[DonValleyRainbow]

Two business cases for new GO stations:

• Walker's Line (Lakeshore West, between Burlington and Appleby) - Negative Benefit-to-Cost Ratio
• Highway 27-Woodbine (Kitchener/UPX, between Etobicoke North and Malton, replacing the former) - Positive Benefit-to-Cost Ratio

There was a mention of a new grade separation at Scarboro Junction at last night's town hall. I posted it in the Metrolinx (other) thread but thought I'd cross post it to here as well:

https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/metrolinx-other-items-catch-all.27710/page-43

I don't understand, what is the grade separation for? Between Lakeshore East and Stouffville trains? Or grade-separating Danforth Road at the Stouffville Line?

 

[Northern Light]

Two business cases for new GO stations:

• Walker's Line (Lakeshore West, between Burlington and Appleby) - Negative Benefit-to-Cost Ratio
• Highway 27-Woodbine (Kitchener/UPX, between Etobicoke North and Malton, replacing the former) - Positive Benefit-to-Cost Ratio

I don't understand, what is the grade separation for? Between Lakeshore East and Stouffville trains? Or grade-separating Danforth Road at the Stouffville Line?

Specifically it was about the interchange of the Stouffville and LSE tracks.

They're talking about rail to rail separation in order to allow for frequent service on both lines.

However, I hypthesized that this may trigger the Danforth/Midland separation as it might be tight to get the trenched/bridged track back to grade in time.

 

[hw621]

Full GO expansion business case

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sour...FjABegQIChAB&usg=AOvVaw2XLjDuvfc48gL7Sgp0vbhj

 

[crs1026]

That Business Case presentation fills in a lot of gaps in our knowledge base. Looks like Cabinet really hasn’t made a decision yet about GO, and this document becomes the basis of ML’s pitch to Cabinet. Which confirms that the Capital Projects report continues to be a report against an old mandate, ie will be rewritten once Cabinet gets its oar in.
Interesting that electrification is part of the pitch.
The only statistic that was hard to understand was the $11 per something to $7 per something - per km? Per passenger? Is that overall or is electrification alone driving that magnitude of improvement?
I do wonder what Niagara did to get singles out for cuts - nothing differentiates it from say Bowmanville. I wonder if CN just put too many obstacles forward.
Having said all that, the document is a good restatement of the RER value proposition, with solid evidence of having done due diligence (perhaps too well - could we have stopped at 24 sensitivity tests?), is more specific in some earlier areas of ambiguity, and makes some clever and useful points which may actually help make pennies drop with some of the rubes in Ford Nation.
Let’s hope it gets a favourable reception before Caninet, and quickly. It’s a good pitch, and it’s reassuring that ML has the confidence to put this strong a pitch forward rather than kowtowing to anti transit factions.... , but there are likely sharp knives waiting.

- Paul

 

[steveintoronto]

^ Agreed, on all save what hasn't yet been stated: Funding. I can already see the only way the Cons can play this: "We've presented The People with The Way Forward, and we're so much in agreement with this that we've invited all our frien....errr...the business community to see what they ca....errr...The People can get from building this. But we've looked at the Liberal Leftie Books Left with us, and they are criminal...*criminal I tell you...The People!*. And so to build this magnificent project, we're forming the Bastion of Investment Decision (BID) to bring to The People what is rightfully ours....errr...theirs".

 

[drum118]

Dec 1
Don't recall seeing a notice that the Lakeshore was to be close this weekend, but caught track work taking place at the Kingsway underpass. Concrete ties replacing wooden ties and new roadbed. Hi-Rail truck with 3 gravel cars behind it was parked on track 2 to the east as well track alignment equipment. The next bridge to see work will be Ellis Ave as precast tie sitting beside track 1 at the underpass. Shot from An CLRV as we head eastbound from Humber Loop with peak riders and 3 cars still there.

As expected, the southbound lanes are open for both direction for CN Torbram Rd Grade Separation. Work underway for building the northbound lanes retaining wall and will be done spring 2019.

The southbound lanes are done before Metrolinx West Sub Grade Separation, with the northbound being ready for concrete. Track crews removing the CN track and all 3 Metrolinx tracks in service on the new bridge. Once the CN track is remove, excavation can get underway to remove the bypass track location and staring to built the northbound lanes retaining wall on the north side of the tracks. The temporary crossing should be open later this month and keep the traffic lanes in the southbound lanes on both side of the tracks.

The new temporary parking lot on the east side of Bramalea is open and the north east corner close for Parking. The new west tunnel is in place under CN tracks and have been cover up on north side. Work is getting underway for building the tunnel connect to the platform as well for the new elevator. Not else has really taken place for the current platforms or the new addition to the centre on on the the east end.

