ssiguy2 said:
Yes.
Same route, stations, at grade, trench, tunnel, elevated section..................everything exactly the same except use standard TTC/Metro cars.
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Well, there's your first problem. It couldn't be exactly the same, because the current plan has a bundle of shared mainline tracks that can be flexibly used by Via, CN freights, GO trains and airport trains.

You'd need to completely isolate two sets of infrastructure from one another (very tricky, considering Milton and Barrie trains are merging from both sides and then you'd somehow need to get the airport subway tracks through the Union Station approach), have the future airport subway trade sides of the corridor with the mainline tracks at some point along the route (Union's airport lounge is on the north side of the corridor while the Pearson spur is on the south), and likely space the two sets of different-technology tracks apart by several extra metres per safety regs.

That last consideration means that instead of the corridor being wide enough for 4 tracks at its pinch points, you would have 2 subway tracks and 1 track for all the mainline trains --- GO, Via and freight. Having two airport subway tracks would likely be horribly overbuilt if intended just for daily Pearson demand and those tracks couldn't really be used in the future to support expanded regional service to places like Brampton, where it's really needed. Instead, regional service would be permanently limited to more or less the level of service GO operates today.

Far better to have run all kinds of trains on a common set of tracks and signals and make the most efficient possible use of them.
 
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Not that I believe it would be the best or an effective solution, but if two tracks are enough for GO Kitchener and Via service then it should be possible to dedicate two tracks for a subway type line between the airport and about Strachan, and from there it would have to go underground which would make the line part of the DRL. Problems could arise with having enough room for additional stations.
 
two tracks aren't enough though, GO needs 7 or 8 once you get down to union. 2 tracks would not be enough to run 30 minute service on kitchener, an eventual bolton line, freight, and VIA. nevermind upgrading it to heavy rail probably jumping the price to $2 or $3 billion from $500 million currently.
 
innsertnamehere said:
two tracks aren't enough though, GO needs 7 or 8 once you get down to union. 2 tracks would not be enough to run 30 minute service on kitchener, an eventual bolton line, freight, and VIA. nevermind upgrading it to heavy rail probably jumping the price to $2 or $3 billion from $500 million currently.
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How many track have been estimated for hourly service on Barrie, Richmond Hill, Brampton and half hourly service on lakeshore and milton/markham?
 
Strachan

I went by the Strachan crossing the other week and the gates are now down. All of the trains are now using the underpass. It looks different as I`m accustomed to seeing the gates. It`s certainly a benefit for traffic and pedestrians now.

Picture 1: Looking North
1hnB6V6

Picture 2: Looking South
1c1LdYp

Picture 3
1c1LdYp

Picture 4: New lights
1dGwE3s
 
Thanks for the responses. My mistakes as I knew it would use the Kitchener corridor but I thought it had completely it's own rail tracks for the entire Union to Pearson stretch. This line is a perfect fit for Bombardier Flexity commuter LRT trains that can run on regular rail track and at street level.

Alas anything like that is now decades away with Toronto going forward with a $3 billion 1.5 km rapid transit extension just so people don't have to transfer trains.
 
innsertnamehere said:
Also freight safety regulations mean that the flexity can't run under mixed rail conditions.
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Currently. As far as I know, Canada tends to follow the US on these regulations -- and the US FRA is planning to switch over soon to the European approach of allowing non-tanks to share trackage with freights.
 
Canada is a little bit more lax than the US, but will be a bit tougher once the new regulations come in. Sadly after Lac Megantic I can't see a proposal to loosen train safety standards going over very well.
 
Platform 27 said:
You'd need to completely isolate two sets of infrastructure from one another (very tricky, considering Milton and Barrie trains are merging from both sides and then you'd somehow need to get the airport subway tracks through the Union Station approach), have the future airport subway trade sides of the corridor with the mainline tracks at some point along the route (Union's airport lounge is on the north side of the corridor while the Pearson spur is on the south), and likely space the two sets of different-technology tracks apart by several extra metres per safety regs.

That last consideration means that instead of the corridor being wide enough for 4 tracks at its pinch points, you would have 2 subway tracks and 1 track for all the mainline trains --- GO, Via and freight. Having two airport subway tracks would likely be horribly overbuilt if intended just for daily Pearson demand and those tracks couldn't really be used in the future to support expanded regional service to places like Brampton, where it's really needed. Instead, regional service would be permanently limited to more or less the level of service GO operates today.
Click to expand...

Sounds a bit like this: (from this post in the fantasy map thread)

drlwesttrackmap.jpg


Your statement that GO service would be limited to today's level is disproven here. Last I checked there aren't 12 trains per hour per direction on the Weston sub.
 
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