[WB62]

This was recently digitalised on Internet Archive, it’s a very interesting document: https://archive.org/details/39201204070071
These are two notable proposals included inside it:

 

[ssiguy2]

Toronto is fortunate enough to have a lot of options for future GO expansion but I think there are 2 , at least over the next 10 years, that should be given priority:

1} the Bolton line. Even if only for rush-hour service and limited service during the day ala RH, it would prove to be well patronized, would help create TOD along that fast growing corridor, and would be relatively inexpensive to introduce.
2} The Mid-town corridor which would be a real game changer and I think could easily become one of the busiest corridors in the network. It should become a RER type service all the way from Milton to Marham offering commuters a fast way to get across both Toronto and the region without having to go indirectly thru Union. They could still keep the Milton-Union route but only for rush hour service and other times they take RER with a quick transfer to get downtown.

As an added note................ please DON'T come up with another stupid London route. Londoners have suffered enough so please leave them alone.

 

[WB62]

Today is the 50th anniversary of the SuperGO project:

 

[WB62]

Here’s one of the most interesting Metrolinx proposals I’ve come across in the past year; the Central Business District tunnel:

If this was built it would have fundamentally changed how we travel on the GO network.

 

[JasonParis]

It feels a bit Australian to me.

As I said on Twitter, we get a similar thing with the Ontario Line (arguably better with more Line 1 relief). I'd stiil love to see some of this reduced reliance via Union still done, but up at North Toronto and shoulder stations east-west of Union.

 

[WB62]

Hi all, last night I discovered a 1989 project dubbed “Think Rail” that (despite what the newspaper headline says) would have expanded GO Transit across the province with new high speed rail lines between major cities and transferred intercity routes from VIA.

I’ve managed to find quite a few articles talking about the Think Rail Group and their plans, but not the original 39 page report.

The name of the report was: "Passenger Train Service for Southern Ontario” published January 16, 1989.

If anyone knows about this report, has a copy, or a place where I could look to find it, it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Sauga89]

Hi all, last night I discovered a 1989 project dubbed “Think Rail” that (despite what the newspaper headline says) would have expanded GO Transit across the province with new high speed rail lines between major cities and transferred intercity routes from VIA.

View attachment 628742View attachment 628743

I’ve managed to find quite a few articles talking about the Think Rail Group and their plans, but not the original 39 page report.

The name of the report was: "Passenger Train Service for Southern Ontario” published January 16, 1989.

If anyone knows about this report, has a copy, or a place where I could look to find it, it would be greatly appreciated!

I couldn't find this report either, but I did find this 1988 Ontario legislature speech from Margaret Marland, then the opposition MPP for Mississauga South.

If it is simply a matter of electrifying those lines, which we lease from Canadian National in terms of the Lakeshore line, then I think it is something this government should consider, if it were a forward-planning government looking at the traffic congestion that exists today for commuters who would like to buy these passes if they were a realistic alternative for transportation for people who work downtown -- in fact, at the moment, it is not realistic for a lot of people because of the lack of accessibility to stations.

If we could have the minister consider that, certainly we would look forward to his next announcement, which would be a capital plan to build more stations, to have more Kiss ‘N Ride locations, to use the technical term, and to be able to do that through the electrification. Therefore, the minister’s next announcement will tell us about the tremendous increase in sales, which will mean we are looking to the real needs of transportation for the people in the southern corridor.

When we are looking at a city of 750,000 in Mississauga alone, this government today obviously has to do more than just talk. We would like to see some major plans under way to improve transportation for the public, and the trains are certainly a good beginning if they are a real alternative. At the moment they are not, but we will look forward to the government making some hard decisions about where money has to be spent for the commuters who would like to use GO Transit and indeed buy the minister’s passes.

It just goes to show that people have been talking about better GO service for a long time.