 

[raptor]

That Business Case presentation fills in a lot of gaps in our knowledge base. Looks like Cabinet really hasn’t made a decision yet about GO, and this document becomes the basis of ML’s pitch to Cabinet. Which confirms that the Capital Projects report continues to be a report against an old mandate, ie will be rewritten once Cabinet gets its oar in.
Interesting that electrification is part of the pitch.
The only statistic that was hard to understand was the $11 per something to $7 per something - per km? Per passenger? Is that overall or is electrification alone driving that magnitude of improvement?
I do wonder what Niagara did to get singles out for cuts - nothing differentiates it from say Bowmanville. I wonder if CN just put too many obstacles forward.
Having said all that, the document is a good restatement of the RER value proposition, with solid evidence of having done due diligence (perhaps too well - could we have stopped at 24 sensitivity tests?), is more specific in some earlier areas of ambiguity, and makes some clever and useful points which may actually help make pennies drop with some of the rubes in Ford Nation.
Let’s hope it gets a favourable reception before Caninet, and quickly. It’s a good pitch, and it’s reassuring that ML has the confidence to put this strong a pitch forward rather than kowtowing to anti transit factions.... , but there are likely sharp knives waiting.

- Paul

Niagara voted NDP, easy as that

 

[Allandale25]

^ Actually, not all ridings in Niagara Region went NDP.

 

[smallspy]

And the second side platform can be fully constructed while the RT is in operation?

The southern half of it - from the 5A car to the loco - can certainly be, yes.

The northern half of it is a bit more up-in-the-air. Clearances are tight around the SRT ramp, the columns for the bridge and the future southbound Uxbridge Sub track.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Shot of the reconstructed Guildwood GO platform. Sidenote, thanks a million UT for letting us imbed tweets, it's super convenient.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1069662498532589568

 

[Allandale25]

Just noticed in the Woodbine Station report that they note that closing Etobicoke North will assist with the tunnel under the 401.

Etobicoke North station is approximately 6 km from Malton GO station to the west and 4 km from Weston GO station to the east. It is also adjacent to a rail tunnel that carries the Kitchener Corridor under Highway 401/409. To help increase capacity on this corridor, infrastructure upgrades are required: Construction of a second tunnel under Highway 401/409 to accommodate two additional tracks, future signaling and communications infrastructure; and replacing footings of retaining walls that support the ramp from eastbound Highway 409 to eastbound Highway 401. These improvements will require the closure of Etobicoke North GO station as the new track alignment will displace the station platform, and site conditions cannot accommodate an alternate configuration. No feasible alternative configuration for Etobicoke North GO has been identified. The corridor is constrained by grades to the north, a bridge over Kipling Avenue and MTO property to the south. The timing of the station closure is not yet confirmed and will be determined as part of the broader corridor expansion works.

- Page 4

A new tunnel currently under construction will allow for the twinning of Kitchener Corridor tracks to provide new levels of service and future opportunities for additional rail services. This analysis assumes that with the closure of Etobicoke North station, no trains on the Kitchener line would stop between Malton and Weston GO stations, and that the overall GO service concept would otherwise be unaffected.

- Page 10

 

[asher__jo]

Travelling northbound to Ellesmere, is it correct to assume that the second Stouffville GO track will be located to the right of the current GO track?

View attachment 166038

The RT track will be removed. There is concerns that Smarttrack/double-tracking won't be able to be done without disrupting Scarborough RT before line 2 extension is complete (which was the original plan). https://www.thestar.com/news/city_h...t-least-a-year-internal-documents-reveal.html

 

[crs1026]

^There is enought room to squeeze in the *track* on the east side. In theory.
The station(s) are another story.
Some of the station structures may have to be built before the tracks, otherwise the track has to be taken out of service to build stations. Not much point starting the service and then suspending it for the duration of construction.
So the plan has to fit together.
- Paul

 

[ShonTron]

^ Actually, not all ridings in Niagara Region went NDP.

Yep. Grimsby is in Oosterhoff's riding.

 

[crs1026]

^Etobicoke North has a large parking lot, but the area around the station is all low density industrial....ie people are currently coming a long way to access the station. Not much of a transfer from TTC ridership. So moving the station makes sense, particularly if we assume Finch LRT survives.
I wonder if there is a good enough plan for feeding North Etobicoke into GO up there, howver. It’s a long haul by FWLRT and Line 1 to downtown. Express bus to a GO station at Islington/Rexdale might save some time. Currently there probablyy isn’t much demand for that....but that could change with time, as high real estate costs closer in make people consider residential property up there.

- Paul