[Allandale25]

Back to the drawing board for Durham GO train extension plans

The Issue: The GO train extension to Bowmanville via Oshawa The Impact: The province is considering a new route for the promised extension including routes that run through a primarily industrial...

www.durhamregion.com

 

[raptor]

An update from the May 15 Metrolinx Board of Directors meeting:
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pd...20190515_BoardMtg_CPG_Project_Delivery_EN.pdf

More like a pat on the back on the few projects that they're currently working on. Silence on multiple projects, including the big ones, as if they evaporated. Shame.

Update: after further review, they have an item called "OnCorr procurement" under the closed session, scheduled for 15 minutes only. Compare that to the 20 minute presentation on Customer Satisfaction, and you get their priorities.

 

[rbt]

Update: after further review, they have an item called "OnCorr procurement" under the closed session, scheduled for 15 minutes only. Compare that to the 20 minute presentation on Customer Satisfaction, and you get their priorities.

Customer Satisfaction is a pretty damn broad topic. You could spend 10 minutes talking about future customer discomfort due to crowding; GO RER is a response to an anticipated Customer Satisfaction problem.

 

[Andy_in_Toronto]

Some news:
Lakeshore East Rail Corridor – Bowmanville Extension Update Meetings


Metrolinx to Significantly Increase Trains to Bowmanville

We are focused on bringing better GO services, faster, to our customers in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. We’ve heard directly from our riders that they want more trains, more buses, and expanded routes.

In 2018, we increased our services by 22.6%, that includes 22 new midday weekday trips between Oshawa and Union Station in Toronto. Just last month, we added a new morning express train from Durham Region to Union, and a new return trip in the afternoon rush hour, every weekday. Durham Region now has 15 minute, all-day service between Oshawa and Union Station for most of every weekday.

One of our other goals is to find a way to get more rail service to communities beyond Oshawa as quickly as we can, and to do so with an all-day service. The original plan from a few years ago was for limited service in the morning and evening peaks only. The options we are now considering are based on operating train service throughout the day.

We will work very closely with our municipal and freight partners to test which options are most advantageous, balancing both the benefits and the costs associated with each option to achieve this very important rail extension. This will include identifying how we achieve this extension as quickly as possible.

You are invited to attend one of our community meetings to learn more about the four options we are considering to extend GO service beyond Oshawa.

Public Meetings:

Bowmanville Oshawa

Tuesday, May 21, 2019 Wednesday, May 22, 2019
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex Oshawa Civic Recreation Complex
Hall #2 Bobby Orr Room
2440 Highway 2 99 Thornton Road South
Bowmanville, ON Oshawa, ON



For more information, please contact:

Carmen Rapati, Community Relations and Issues Specialist, Lakeshore East Corridor
Tel: 416-202-4719/ E-mail: carmen.rapati@metrolinx.com

 

[Northern Light]

Metrolinx to Significantly Increase Trains to Bowmanville

Ahem...........Metrolinx, 1 train, each way, per day, would be an infinite increase in service from zero trains per day. Significant is either a gross understatement or merely misleading.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Some news:
Lakeshore East Rail Corridor – Bowmanville Extension Update Meetings


Metrolinx to Significantly Increase Trains to Bowmanville

We are focused on bringing better GO services, faster, to our customers in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. We’ve heard directly from our riders that they want more trains, more buses, and expanded routes.

In 2018, we increased our services by 22.6%, that includes 22 new midday weekday trips between Oshawa and Union Station in Toronto. Just last month, we added a new morning express train from Durham Region to Union, and a new return trip in the afternoon rush hour, every weekday. Durham Region now has 15 minute, all-day service between Oshawa and Union Station for most of every weekday.

One of our other goals is to find a way to get more rail service to communities beyond Oshawa as quickly as we can, and to do so with an all-day service. The original plan from a few years ago was for limited service in the morning and evening peaks only. The options we are now considering are based on operating train service throughout the day.

We will work very closely with our municipal and freight partners to test which options are most advantageous, balancing both the benefits and the costs associated with each option to achieve this very important rail extension. This will include identifying how we achieve this extension as quickly as possible.

You are invited to attend one of our community meetings to learn more about the four options we are considering to extend GO service beyond Oshawa.

Public Meetings:

Bowmanville Oshawa

Tuesday, May 21, 2019 Wednesday, May 22, 2019
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex Oshawa Civic Recreation Complex
Hall #2 Bobby Orr Room
2440 Highway 2 99 Thornton Road South
Bowmanville, ON Oshawa, ON



For more information, please contact:

Carmen Rapati, Community Relations and Issues Specialist, Lakeshore East Corridor
Tel: 416-202-4719/ E-mail: carmen.rapati@metrolinx.com

Even though this might delay the project a bit, I'm happy. If you're gonna spend money to expand service, you may as well make it all-day. This will be a game changer for Bowmanville. I hope they still use the CP alignment, as it hits the cores of the communities better.

