King-Victoria Transit Hub

[insider]

"Construction of the transportation infrastructure at the hub could get started as early as 2017..."

Fingers crossed.

Wow... and this is optimistic? I would expect construction to start THIS year. Oh well.

[Canard]

I too had hoped that this development would have started a lot sooner (be started already). I think it's a bit unfortunate that it's going to be so late in coming. I wonder if they see no need to get it done with the level of rail service we currently have. Hopefully the next Government will really ratchet up funding toward rail, and we'll see the work pushed ahead faster.

[MidTowner]

I think it's optimistic to expect construction in 2017...if you're holding your breath, please exhale! It's probably pretty easy to argue that this shouldn't get underway before Ion launches and Go is at the service level it is, so if ground is even broken in two years' time, I'd be pretty happy.

[Canard]

Great shots! The poured concrete cylinders must be to hold back the dirt so they can dig out the "tunnel".

(Did you take those shots from the School of Pharmacy parking lot or something? You're really close!)

[Viewfromthe42]

This plot is great, as it can accommodate virtually all uses without need for exemptions. It is a full street-to-street-to-street-to-street plot, so there aren't any neighbour issues to deal with (beyond accommodating the heritage facets of Rumpel Felt). The actual neighbours are also all large scale developments across all those streets, further reducing NIMBY potential. Plus, the plot is development-charge-free. All that combined together should give plenty of leverage for demanding a truly iconic buildout.

[ookpik]

Hopefully our planners are aware of "minor details" such as this: Raise the roof? Union Station reno runs into problem: New trains won't fit 

Authorities are spending a quarter of a billion dollars renovating the shed behind Union Station where the trains stop. One teensy hitch: As things stand now, the new electric trains that are supposed to glide in one day won’t fit.

The old steel arches that span the shed are too low. Engineers can’t take them out because the station is a National Historic Site and the unlovely old shed, built in 1929-30, is considered a heritage feature. Houston, we have a problem. How do you put electric trains on the GO Transit system unless you can run them into its central hub?

[Viewfromthe42]

Things that will go down as the great, wonderful cost of heritage preservation.

[KevinL]

...how was this not considered when the reno was being done? The mind boggles.

[Canard]

It's so ugly too. I bet 98% of torontonians would say ditch it. It's the darkest and most depressing part of Union.

Anyway, the solution is super-simple: Bombardier TRAXX with Last Mile. No need for electrification in the station area; catenary stops just outside.

[nms]

...how was this not considered when the reno was being done? The mind boggles.

From the article:

The obvious question is why project managers didn’t foresee all of this and plan for it in the first place. Their answer is that electrification wasn’t a sure thing when they started. Design work on the train shed began in 2006, when electrification was much discussed but far from confirmed. Although Metrolinx finally announced in January, 2011, that it wanted to electrify GO as part of a shift to more frequent regional rail service, Queen’s Park didn’t promise hard cash until last year.

The objections would probably be equally strident if the Union Station planners had planned for a certain electrification solution, only to have Metrolinx ultimately choose something different that was better suited to the overall system?

[BuildingScout]

[quote pid='16487' dateline='1454082997']

The old steel arches that span the shed are too low. Engineers can’t take them out because the station is a National Historic Site and the unlovely old shed, built in 1929-30, is considered a heritage feature.

[/quote]

As it is often the case using heritage to preserve the good and the bad including an "unlovely old (train) shed".

[KevinL]

One upside, I suppose, is that the vehicles have yet to be purchased. As Canard says, there's a model available with battery backup; if there's an alternative that, say, doesn't require the conductor to be as high, that may also work.

The article also notes it's a matter 'of inches', which should also hopefully allow for a good, creative solution.

[Canard]

Yeah - and even mentions that a fixed blade instead of a wire could be used - which is very common in European train stations and tunnels.

I think this is very far from being a "sky is falling" event, even though the media would love it to be.

Meanwhile in KW, it's fun to pretend that the Dome is the future station structure. Driving North on King through Downtown Kitchener, it looks absolutely impressive. Just wait until you see HSR rolling through there...!

[tomh009]

Hopefully our planners are aware of "minor details" such as this: Raise the roof? Union Station reno runs into problem: New trains won't fit 

Authorities are spending a quarter of a billion dollars renovating the shed behind Union Station where the trains stop. One teensy hitch: As things stand now, the new electric trains that are supposed to glide in one day won’t fit.

The old steel arches that span the shed are too low. Engineers can’t take them out because the station is a National Historic Site and the unlovely old shed, built in 1929-30, is considered a heritage feature. Houston, we have a problem. How do you put electric trains on the GO Transit system unless you can run them into its central hub?

Drop the tracks by 10-20 cm?  That should give them sufficient clearance, right?

[Canard]

"Just drop the tracks" - Giggle!