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north-of-anything said:
Two things.

1. I really do hope that they plan to electrify the Barrie/Old Elm segments immediately after the core sections are done - not getting all diesel trains off those lines ASAP would be a huge missed opportunity.
2. Since when are they only doing 2 tph from Unionville to Mount Joy?? I would have thought that a line going right through the heart of Markham would be getting more frequent off-peak service than that.
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2) Since like... forever
 
EnviroTO said:
Electrification will stop at an arbitrary point between Milton and Bramalea?? That makes no sense. I have a hard time imagining that they will not electrify into Bramalea station. Surely they can do something like Lakeshore East where the CN owned tracks and Metrolinx tracks are next to each other but owned independently. Move the weave past the station, move the tracks further south a bit, etc. There is room under the 407, and Bramalea Road bridges to keep tracks apart.
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It would make no sense to stop the wires just short of Bramalea. My guess is that this is just a cautious illustration pending future negotiations with CN. I'm sure they'll manage to come to some sort of agreement, given that CN hardly ever uses the southern 2 tracks at Bramalea themselves, but Metrolinx might be hesitant to promise things which haven't yet been fully negotiated.

The rest of the cutbacks (Lincolnville->Unionville, and Barrie->Bradford) seem consistent with a "Phase 1" rollout concept. It will take a while to transition the fleet to electric power, and it will also take a while to get the core of the network electrified. It makes sense to put those outer segments on the backburner for a moment to get the first electrified segments up and running as soon as possible.
 
^The timing to extend west of Bramalea likely hinges on when the third track gets built through Brampton. At that point, wires could be strung to Mount Pleasant without crossing the CN freight path.

- Paul
 
crs1026 said:
^The timing to extend west of Bramalea likely hinges on when the third track gets built through Brampton. At that point, wires could be strung to Mount Pleasant without crossing the CN freight path.
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West of Bramalea yes, but the question today was regarding electrifying the two southern tracks in Bramalea station itself, which are technically not owned by Metrolinx. Without that short segment, GO would need to use diesel, dual-mode or battery-electric trains on the Bramalea-Union local services rather than cheaper and more-efficient electric trains.

From Canadian Rail Atlas; Blue=CN Green=GO
Capture.PNG
 
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crs1026 said:
^The timing to extend west of Bramalea likely hinges on when the third track gets built through Brampton. At that point, wires could be strung to Mount Pleasant without crossing the CN freight path.

- Paul
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I would think that even with a third track through Brampton they wouldn't electrify the route there because CN owns that section of the corridor. I'm thinking only about the southern two tracks in Bramalea station.
 
reaperexpress said:
The rest of the cutbacks (Lincolnville->Unionville, and Barrie->Bradford) seem consistent with a "Phase 1" rollout concept. It will take a while to transition the fleet to electric power, and it will also take a while to get the core of the network electrified. It makes sense to put those outer segments on the backburner for a moment to get the first electrified segments up and running as soon as possible.
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Yes, that was the sections of the corridor with frequent service so it makes perfect sense to start there first.
 
"Metrolinx is open to alternative technologies". I don't think they mean diesel so why not just say batteries.
 
EnviroTO said:
"Metrolinx is open to alternative technologies". I don't think they mean diesel so why not just say batteries.
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i believe thats the wording MX has used since first proposing RER, is that "its up to the bidders to tell us which tech is the best"
weirdly, they had an article sent out last fall about how they have settled on catenary, as in the bidders must have told them that battery/hydrail doesnt work as well as catenary
 
ssiguy2 said:
Metrolinx better prepare themselves for a MUCH higher bill to put up 200km of catenary. Prices are going thru the roof worldwide due to parts shortages and shortages of skilled labour. Prices on the new London area and CalTrain electrifications are soaring and are blowing a hole in their respective budgets. Such a system is great in that it not only reduces raw material costs but probably more importantly, greatly reduces labour time. Probably won't happen as it's too "new tech" for Toronto.

I still think, now more than ever, Toronto should build it's catenary but employ battery trains. It greatly reduces initial infrastructure costs and time to build and offers more flexibility. It also reduces electric costs as the batteries can be recharged overnight when hydro rates are at their lowest.
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I guess what I said just 10 days ago has already turned out to be true.

Infrastructure costs are soaring worldwide and thus many systems are having to scale back their once ambitious plans and/or go way over budget. Lack of supply, lack of labour, and soaring commodity prices are a deadly combo for mass infrastructure projects.

This is all the more reason why all the trains should have some ability to travel catenary free via battery. All the trains should have the ability to travel at LEAST 20km catenary-free. Not only does it make the system more reliable but also helps get rid of the problem of ever rising infrastructure costs. The extra amount/weight of the batteries themselves will actually be quite small. You already have battery trains that can travel 200 km at 160km/hr catenary free..........20 km is nothing. What's more as the trains begin to get manufactured and delivered, those battery sizes, weight, and performance will all improve as battery technology for all forms of transport is growing at an exponential rate.

I hate to say I told you so but.........
 
ssiguy2 said:
I guess what I said just 10 days ago has already turned out to be true.

Infrastructure costs so many systems are having to scale back their once ambitious plans and/or go way over budget. Lack of supply, lack of labour, and soaring commodity prices are a deadly combo for mass infrastructure projects.

This is all the more reason why all the trains should have some ability to travel catenary free via battery. All the trains should have the ability to travel at least 20km catenary-free. Not only does it make the system more reliable but also helps get rid of the problem of every rising infrastructure costs. The extra amount/weight of the batteries themselves which actually be quite small. You already have battery trains that can travel 200 at 160km/hr catenary free..........20 km is nothing. What's more as the trains begin to get manufactured and delivered, those battery sizes, weight, and performance will all improve as battery technology for all forms of transport is growing at an exponential rate.

I hate to say I told you so but.........
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I think you're a bit late getting on your soap box - and especially claiming "I told you so". Look at the post right before yours - the map was a mistake and was instead based off the frequent service section, not the actual full scale of electrification.
 
Allandale25 said:
Doesn't NJ Transit use dual mode trains with battery and pantograph? Do they just extend/lower the panto at a station and how long does it take? @smallspy @crs1026
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A) Diesel and Panto - they don't have battery trains yet, I think they're merely planning to study it.
B) Here you go, It doesn't really take more than a minute:
 
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