GO Transit

[danbrotherston]

On one hand: good news. On the other hand: I'll believe it when I'm sitting on a train in the middle of the day, until then, this sounds like 2022 election pandering rather than any serious plans. We've been hearing "soon" for far too long.

This is exactly how I feel.

The confusion at silver junction just reinforces that.  And I haven't heard CN weigh in on it at all yet.  The Liberals had a memorandum of understanding or something like that...we've heard nothing on this new plan.

[ijmorlan]

On one hand: good news. On the other hand: I'll believe it when I'm sitting on a train in the middle of the day, until then, this sounds like 2022 election pandering rather than any serious plans. We've been hearing "soon" for far too long.

This is exactly how I feel.

The confusion at silver junction just reinforces that.  And I haven't heard CN weigh in on it at all yet.  The Liberals had a memorandum of understanding or something like that...we've heard nothing on this new plan.

I must confess to some skepticism around the need for a grade separation at Silver. Just how many trains are there on the other line anyway, and just how long does it take the signals and switches to operate? Are we sure the switches can’t just be hooked up so they can change less than 5 minutes after a train has gone through? The main line is only 2 tracks — so trains from the Kitchener line only have to cross over at most one track to get where they are going. It’s not like trying to get from the southernmost track of the Lakeshore line into the northernmost track at Union Station.

But yeah, this is just the usual election pandering. Watch for Highway 7 to ramp up too in the next year or so. By the way, how’s that high speed rail study going? You know, the 320km/h one the Liberals were cooking up?

[danbrotherston]

This is exactly how I feel.

The confusion at silver junction just reinforces that.  And I haven't heard CN weigh in on it at all yet.  The Liberals had a memorandum of understanding or something like that...we've heard nothing on this new plan.

I must confess to some skepticism around the need for a grade separation at Silver. Just how many trains are there on the other line anyway, and just how long does it take the signals and switches to operate? Are we sure the switches can’t just be hooked up so they can change less than 5 minutes after a train has gone through? The main line is only 2 tracks — so trains from the Kitchener line only have to cross over at most one track to get where they are going. It’s not like trying to get from the southernmost track of the Lakeshore line into the northernmost track at Union Station.

But yeah, this is just the usual election pandering. Watch for Highway 7 to ramp up too in the next year or so. By the way, how’s that high speed rail study going? You know, the 320km/h one the Liberals were cooking up?

How long does a mainline CN freight train take to make it through the junction?

In general, I've given up on real transportation solutions here, or frankly, in Ontario in general, it's a big part of the motivation for moving.

[Bytor]

I will be more confident about this announcement when we start getting similar ones about the Bramalea→Georgetown bottleneck. Until then, I doubt that 2WADGO will happen by 2025 as promised.

[Bytor]

Cambridge to Union GO Rail Feasibility Study PHASE 2 REPORT Final – February 2021

https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/livin...b_2021.pdf

[KevinL]

I'm of two minds on the Pinebush placement. It does meet up well with Ion, is in a well-trafficked area, and can serve as a development node. Yet it still strikes me as more than a little inefficient for how far down the line it goes.

I also don't see anything here about a station in Hespeler proper, but I'm sure it's in the cards.

[Bytor]

I'm of two minds on the Pinebush placement. It does meet up well with Ion, is in a well-trafficked area, and can serve as a development node. Yet it still strikes me as more than a little inefficient for how far down the line it goes.

I also don't see anything here about a station in Hespeler proper, but I'm sure it's in the cards.

Why do you think it's too far down the line? There's not enough up there between the 401 and Eagle to make a commuter train station useful and valuable all by itself, and the split is only about 1,600m from where the LRT station will be. If that is as far as this Cambridge-Guelph mini-GO (CGMG) line will go, then Pinebush Station is the ideal stopping point, I feel.

What I would like to see is two stops in Cambridge—Pinebush with the LRT and one in Hespeler at Guelph St.

[KevinL]

Yes, a Hespeler stop is pretty much mandatory. Maybe one in south Guelph too.

[Bytor]

We need to remember, though, that this was just a feasibility study. The chance of Waterloo Region and Guelph/Wellington doing this on their own is next to zero. Same chance for the current provincial government adding this to Metrolinx's goals, too, I would guess.

