[micheal_can]

Well, when you pick up a CPKC consist in Sudbury and drop it at the CPKC yard in Smith's Falls, I'm not sure how that is competing with them. I guess if there was sufficient revenue on the line OVR could have continued to lease it from them rather than CPKC going through the bother and cost of abandoning it, but they didn't because there was no revenue other than CPKC 'bridge' traffic, which CPKC decided to run through Toronto. There has to be an economic reason for a rail line to exist. There is obviously sufficient business between Sudbury and North Bay and North Bay and Temiskaming QC to keep the short line operating. Other than the very occasional military move, I'm not sure there was much or any business remaining between Mattawa and Smith's Falls.

If you want to argue for nationalizing our rail network, start it as a thread topic and see if it attracts any interest.

Just pointing out more options than a tunnel to reduce truck traffic on the 401;

And spend some time studying the financial results and records of both of these multi-national railways before using the words 'compelling' and 'nationalization'.

I know it is political suicide. There are a lot of changes that would be more beneficial to the country on the whole, but will also never happen due to how things work now. Instead of fixing the structural way things work, we will waste billions on a tunnel that will not solve things in the long term.

 

[drum118]

Ford government started studying Hwy. 401 tunnel after private-sector bids: docs​

 

[innsertnamehere]

I honestly don't know how Ford thinks this will be done without tolls.

 

[PL1]

I honestly don't know how Ford thinks this will be done without tolls.

Maybe he just expects the "folks, the pee-pole of Ontario" will just pony up and pay... (And that is how he says "people", to my ears)

 

[txlseries4]

I honestly don't know how Ford thinks this will be done without tolls.

On the timescale for this kind of project it's easy: it won't be his problem to deal with

 

[ssiguy2]

If Ford thinks that he will be able to build this by cashing in on some of Ottawa's national building infrastructure programs, he's even more delusional than I thought.

Carney will not OK political vanity projects of such monumental costs that will take decades to build. There is no way, in hell, that this project would cost less than $100 billion. Can you imagine how Carney would explain to the masses how he has to cancel the entire Windsor to Quebec City HSR project as well as money for the Calgary to Edmonton one because Ford wants a 40km tunnel that will certainly cost even more and take longer to build? Carney would never put himself into such a ridiculous situation even if thought it was a good idea which I'm quite confident he doesn't.

 

[nfitz]

I honestly don't know how Ford thinks this will be done without tolls.

If you used tolls right now, then you could get the anticipated time savings tomorrow, without spending a cent and 20-years on tunnelling and studies.

 

[christiesplits]

Ontario initially found Hwy. 401 tunnel plan had ‘potential for roadway collapse’​

Ontario initially found Hwy. 401 tunnel plan had ‘potential for roadway collapse’ | Globalnews.ca

An internal assessment of the plan determined that burrowing a tunnel under the highway would face technical and financial problems and could pose 'risks to public safety.'

globalnews.ca

Those included, “Risks to public safety from impacts of the tunnel to Highway 401 such as potential for roadway collapse, as well as availability of labour, market capacity/interest, and securing financing).”

The full detailed report was not included in the documents released to Global News as part of the freedom of information request.

 

[evandyk]

Oh, building a tunnel under a highway that carries 400,000 vehicles a day, including many heavy trucks, is difficult and expensive? Who could have thought!?!

 

[micheal_can]

Why not build a decked highway above the exiting one? Besides being out of the weather, what benefit does a tunnel present?

 

[innsertnamehere]

Why not build a decked highway above the exiting one? Besides being out of the weather, what benefit does a tunnel present?

That is a part of the study - they are reviewing all options.

 

[evandyk]

I'm pretty sure this government is not reviewing "all options". They're only reviewing the options that they think would enable more driving more faster.

 

[just east of the creek]

I am waiting to see the $ figure, which you can then add to by a certain %, based on the history of larger public infrastructure projects delivery costs in this country, and then we can really look at costing a suite of alternatives.

 

[NoahB]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-bike-lane-highway-401-tunnel-comments-1.7602254

First time I hear about a train being part of the 401 tunnel project.

[Ford] said preliminary plans for the tunnel have it at 19.5 metres wide with three levels: one for eastbound traffic, one for westbound traffic, and a third for a train.

 

[micheal_can]

That is a part of the study - they are reviewing all options.

Really? Well, that is slightly better.
If I were designing that, it would only connect to other 400 series highways (407, 403, 410, 427, 409, 400, 404/DVP, 412...) Then, it might, maybe be enough to get traffic flowing. I'd bet the majority of 401traffic is thru traffic not using surface streets.