in Council considers necessary.
  
  
• [...]

• http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-10.4/page-20.html

 

[TransitBart]

CN and CP can walk all over Metrolinx on this, and are.

Then it may be time for Mrs. Wynne to ask Mr. Trudeau, Mr. Morneau and Ms. Freeland for some support.

 

[steveintoronto]

Then it may be time for Mrs. Wynne to ask Mr. Trudeau, Mr. Morneau and Ms. Freeland for some support.

It's beyond time! Freeland has no skin in this game though. Morneau certainly does, but he's a bit of a sycophant. Paul has offered some views as to why it hasn't happened, but I think many of us would agree it comes down to lack of backbone on the Fed's part.

You really have to wonder who runs the show sometimes...

Btw: I've tweaked my prior post multiple times, this forum software is a nightmare to use as per HTML tags, at least in Firefox on Linux. Once it grabs a tag, it won't let go. Whether that's BBC, HTML, or XHTML I know not, but it's a freakin' hassle at times. I had to correct that previous post approximately twenty times. And I'm not the only one, I see others have quotes accidentally included in other quotes, with assignment of code to to headlines assigned separately by the forum software, only to corrupt what follows.

I sometimes have to cut and paste a character in to force the software to follow the tags of the pasted-in character since the controls in the heading panel are ineffective at times once multiples commands are inserted by the software itself.

Buggy...

 

[raptor]

Request for Proposals Closed for Stouffville Corridor Station Improvements
September 08, 2017
TORONTO - The request for proposals stage has closed for teams to submit their bids to design, build and finance GO Transit station improvements on the Stouffville GO Corridor for the GO Regional Express Rail (RER) program.

Following a fair, open and transparent request for qualifications process, three teams - EllisDon Transit Infrastructure, Kenaidan Obayashi Transit Partners, and Kiewit-Bird Joint Venture - were prequalified and invited to respond to a request for proposals in September 2016. All three teams have submitted their proposals by today's deadline.

Over the next several months, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx will evaluate the proposals, select a preferred proponent and then award the final contract anticipated for early 2018. An independent fairness monitor is overseeing the entire procurement process.

The project includes upgrades to tracks, platforms with canopies, new pedestrian connections and amenities at the Milliken, Agincourt, and Unionville GO Transit stations along the Stouffville Corridor. The project also includes the road/rail grade separation at Steeles Avenue, with a railway overpass bridge.

Ontario is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals, schools, public transit, roads and bridges in the province's history. To learn more about what's happening in your community, visit Ontario.ca/BuildON.

Quick Facts:

• The project is being delivered using IO's Alternative Financing and Procurement model (AFP), which transfers risks associated with design, construction and financing of the project to the private sector.
• Work on the Stouffville GO Corridor is part of a larger, system-wide plan to improve overall GO Transit service, including the delivery of GO RER by 2024-25. To support transit improvements, Metrolinx will be undertaking major infrastructure upgrades, including additional tracks, GO station modifications, improved rail crossings, required systems for electrification, and new locomotives and train control systems to enable more frequent service.

 

[steveintoronto]

Request for Proposals Closed for Stouffville Corridor Station Improvements
[...]
The project is being delivered using IO's Alternative Financing and Procurement model (AFP), which transfers risks associated with design, construction and financing of the project to the private sector.

• Work on the Stouffville GO Corridor is part of a larger, system-wide plan to improve overall GO Transit service, including the delivery of GO RER by 2024-25. To support transit improvements, Metrolinx will be undertaking major infrastructure upgrades, including additional tracks, GO station modifications, improved rail crossings, required systems for electrification, and new locomotives and train control systems to enable more frequent service.

We're far from being there, but if anything indicates serious intent to makes events happen as promised, it's items like this. The real commitment happens when a contract to build is signed.

 

[cbrown2009]

Different topic, but does anyone have an idea of the work being done on the Barrie Line this weekend?

 

[Megaton327]

Different topic, but does anyone have an idea of the work being done on the Barrie Line this weekend?

Presumably whatever they're doing is south of Aurora--theorizing here, but last time I rode the line several weeks ago, the double tracking from York U to Rutherford was very far along. A couple of relatively small stretches remained. Maybe they're installing track switches to connect it to the current track?

 

[cbrown2009]

Presumably whatever they're doing is south of Aurora--theorizing here, but last time I rode the line several weeks ago, the double tracking from York U to Rutherford was very far along. A couple of relatively small stretches remained. Maybe they're installing track switches to connect it to the current track?

Thanks for the response. I certainly hope it's something tangible along those lines.

 

[smallspy]

Different topic, but does anyone have an idea of the work being done on the Barrie Line this weekend?

They installed the new crossovers at the "Steeles" control point. They also tried to get the signalling system completed there as well, but apparently the trackwork took longer than expected.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

From the Star, re: Dundas West Station:

https://www.thestar.com/news/queens...nnected-to-union-pearson-express-station.html

AoD

 

[TOareaFan]

From the Star, re: Dundas West Station:

https://www.thestar.com/news/queens...nnected-to-union-pearson-express-station.html

AoD

this paragraph raises a couple of questions in my mind (for which there may be very good answers):

“Our goal is to have control of the property interest by summer 2018. Once the property has been acquired, the design will go through public consultation,” she said, noting the $23 million tab includes the cost of the land, property, design, and construction of the link.

1. Why wait until the property has been acquired to consult the public on the design? (alternatively, it's a tunnel...why is there a need to consult the public at all?) Could time not be saved by beginning the design consultation (if it has to happen) prior to actually closing on the property?
2. If the property has not been acquired and the design not finalized....how can they possibly know the cost is $23MM?

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

450 million for the extra tracks at Bramalea and Metrolinx won't do it.