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Riverman

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Just wondering, are these rail lines abandoned or becoming surplus? Looking on Streetview it appears that the running surfaces of all but one set of tracks are rusty, implying that they are rarely used. We've been looking at one of the townhouses there and wonder if it is beside a busy line.
 
Riverman said:
Just wondering, are these rail lines abandoned or becoming surplus? Looking on Streetview it appears that the running surfaces of all but one set of tracks are rusty, implying that they are rarely used. We've been looking at one of the townhouses there and wonder if it is beside a busy line.
Click to expand...

Sorry to break it to you, but you're WAAAAAY off.

That line is part of the Georgetown South corridor. Three GO Train lines use those tracks, currently seeing around 30 GO Trains a day, a few VIA trains, and some freight. The Airport Rail Link will use this corridor, and once running will run small trains on average every 7.5 mins along this line. Along with planned service improvements, this line is projected to carry 211 trains a day by 2015 and possibly up to 400 sometime in the future.

So yeah... those tracks are slated to become the BUSIEST rail corridor in the country.

An upcoming project will be the Strachan Ave grade separation, which will mean years of construction as the rail lines are sunk below grade to pass under Strachan Ave.

If you want some offical details, you should visit the "Community Office" for the project at King and Strachan. It's open Monday, Wednesday–Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Tuesday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
 
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Thank you for that. I don't live in Toronto but I'm looking to move there and am presently doing some exploring. I was wondering why the prices on these residences was so reasonable, now I know why.
 
If you're talking about the rail line that runs diagonally between Queen / Dufferin and Strachan / Wellington, then that is the Georgetown, Milton and Barrie GO lines. They are far from abandoned and are currently being rebuilt to accommodate all day service on those three lines GO lines, improved VIA Rail service and the Airport Rail Link that will connect Union Station to Pearson Airport. In addition, the railway crossing at Strachan Avenue will be replaced with a grade separation so that the trains will pass under the roadway. Construction will be complete in 2015, and train number will be gradually improved over the next 25 years if / as demand warrants.

Go to http://www.gotransit.com/gts/ or go to new community outreach office at 901 King St. W (at Strachan) and speak with some of the project staff.
 
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LOL, thanks again fellows! Just to be sure, the line I'm referring to the line that runs along Dundas north of Bloor. I've been up there a bunch (my buddy lives on Mavety Street) and I have yet to see a train pass. Maybe because I'm always there on the weekend, as in less GO trains on the weekend?
 
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Riverman said:
LOL, thanks again fellows! Just to be sure, the line I'm referring to runs along Dundas north of Bloor. I've been up there a bunch (my buddy lives on Mavety Street) and I have yet to see a train pass. Maybe because I'm always there on the weekend, as in less GO trains on the weekend?
Click to expand...

It's the same line (though one of the GO Train lines would have branched off by that point). There are no GO Trains on that line on the weekend. There are a few VIA trains, though. Currently, all the GO trains on that line are inbound to downtown on weekday mornings and outbound on weekday afternoons.
 
He is somewhat right about the rusty part. 1 of the 4 tracks (2nd track closet to the south if on Strachan) is not used and covered in rust and has been for a while. I'm 99% sure it has something to do with the construction at Queen & Dufferin.
 
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