Now, if only this type of "do it better" attitude was applied to Hamilton service.

 

[Towered]

If they're going to extend to Bowmanville, might as well extend to Port Hope and Cobourg.

 

[Allandale25]

Some news:
Lakeshore East Rail Corridor – Bowmanville Extension Update Meetings

You are invited to attend one of our community meetings to learn more about the four options we are considering to extend GO service beyond Oshawa.

Hope the presentation is posted online showing the four options. Interested in seeing them.

 

[crs1026]

An update from the May 15 Metrolinx Board of Directors meeting:
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pd...20190515_BoardMtg_CPG_Project_Delivery_EN.pdf

More like a pat on the back on the few projects that they're currently working on. Silence on multiple projects, including the big ones, as if they evaporated. Shame.

Update: after further review, they have an item called "OnCorr procurement" under the closed session, scheduled for 15 minutes only. Compare that to the 20 minute presentation on Customer Satisfaction, and you get their priorities.

Well, as predicted, the old RER chart with the huge budget that they displayed for the last couple years has disappeared.

Having sat through a few management meetings dealing with large capital projects, I can say with confidence that the absolute minimum one would expect of a transparent and accountable organization is a listing of all the major launched projects with the following data, tracked quarter by quarter or at minimum year by year:

- Total approved budget
- Total spend to date
- Percent work completion to date (compare against the spend - did x% of budget achieve x% of work completion?)
- Approved/target completion date (from project execution plan)
- Current actual target completion date
- Declaration of scope changes (too easy to conceal overspend if one manipulates scope)

Sadly, Metrolinx refuses to be accountable or transparent. And its Board does not enforce this.

- Paul

 

[Garuda]

If they're going to extend to Bowmanville, might as well extend to Port Hope and Cobourg.

I wish. In a prefect world, Metrolinx would run peak service to/from this area.

 

[steveintoronto]

I assume they will follow the same practice as before and provide written responses to the May 2, 2019 town hall.

In the May 2, 2019 town hall, a Davenport Diamond question was the 8th most popular question. They answered three of the top ten questions with the below being the third one because as I mentioned above, the moderator mentioned at the beginning of the meeting they wanted to give priority to the people who attended in person in terms of answering the questions on May 2nd.

Well they've had a week now to answer at the Engage page. https://www.metrolinxengage.com/en/content/ask-metrolinx-may-2-2019 They stated "3 working days". Perhaps their sense of time isn't standard?

Meantime:
‘YIKES!!!’ Metrolinx draft reports give insight into how agency pitches transit plans
By Ben SpurrTransportation Reporter
Thu., May 9, 2019
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ht-into-how-agency-pitches-transit-plans.html

'Inconvenient Truths' have a way of getting hidden, at least initially...

Sadly, Metrolinx refuses to be accountable or transparent. And its Board does not enforce this.

At some point the remaining 'believers' will figure it out...perhaps. In all due respect, it's tough for some to admit they've been lied to not just once, but serially. And they still believe...

 

[44 North]

I wish. In a prefect world, Metrolinx would run peak service to/from this area.

It's probably worth a look. For commuters in Cobourg Toronto proper is the #3 place of work. Combine that with Port Hope and you start building numbers for a commuting corridor. Then Clarington itself has almost 6000 commuters going to Toronto every work day, which is more than the 3800 coming from Barrie (a corridor seeing not just all-day but electrification too). I think a few runs out to Cobourg way could possibly be warranted going into the near future all things considered.

This is one thing I'd like to see in place of the fanciful "RER" vision. Whether old school bare bones expansions could be an alternative using some of the funds. Cambridge, Brantford, north Durham, Orangeville, Cobourg, Peterborough.

 

[dowlingm]

The one thing I would like to see out of a GO-CN option in Oshawa is a rethink of the station, specifically the possibility of even one high platform for VIA.

There is criticism of a CN route due to the more industrial nature of nearby lands but I expect that given local economic realities some of those lands may have to transform in any event. A CN CP link for GO wouldn’t foreclose use of CP mid-Oshawa tracks later, and would mean the planned layover in Darlington could push trains out on either route.

While extending beyond Oshawa Station could also enable GO to operate to Port Hope/Cobourg, I wonder what CN would have to say, and VIA too. I would think both would want GO to contribute to additional track capacity within Kingston Sub, and maybe to grade separation too. Given GO’s struggles in Hamilton/Niagara, I would think such notions are quite far into the future.

 

[TransitBart]

If they're going to extend to Bowmanville, might as well extend to Port Hope and Cobourg.

That would be awesome.

 

[Fritter]

If they're going to extend to Bowmanville, might as well extend to Port Hope and Cobourg.

I can see Cobourg/Port Hope GO Bus routes starting first, then perhaps a single or a couple of rush hour GO Train trips using CN's Kingston Subdivision operating express to Oshawa then express again to Rouge Hill and all stops from there. I can see this as a "quick win" option.