02-16-2021, 12:37 PM
(02-16-2021, 12:26 PM)ac3r Wrote:(02-15-2021, 02:41 PM)westwardloo Wrote: Who owns the track west of downtown kitchener?
That is the CN Guelph Subdivision.
It's highly unlikely GO would expand westbound to The Boardwalk - that's only about a 6 kilometer distance from the main station downtown. This is the CN mainline into the USA so CN is highly unlikely to yield their track to even more commuter train service, as they're already having to accommodate GO and VIA trains up to Kitchener. I don't see them ever expanding further, either (i.e. Stratford, London) as GO Transit is a suburban/commuter train service and those cities are just way too far to justify running trains from there to Toronto - that's the job for VIA.
FYI if anyone is interested in a detailed map about railroads, check out OpenRailwayMap. It's not 100% accurate, but they do have a lot of data for the world, showing everything from current mainlines and spurs to century old abandoned tracks in the middle of nowhere. It's quite a useful resource.
It is definitely not the "main" track. I see the map you posted is calling it "main" but that's just not being a "branch". The main CN freight route branches off just west of Georgetown. It's the whole reason that Metrolinx is able to own this segment. I'm not even certain that it is a CN line, (although I'm less certain about that--but the Metrolinx map agrees with me which lists it as "other"). Speed restrictions are very low (50-60km/h) and the rail is in poor condition. It does carry some freight trains, but the main route into the US travels south and goes through Woodstock before entering London.