DonValleyRainbow
Senior Member
Richmond Hill Layover as of July 2914, from Metrolinx flickr:
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/metrolinx/14659937448/sizes/m/
Anyone know the status of the stations?
Richmond Hill Layover as of July 2914, from Metrolinx flickr:
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/metrolinx/14659937448/sizes/m/
Bloomington will be Okayed when they need some more layover space, from my understanding.
As part of the initiatives stated in the Big Move (our long-term plan for transforming the way the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area moves), GO Transit is undertaking an ambitious project. While we have moved to 30 minute service on the busy Lakeshore line, many of the GO Transit corridors currently run trains only during peak hours. So over the next 10 years, GO Transit plans to increase the speed and frequency of trains and provide two-way all-day service to every part of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
This rail system will be 10-25% faster than today and expected to run every 15 mins. The trains would be a mix of electric in more urban areas and diesel in out-lying areas. The trains would also have a mix of lengths, 12 car, bi-levels sets during peak periods and shorter trains for off-peak, lower volume trips. Lakeshore and other corridors could run a mix of non-stop express and local train service; others would be all-stop service.
This is a large and complex project and would require:
• Track/signal electrification for the entire system
• New fleet and facilities
• Maintenance facility upgrades
• Local transit and parking expansion
• Additional staff and crew
Bloomington is a station, not a layover, and there's tons of room at Bethesda anyways. In any case, I'm not sure why it hasn't been okayed as the cost of an additional station is pretty minimal in the whole scope of this project and trains will have to leave the yard northbound before heading southbound anyways.
Dan
Toronto, Ont.
Bloomington is a station, not a layover, and there's tons of room at Bethesda anyways. In any case, I'm not sure why it hasn't been okayed as the cost of an additional station is pretty minimal in the whole scope of this project and trains will have to leave the yard northbound before heading southbound anyways.
Richmond Hill extension is done by adding a second track. Most likely it's gonna be used the same way as the current service between Doncaster diamond and RH station, that is, the Eastern track exclusive to GO and Western track used for CN freight trains.
Right now the new track is laid up to Bethesda, would need to go up to Bloomington for that new station. So it's not just the station, it's the whole lot of grading and track work to bring it up to Bloomington. Looks like GO is OK with keeping the Bala sub South of Doncaster single-track for now (until AD2W), but CN is not happy with running its mainline with any number of GO trains on a single track, so any RH extensions require a second track.
I got that message too. I filled in the questionnaire and suggested a name of GO "REX", because "RER" could be confused with Paris.For what it's worth, the "Let GO Know" survey program just asked me a few questions on marketing surrounding the electrification project, and in particular, the naming of the project. That's not particularly important at this point, but there was a bit of detail in the explanatory material that may be interesting, in that it's the clearest current statement on GO's plans I've seen. Obviously this is very much subject to change, but for what it's worth, here's the text....
GO has the theoretical hourly capacity on Kitchener, perhaps with the new sidings on the Souffville and Barrie lines for those routes as well.
For whatever reason, with Metrolinx it seems to be all or nothing. 2 tracks and all day service or just peak commute service.
It flies in the face of normal private business practices: you slowly add services in now to build demand.
Even two tracks does not seem to be enough now.
On the Milton/Kitchener Lines no, it wouldn't.
Kitchener and Milton lines are used too much by ViaRail/CN/CP traffic to only have 2 tracks for All day 2 way service.
Of course the Kitchener/Milton lines have much higher ridership and it would make more sense to have it there first.
Kitchener line will be mostly 3+ track until Mount Pleasant station by 2015.
I've heard that for whatever reason, Metrolinx doesnt want to offer ANY kind of bi-directional service with sidings. They will not do it for anything less than double trackage.
For example, there are plenty of empty dead-headed trains on the Milton and Richmond Hill lines currently that could be used as actual reverse-direction, reverse-commute trains in the system.