[innsertnamehere]

it is possible to move the train station.

Surely moving the train station back 10 meters is cheaper than building an entire new 407 freight bypass?

 

[drum118]

it is possible to move the train station.

Surely moving the train station back 10 meters is cheaper than building an entire new 407 freight bypass?

Yes it can and that talk was there going back to the early 2000 when the EA was done for the first expansion.

In fact the pinch point is just west of the Orangeville line and the building to the west of the station to Main St. Everything is 4 tracks corridor including Mount Pleasant since I found the photo of the station taken in 2011.

A new #1 track will have to go in on the north side of the current platform and this will require closing off the walkway to it as well building a tunnel extension to the bus and drop off area. An elevator and stairs will have to be built in the Village area.

East of Main St can be 4 track that will require 2 new double track bridges. One of the big up roar for the first EA is closing off John St as there is no room for a grade separation. There was a fight to keep it open as well James St, with James loosing out. Going to 3/4 tracks crossing the John St has a number of issues to the point it better to close it considering it should happen years ago. Map A pedestrian walkway will be require at John St as it along back tacking route to get in/out of the area as well cars and that was the hot potato back in the early 2000's and will be again by closing off John St.

The city has talked about building something in the current parking lot and putting parking underground as well moving the VIA Station.

Yes its far cheaper and faster to move the station than build a 407 route. Even if the station is move to another area while building the new extension and foundation for the relocated VIA Station, a temporary one can be used until everything is done.

I can't find the photos I took years ago looking west from the current station how tracks could be added, but here is Mount Pleasant shots.

 

[EnviroTO]

Isn't that exactly what they will have to do, then, on the part CN won't sell? Or give up on the idea of RER?

I would expect a fly under at one location to allow there to be less conflict with CN schedules, but until GO has there own tracks similar to how they have GO specific tracks in Durham region on the Lakeshore line the frequencies will be limited.

 

[gweed123]

I'm curious as to how they make an assessment of risk for this sort of incident. I would have thought that transporting dangerous goods along a highway/industrial area would result in lower risk than transporting it through the centre of downtown Brampton.

That's exactly what I was thinking. How is transporting goods along an expressway and hydro corridor more dangerous than transporting through an area that's designated a node in the Places to Grow Act?

 

[Allandale25]

Not sure if this is the right thread but here it is anyways...

Story link.

Union Station office tower development to feature new GO bus terminal
The new bus terminal will be part of a mixed-use development south of the rail line — and the current GO terminal — to be built by Ivanhoé Cambridge.

By: Tess Kalinowski Transportation reporter, Published on Mon Sep 29 2014
Metrolinx is announcing plans for a new GO bus terminal at Union Station on Tuesday.

The provincial agency in charge of GO Transit has reached an agreement with Ivanhoé Cambridge that will involve moving the GO bus station to the south side of the train tracks from its current location north of the rail corridor, between Yonge and Bay Sts.

Metrolinx has sold its property at 141 Bay St. to Ivanhoé Cambridge in exchange for a long-term lease at the base of an office development planned for the site at 45 Bay St., currently used as a parking lot.

The development proposal for the southern site, submitted to the city on Monday, includes a new GO bus station and an office tower.
Plans also call for a public park to be built over the rail corridor, the first of its kind in Toronto.

The completed development is expected to add 2.5 million square feet of office space to downtown. Earlier renderings showed a three-tower development extending to the north and south of the tracks.

According to an August report on UrbanToronto.ca , it will also include underground parking and retail. Retail is not expected to be part of the first phase of development, however.

The office development on the north side of the tracks won’t be built until the new bus station is operating.
Construction on a new terminal and tower is expected to begin next year and take about three years.

Details were scarce on Monday, pending a news conference Tuesday by Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca, Metrolinx chair Robert Prichard and Ivanhoé Cambridge executives at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

“I can confirm we are working on a plan for a new Union Station bus facility with Ivanhoe,†said Metrolinx spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins.
But neither she, nor a spokeswoman for Ivanhoé Cambridge, would provide specifics.

The site, located across Bay St. from the Air Canada Centre and Union Station, will eventually connect directly with the PATH system and the rail terminal.
Of the 2,061 bus trips GO runs each day, 631 go into the Union Station bus terminal, which opened in 2003. GO buses carry about 55,000 rides a day.

 

[drum118]

Not sure if this is the right thread but here it is anyways...

Story link.

The thread is in the construction section http://urbantoronto.ca/forum/showth...it-CofToronto-Feds-48s-Wilkinson-Eyre)/page67

 

[Allandale25]

@Drum118 cool! Thanks, I'll remember for next time.

 

[innsertnamehere]

so double deckers will be able to be used for downtown routes starting in about 4 years.. I wonder if Metrolinx will buy a bunch more of them?

 

[ehlow]

so double deckers will be able to be used for downtown routes starting in about 4 years.. I wonder if Metrolinx will buy a bunch more of them?

The new ones look really cool.

 

[drum118]

so double deckers will be able to be used for downtown routes starting in about 4 years.. I wonder if Metrolinx will buy a bunch more of them?

I will go out on the limb and say DD buses will be replacing the D4500 as they come due for replacement on all routes where they can run on. More so after the new Union Terminal is built.

Having 82? riders on DD compare to the current 55 on the D4500 goes along way moving more riders with less equipment as well cost.

As long the DD don't have more issues than the D4500 in maintenance, it safe to say DD will be the backbone of the bus fleet. Lead time for the DD will be longer since they are built oversea at this time.

 

[canarob]

As someone skeptical of having non-Lakeshore-all-day train service in the near future, this is fantastic news.

 

[smallspy]

As long the DD don't have more issues than the D4500 in maintenance, it safe to say DD will be the backbone of the bus fleet. Lead time for the DD will be longer since they are built oversea at this time.

I wouldn't hold my breath on that, at least not until Dennis is able to produce a product that is much more reliable than what they are building now.

They are running a spares ratio of around 30% for the DDs - industry standard is about 15% - because it's so common for them to die on the road over the course of the day.

And worse yet, a lot of the same issues that had sprung up on the first orders of DDs are showing up on the current ones as well, despite promises from Dennis that they have improved their product.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[Allandale25]

Sorry if it's been covered here but did today's announcement include any details on the Greyhound terminal on Dundas? Will it move to the new GO bus location?

 

[nfitz]

Sorry if it's been covered here but did today's announcement include any details on the Greyhound terminal on Dundas? Will it move to the new GO bus location?

It's part of the plan, if the city can agree. The news release from the province clearly talks about intercity bus carriers - http://news.ontarionewsroom.com/mto/en/2014/09/new-go-transit-bus-terminal-at-union-station.html

 

[dowlingm]

If the Coach Terminal is emptied and redeveloped, then in theory that's a good chunk of cash for Toronto/TTC. Metrolinx has to bear the capital cost of the terminal part of the 45 Bay development. Can't help but think there's a bit of gamesmanship going on here, with an ask to the City as a quid pro quo for allowing private service to billet at the new terminal.

Mind you, I think ONTC should be moving there right now, and integrating their services with GO Barrie. Madness to have two provincial agencies overlap with seemingly little synergy between them. Not hard to see why Ontario Northland has such little awareness in Toronto when back in the Northlander days their buses came into a different terminal complex to the trains.