[MisterF]

On similar corridors in other countries the slower conventional lines tend to still service the towns that the high speed lines bypass. They're money losers no doubt, but they're subsidized by HSR profits. Slower trains also routinely use HSR tracks in many places. I'd like to think that whoever operates the HSR system (VIA or otherwise), there would be coordination between the different levels of service and not just different agencies operating in their own separate silos.

 

[nfitz]

Slower trains also routinely use HSR tracks in many places.

Heck, in London, commuter trains from St. Pancras use HSR tracks to Kent and Sussex. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeastern_(train_operating_company)#Highspeed

This has significantly speeded up some commuter trips:

 

[Adjei]

Steve Munro examines this high speed line:

http://stevemunro.ca/?p=9751#more-9751

 

[mpd618]

Steve Munro examines this high speed line:

http://stevemunro.ca/?p=9751#more-9751

And picks it apart without seeming to care very much about international examples or about the transit plans within Kitchener-Waterloo and London.

I submit that this kind of "this is not the perfect project at the perfect time, therefore it is bad" reasoning for transit projects (but not highway projects!) is one of the causes of the atrocious transit situation in the GTA.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Munro sweats the details when we should be talking broad strokes.

He cites lack of local connections while the big projects take a decade to put in place but local bus service can be changed and improved as the project approaches completion as bus networks can be revamped in a year or two.

 

[Adjei]

"The preliminary study on HSR is done & will be public as soon as rules allow it. The EA/business plan is slated to start this summer."

From Glen Murray's twitter page.

 

[ShonTron]

I searched this thread again and didn't see any mention of his name, but it's Michael Schabas, the same one who got all the attention for a somewhat flawed report for Neptis on Metrolinx' projects, who wrote up the preliminary proposal for this HSR project.

Apparently the Downtown Relief Line isn't worth building (instead he advises relying on a terribly flawed GO-based alternative), but this project is.

 

[ksun]

Just curious: among all the much needed infrastructure in southern Ontario, why does the government think a HSR between London and Toronto is important? To serve what purpose? I doubt there is such a great need for Torontonians to visit London frequently - what does London have in terms of jobs, attractions etc? What I can think of is, people can live in as far as London/Kitchener and work in Toronto as a result of this? Is London slated to be the next big city or something?

 

[ksun]

And with that being said...

[video=youtube_share;10cXpd8haQQ]http://youtu.be/10cXpd8haQQ[/video]

We need a similar video on our subway plans for sure, LOL. We are really an expert in producing such studies.

 

[TOareaFan]

Just curious: among all the much needed infrastructure in southern Ontario, why does the government think a HSR between London and Toronto is important? To serve what purpose? I doubt there is such a great need for Torontonians to visit London frequently - what does London have in terms of jobs, attractions etc? What I can think of is, people can live in as far as London/Kitchener and work in Toronto as a result of this? Is London slated to be the next big city or something?

Proximity to the new darling love child of the Ontario government.....KW!

 

[kEiThZ]

It's sad that people can't see the potential of this. This has the potential to grow (albeit piecemeal) into the full Windsor-Quebec City HSR that's long been on the wishlist.

 

[innsertnamehere]

AADT (average annualized daily traffic) on the 401 to London is above 50,000, and over 100,000 to KWC. It is a very highly travelled corridor. Its much busier than the 401 out to Ottawa and Montreal, which sees AADTs closer to 20,000.

This also allows MTO to put off the expensive 401 widening out to KWC they were considering where it would go from a 6 lane highway to an 8 + 2 HOV.

 

[TOareaFan]

AADT (average annualized daily traffic) on the 401 to London is above 50,000, and over 100,000 to KWC. It is a very highly travelled corridor. Its much busier than the 401 out to Ottawa and Montreal, which sees AADTs closer to 20,000.

This also allows MTO to put off the expensive 401 widening out to KWC they were considering where it would go from a 6 lane highway to an 8 + 2 HOV.

In theory that is correct.....what percentage of those AADT figures would the train have to eliminate to put off the widening?

 

[innsertnamehere]

really, any amount helps. The amount removed gives them that much more space before the widening is required, as the AADT levels are only going to be reaching the required point in 5 or so years. the amount they are talking about it removing (15,000 AADT) would probably give roughly 20 years extra in time, depending on travel growth rates of course.

Similarly the rail line to Niagara they are proposing may help with the issue of the Mid Pen highway, as it may allow them to simply widen the QEW to 8+2 HOV (and remaining 8 over the skyway) instead of building an entire new highway to the south.

 

[BurlOak]

really, any amount helps. The amount removed gives them that much more space before the widening is required, as the AADT levels are only going to be reaching the required point in 5 or so years. the amount they are talking about it removing (15,000 AADT) would probably give roughly 20 years extra in time, depending on travel growth rates of course.

Similarly the rail line to Niagara they are proposing may help with the issue of the Mid Pen highway, as it may allow them to simply widen the QEW to 8+2 HOV (and remaining 8 over the skyway) instead of building an entire new highway to the south.

I would guess that there are many multiple passenger cars already going to Niagara (similar to cottage country), so HOV would not do much.