GO Transit

[timio]

It looks like Metrolinx is starting to plan for / announce improvements along the Georgetown - Kitchener stretch of track.

Exhibit A:  Planned improvements west of Guelph Station

Planned Railway Corridor work between Guelph Station and Hwy 6:

• Replacement of 2000 ties
  
• Replacement of all mainline rail
  
• Improving ballast locations
  
• Replacement of 7-8 turnouts
  
• 5 crossing rehabilitations: Dublin, Yorkshire, Edinburgh, Alma, Glasgow
  
• Fencing work along the corridor, including near Kent Street
  

Track speed to be increased from 10 mph to 30 mph, subject to working in partnership with the City.

No timeline given, but one can assume the end of the GEXR maintenance agreement next year is the catalyst for this moving forward.

(Found on UrbanToronto)

[Viewfromthe42]

So, if we can figure out over what distance the train is currently limited to 16kph, we can determine how much time savings might be gained by increasing that to (still slow) 48kph.

But there is zero chance of Guelph ever getting high speed rail if the best we can do for a long stretch is either of those speeds.

[DHLawrence]

Shame to hear about the fencing along Kent Street though. Can't imagine residents will be happy about that.

[ijmorlan]

Shame to hear about the fencing along Kent Street though. Can't imagine residents will be happy about that.

I’ll be interested to see if the fencing is reasonable. If it is I doubt anybody will object much. A low fence would be sufficient. With legal crossings at Glasgow and Dublin, no paths entering Kent St. between those two streets, and a retaining wall immediately south of the tracks east of Dublin, there really isn’t much incentive to cross the tracks illegally in the first place. As a result the fence doesn’t need to be much.

By contrast, if they are hell-bent on stopping crossing in a place where they really ought to build a legal crossing, they will need something that looks like a segment of the Berlin wall.

[Canard]

Interesting solution to the cancellation of one of the Niagara "Bike Trains":

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Niagara bound train cancelled &amp; 34 customers were transferred to DD bus with bikes on bottom, customers were seated on upper level ?‍♀️?! <a href="https://t.co/mR6hd2r5hf">pic.twitter.com/mR6hd2r5hf</a></p>&mdash; Bill Grodzinski (@GOgrodzinski301) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOgrodzinski301/status/917109558878842881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2017</a></blockquote>

...can't say I'd be thrilled about having my bike smashed together like that with the others, but... still, a creative solution.

[Section ThirtyOne]

Interesting solution to the cancellation of one of the Niagara "Bike Trains":

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Niagara bound train cancelled &amp; 34 customers were transferred to DD bus with bikes on bottom, customers were seated on upper level ?‍♀️?! <a href="https://t.co/mR6hd2r5hf">pic.twitter.com/mR6hd2r5hf</a></p>&mdash; Bill Grodzinski (@GOgrodzinski301) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOgrodzinski301/status/917109558878842881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2017</a></blockquote>

...can't say I'd be thrilled about having my bike smashed together like that with the others, but... still, a creative solution.

I was thinking the same. Absolutely no way I’d put my bike in there.

[MacBerry]

Metrolinx to replace the Guelph "100 Steps" pedestrian bridge early in 2018


"The steps to the bridge are owned by the city, while the bridge itself is owned and maintained by the railway companies that utilize the rail corridor."

[rangersfan]

Small update on the proposed freight rail bypass.


http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/kitch...-1.4424951

[tomh009]

Small update on the proposed freight rail bypass.

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/kitch...-1.4424951

2024 is the target date for all-day service ... 

[MidTowner]

2024 is the first possible date for trains to run on the second track...it doesn't necessarily mean (unfortunately) that those trains will immediately run all day on that track.

We have heard 2024 as a start date for two-way all-day service in the past, though.

I wonder if it's possible to get at least a few more additional trains before the freight bypass is built, between now and 2024?

[tomh009]

It should be possible to add another morning train, or a -- gasp! -- evening train with a morning return. I think daytime trains would be the big problem.

[KevinL]

We definitely need to see work on the second track proceeding, no matter what the status of the freight bypass. Get every component ready as soon as is feasible.

This means things like downtown Guelph, and the Grand River bridge by Breslau, getting studies and assessments under way ASAP.

[SammyOES]

What's the reason we have to go through this whole dance with CN?

There's clearly a pressing need for this and a really compelling economic argument. I just don't know the deeper context on why this negotiating/build bypass is the best way forward.

[taylortbb]

Previously the line between Kitchener and Toronto was owned by CN. The province has purchased as much of the line as they can from CN, but the part that goes through Brampton they won't sell. The reason being that the part through Brampton is a part of their core freight network, and if they couldn't run trains on it they wouldn't be in business. That line is also close to capacity, so the province can't just add a bunch of GO trains without removing some freight or expanding.

Natural solution is just to add more tracks through Brampton, except the corridor isn't wide enough for this, and no one wants to tear down half of downtown Brampton. So the next best solution is to build CN a new corridor (the "missing link") and have them run their freight there. Once freight is on the missing link they won't need the part through downtown Brampton for freight, and there will be capacity on the tracks for more trains. The negotiation is over a proposed plan to have the province build the missing link, and then swap it with CN so the province gets the part through downtown Brampton.

[SammyOES]

Thanks!