[Allandale25]

Is this construction/clearing for the new GO Willson Yard?

@smallspy @crs1026

 

[Garuda]

Great shots! Did you happen to get any of the new 2nd passing track at Guelph Central itself? I know they’ve been working hard on it the past few days.

Not much has changed since the photos from twitter were posted. They haven't removed/installed a new switch at either ends yet.

 

[Garuda]

Not much has changed since the photos from twitter were posted. They haven't removed/installed a new switch at either ends yet.

Update: over the Easter weekend, they replaced the switch to the east (by the river). Looks like they're doing the work over the weekend when there's only VIA traffic on the line.

 

[DarkSideDenizen]

Rutherford GO parking structure proceeding:

Bridge work..

 

[DSC]

Is this construction/clearing for the new GO Willson Yard?

@smallspy @crs1026

View attachment 239679

View attachment 239680
View attachment 239681

No, it' s for the Don River project - the expanded 'debris removal" area. More on the Lower Don thread

 

[Allandale25]

^ Thanks for clarifying.

 

[drum118]

April 18
All the tracks and switches are now in place and waiting track signaling to be move and be activated. Still missing the 3rd track from Bayview Junction to these tracks.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Has anyone heard anything more about the incident at Guelph Central GO this week? Evidently construction crews filled an old tunnel under the tracks with concrete, which resulted in the tracks and platform accidentally being lifted and causing some major damage. Someone posted in a Facebook group about it and then deleted the post and pictures.

 

[crs1026]

Has anyone heard anything more about the incident at Guelph Central GO this week? Evidently construction crews filled an old tunnel under the tracks with concrete, which resulted in the tracks and platform accidentally being lifted and causing some major damage. Someone posted in a Facebook group about it and then deleted the post and pictures.

Yep, that’s the story. I saw the pix also. Resulted in a complete blockage of VIA service on the line, since reopened.. Apparently there was a former walkway under the tracks that had been condemned and had to be dealt with as part of the station improvements. A third party contractor over-filled the void with cement and the tracks lifted. It looked like a speed bump on the tracks - quite an unusual kind of track defect.

I’m told that ML stood down the contractor so planned work did not get done. There will be impacts on the project, I’m sure.

What I am still scratching my head over is why the plan would have called for using concrete at all. I’m not an engineer, but I know of other such fill-in projects and.usually they just fill the void in with an excavatable material. Dollars to donuts, it will not be too many years before somebody discovers a need to dig a tunnel or run a conduit under the tracks at that spot, and now there is a solid block of concrete there that would take a lot of jackhammering to remove. I’m sure ML will put a cone of secrecy over the whole boo boo, but it would be interesting to know whether the mistake was in the plan, or the execution, or both.

- Paul

 

[smallspy]

What I am still scratching my head over is why the plan would have called for using concrete at all. I’m not an engineer, but I know of other such fill-in projects and.usually they just fill the void in with an excavatable material. Dollars to donuts, it will not be too many years before somebody discovers a need to dig a tunnel or run a conduit under the tracks at that spot, and now there is a solid block of concrete there that would take a lot of jackhammering to remove. I’m sure ML will put a cone of secrecy over the whole boo boo, but it would be interesting to know whether the mistake was in the plan, or the execution, or both.

- Paul

There are special blends of concrete that are frequently used for this kind of thing that are easily excavated or removed once cured. I suspect that this is what they wanted, but perhaps not what they got.

Dan

 

[Garuda]

Has anyone heard anything more about the incident at Guelph Central GO this week? Evidently construction crews filled an old tunnel under the tracks with concrete, which resulted in the tracks and platform accidentally being lifted and causing some major damage. Someone posted in a Facebook group about it and then deleted the post and pictures.

I'm out of town this week and just heard about this now.
The entrance on the south side is a popular homeless sleeping area. The door looks like it hasn't been used in years. If you look on a map, the tunnel is located just east of the parking lot used by the chamber of commerce.

 

[Garuda]

Here are the shots of the tunnel entrance and tracks.
what is the pipe that goes above ground?

 

[Allandale25]

^ Was it originally a pedestrian tunnel? When did it close?

 

[crs1026]

^ Was it originally a pedestrian tunnel? When did it close?

I’m told that it closed in 2010, when the last round of improvements at Guelph began. It was replaced by a new tunnel that opened in 2013.

- Paul

 

[kEiThZ]

Does anybody know how much capacity all the USRC and Kitchener Line work adds? Does it have the spare capacity to support say 2 VIA trains per hour in each direction for through service on HFR and Lakeshore?

Also been wondering how the Kitchener Line work lines up with the Pearson Transit hub. I am curious if they are building in such a way to facilitate a Kitchener Line diversion under the airport to the hub.