[danbrotherston]

[ac3r]

Why does Cambridge need a GO Train connection? They barely want the LRT. They try to shoot down every new development in the city. With such little development, it doesn't seem like there'd be a lot of riders...I mean, how many people from Cambridge are regularly travelling to anywhere in the GTA on a daily basis (maybe they go to Guelph, but to build an entire train for that...?) It seems like the last place to consider a separate GO Train line...especially when the one to Kitchener sucks and we are planning on spending 100 million on a new train station already. It makes more sense to me to just get the Kitchener GO line that offers two way all day service, then have the LRT be the link for people going from Cambridge to the train station (and to whatever destination they have on the GO Train).

[Acitta]

Why does Cambridge need a GO Train connection? They barely want the LRT. They try to shoot down every new development in the city. With such little development, it doesn't seem like there'd be a lot of riders...I mean, how many people from Cambridge are regularly travelling to anywhere in the GTA on a daily basis (maybe they go to Guelph, but to build an entire train for that...?) It seems like the last place to consider a separate GO Train line...especially when the one to Kitchener sucks and we are planning on spending 100 million on a new train station already. It makes more sense to me to just get the Kitchener GO line that offers two way all day service, then have the LRT be the link for people going from Cambridge to the train station (and to whatever destination they have on the GO Train).

It would be a long commute to take the ION from Downtown Cambridge to Kitchener and then catch a 2-hour train to Toronto. You aren't going to get anybody out of their cars that way.

[kalis0490]

I feel that the go Cambridge line is misunderstood:

Ive talked to many Cambridge people over the years and even the hardcore nimbyies (who hate buildings and trains) really want this service . Yes, I understand why some may remark 'why  spent $100M to get a line that carries 300 ppl/day'. I agree that a bus line should be implement to see demand first . 

However, you could have used the same argument against the Kitchener go train . Extending the go train in to Kitchener cost 100M dollars and only carries 300 or so passengers / day in 2019 out of kitchener, does that mean that the line extension is very unwarranted? In my opinion, no .

I think same thing applies here. This could be the test of tram - train technology in southwest Ontario and could open the door to a  Collingwood go train, Welland go train, or st Thomas passenger train. That is why I support this project.

[ac3r]

Why does Cambridge need a GO Train connection? They barely want the LRT. They try to shoot down every new development in the city. With such little development, it doesn't seem like there'd be a lot of riders...I mean, how many people from Cambridge are regularly travelling to anywhere in the GTA on a daily basis (maybe they go to Guelph, but to build an entire train for that...?) It seems like the last place to consider a separate GO Train line...especially when the one to Kitchener sucks and we are planning on spending 100 million on a new train station already. It makes more sense to me to just get the Kitchener GO line that offers two way all day service, then have the LRT be the link for people going from Cambridge to the train station (and to whatever destination they have on the GO Train).

It would be a long commute to take the ION from Downtown Cambridge to Kitchener and then catch a 2-hour train to Toronto. You aren't going to get anybody out of their cars that way.

True...but two GO Trains coming into Waterloo Region? Seems like a dream when we can barely get them to offer us 1 consistent service in Kitchener that can get us to Toronto 7 days a week all throughout the day.

It's great their planning this but I would imagine the costs would mean this would not happen for a loooong time. I wonder how much of this has been actual long term planning, or if it's just because there is an upcoming election that the OPC desperately needs to win?

[ac3r]

I think same thing applies here. This could be the test of tram - train technology in southwest Ontario and could open the door to a  Collingwood go train, Welland go train, or st Thomas passenger train. That is why I support this project.

In terms of this project being somewhat of a potential catalyst for better regional train service throughout Southern Ontario, I absolutely agree. We destroyed our train services in the 20th century thanks to cars and freeways. If we could return to an era of reliable train service throughout Southern Ontario I think that would be amazing. They have it all over Europe - they have trains that run even if they only carry small numbers of passengers each day. Why not rebuild this here? Think of the jobs it could create in construction, rail operation. How many economic benefits would open up if you could reach smaller cities or towns with good train service.

It would be incredible if they could electrify everything too, but even diesel would be fine. I could imagine a small trains like this able to serve nearby towns...Stratford, Woodstock, Elmira or whatever;