smallspy
Senior Member
There are no curves which allow eastbound Milton Line trains to continue east on the Lakeshore West Line.
Dan
Toronto, Ont.
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- Thread starter jcam
- Start date
There are no curves which allow eastbound Milton Line trains to continue east on the Lakeshore West Line.
Dan
Toronto, Ont.
dowlingm
Senior Member
Getting connecting tracks under CP Milton and the GO platforms will be interesting, but I think this is a great opportunity for TTC, especially if Obico could be carved up into storage tracks on the west side, TTC buildings/service road on the east and some sort of suitable commercial property development along the North Queen Street property line. There might even be an option to push YUS trains into service from BD tracks given how congested things are going to be at Wilson in the next decade.
I do have concerns about the freight customers if there is a desire to claim the spur for GO in-service movements - there are a lot of sidings there and surely at least a few are in active use. There are few places left in Toronto where it's okay to be industrial and this is one of them.
I do have concerns about the freight customers if there is a desire to claim the spur for GO in-service movements - there are a lot of sidings there and surely at least a few are in active use. There are few places left in Toronto where it's okay to be industrial and this is one of them.
I think I remember that map. Given the recent sale now though, at least the southern portion of that line now seems quite plausible. The hydro corridor segment is still dependent on Ontario Hydro though.
From a political perspective, this could be an interesting play. An Etobicoke Councillor could make some serious political hay by promising to revert the Scarborough Subway back to the LRT plan, and taking the tax increase associated with that and putting it towards an Etobicoke LRT. Kipling is already set up to handle such an LRT, so I think it could probably be done within the $900 million envelope allowed by the tax increase, depending on the design and the sale price.
I think it would be a lot easier to split the line east of Kipling, and have half the trains serve Kipling, and half serve the south extension. The track geometry would be a lot easier, and you wouldn't have to touch Kipling Station itself. It also eliminates some of the delays associated with terminus stations.
wopchop
Building Toronto
I've lived in the area for a long time and the freight spur (south of Obico) is very, very lightly used. Coordinating any potential GO train movements with freight movements should be a non-issue.
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robmausser
Senior Member
Perhaps it could be used by GO as an Milton Express train?
There are enough tracks on Lakeshore West line for Express service out of Union.
Maybe this way an express Milton GO train could head down the Lakeshore West Express trackage, and bypass Kipling station?
It could also take relief off of the Georgetown South corridor, which has to handle UPX, GO Barrie, Kitchener, Milton trains, and soon Smarttrack.
Maybe every other Milton train could bypass Kipling station and shave off some minutes for commuters.
There are enough tracks on Lakeshore West line for Express service out of Union.
Maybe this way an express Milton GO train could head down the Lakeshore West Express trackage, and bypass Kipling station?
It could also take relief off of the Georgetown South corridor, which has to handle UPX, GO Barrie, Kitchener, Milton trains, and soon Smarttrack.
Maybe every other Milton train could bypass Kipling station and shave off some minutes for commuters.
wopchop
Building Toronto
The problem with that is that there is no curve for southbound trains on the spur to go eastbound onto the line and to Union Station. The existing curve would only allow trains coming southbound to start heading westbound.
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crs1026
Superstar
Ohfergoshsakes. The worst thing that LRT proponents can do is suggest a line where it isn't needed, just because it's a convenient fantasy exercise. It gives the "opposition" exactly what they want: an opportunity to label LRT proponents as unrealistic dreamers.
It is important not to let this corridor slip through our fingers.....as a heavy rail corridor. GO may well want the line, as it enables movements on the Milton line to Willowbrook without passing through the Bathurst St junction. It may well have value some day if there is a GO line across the North Toronto rail line. As noted, the Obico property would be the perfect place for a subway or LRT yard. Maybe we could even attract some industry that needs freight railroading, and offer jobs to Torontonians out here.
If you want to see rail transit in South Etobicoke, great. But try Islington or Kipling as LRT possibilities. That's where the employment and residential numbers lie. By the time you rip up the heavy rail on the Canpa, an LRT line down the center of Kipling or Islington - nice wide streets - would be no more expensive.
If you simply view transit as an alternative space for daydreaming, great. (Porn is so tacky). Personally I take transit as a serious real-world exercise. I would like our government to fixate and deliver on a set of commonly agreed on, fairly immovable priority transit projects. There is only so much money. Adding new projects just because it's fun to fantasize is, in my opinion, dangerous.
I have lived in south Etobicoke since 1961, and I would love nothing better than to see even better transit out here. But this idea is a non-starter.
Sorry to rant
- Paul
It is important not to let this corridor slip through our fingers.....as a heavy rail corridor. GO may well want the line, as it enables movements on the Milton line to Willowbrook without passing through the Bathurst St junction. It may well have value some day if there is a GO line across the North Toronto rail line. As noted, the Obico property would be the perfect place for a subway or LRT yard. Maybe we could even attract some industry that needs freight railroading, and offer jobs to Torontonians out here.
If you want to see rail transit in South Etobicoke, great. But try Islington or Kipling as LRT possibilities. That's where the employment and residential numbers lie. By the time you rip up the heavy rail on the Canpa, an LRT line down the center of Kipling or Islington - nice wide streets - would be no more expensive.
If you simply view transit as an alternative space for daydreaming, great. (Porn is so tacky). Personally I take transit as a serious real-world exercise. I would like our government to fixate and deliver on a set of commonly agreed on, fairly immovable priority transit projects. There is only so much money. Adding new projects just because it's fun to fantasize is, in my opinion, dangerous.
I have lived in south Etobicoke since 1961, and I would love nothing better than to see even better transit out here. But this idea is a non-starter.
Sorry to rant
- Paul
Jonny5
Senior Member
This appears to at least be possible to fix with expropriation, though you would have to take almost all of the lot of National Steel Improvement. This also brings to mind an oddity I noticed: the building at the very end of Towns Road appears to have been converted into apartments, some of which look like they are almost close enough to the tracks to reach out and touch the trains as they pass.
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crs1026
Superstar
The building at 45 Towns Road is a Heritage structure. It's the former CN YMCA, the last remaining building from the former CNR Mimico Rail Yards. I bet one could work around it, but please leave it be in your thinking.
- Paul
- Paul
innsertnamehere
Superstar
And people doubted me when I said that metrolinx bought the Canpa subdivision..
Jonny5
Senior Member
Still curious to know if there are actually people living inside? When I pass I see it has a lot of satellite dishes mounted on the outside and mismatched curtains/drapes on windows. It's quite an out of the way place to live.
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innsertnamehere
Superstar
maybe something like this?
Yellow = Subway
Blue = LRT
Yellow = Subway
Blue = LRT
wopchop
Building Toronto
On a related note, I found this on Trainorders.com, which has photos of a time when GO Milton had to take a detour along Canpa to continue on to Union Station.
Yes, at least in the past I think that it was. I have seen people and cars there before. I haven't been there recently, though. There are also a few random homes along Tupper Ave in that same area.
Yes, at least in the past I think that it was. I have seen people and cars there before. I haven't been there recently, though. There are also a few random homes along Tupper Ave in that same area.
ssiguy2
Senior Member
If there was a realistic and cost effective {non-tunneled} way of extending further north to Eglinton and eventually Finch then it would be useful but as just a link to the Bloor line, I just don't see the need.
GO Lakeshore will probably be the first RER system set up and no one in their right mind would use this route to get downtown as opposed to just using the Lakeshore route.
GO Lakeshore will probably be the first RER system set up and no one in their right mind would use this route to get downtown as opposed to just using the Lakeshore route.