High-Speed Rail (HSR) - Toronto/Pearson/Kitchener/London

[kitborn]

Oxford County wants high speed rail alternative in southwestern Ontario

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-...-1.4505926

Oxford County, eh? They are not set to get any stops on the current plan for the line, but it would go through its northern part. Sounds like they don't like the idea of a project using their territory but not stopping within it.

But if they want a station, I can't see where they'd put it. They don't even have a sizable town between London and Kitchener.

We often take the VIA train from Woodstock to Toronto instead of Kitchener to Toronto. There are more frequent trains on the Windsor corridor than the Sarnia line. It would make sense to make a stop in Woodstock in this case.

[jgsz]

Oxford County wants high speed rail alternative in southwestern Ontario

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-...-1.4505926

Oxford County, eh? They are not set to get any stops on the current plan for the line, but it would go through its northern part. Sounds like they don't like the idea of a project using their territory but not stopping within it.

But if they want a station, I can't see where they'd put it. They don't even have a sizable town between London and Kitchener.

Well, there is Woodstock but I see no reason why we should support a stop in Oxford County.  The Region of Waterloo wants an interchange on the 401 at Trussler Rd. but that's on the border with Oxford County and they see no benefits and certainly don't want to pay for half of it.  So, likewise, there is no benefit to Waterloo Region by having a stop in Woodstock.

[Canard]

[jamincan]

I call dibs on chairing the High-Speed Rail Consultation Council next year; I encourage the rest of you to apply for the Southern Ontario High-Speed Rail Review Body the following year, or the Ontario High Speed Rail Directing Committee the year after that.

Honestly, at this point you have to wonder if it isn't just a make-work program for retired transportation experts and politicians.

[creative]

If Doug Ford wins the PC leadership race and ultimately the provincial election we can kiss goodbye high speed rail and every other transit project.

[timio]

Folks.

[ijmorlan]

I call dibs on chairing the High-Speed Rail Consultation Council next year; I encourage the rest of you to apply for the Southern Ontario High-Speed Rail Review Body the following year, or the Ontario High Speed Rail Directing Committee the year after that.

Honestly, at this point you have to wonder if it isn't just a make-work program for retired transportation experts and politicians.

What is all this nonsense anyway? We don’t need special advisory groups and multiple ostentatiously public reports to get new expressways built.

Although to be fair the last big expressway-related news was the cancellation of the GTA West highway proposal so maybe things are starting to change.

[Canard]

Building HSR *right* is a lot more important than building yet another highway.

If you were going to build one 401, from scratch, the first time, wouldn’t you want to make sure it was perfect and had the best chance of succeeding?

[jamincan]

Incidentally, most highway construction planning has occurred in a piecemeal fashion and there hasn't really been an over-arching vision guiding it, yet we have a pretty comprehensive highway network in Ontario and improvements continue to be made.

I also really don't think this is a situation of the perfect being the enemy of the good. This is simply stalling by our leadership. I don't really think you can say that there has been any progress on this project since it was first announced. It has been bounced around like political hot potato and no one has had the guts to actually start the difficult task of executing their vision.

[ijmorlan]

Building HSR *right* is a lot more important than building yet another highway.

If you were going to build one 401, from scratch, the first time, wouldn’t you want to make sure it was perfect and had the best chance of succeeding?

OK, that’s a fair point, and you’re right.

It just feels like getting highways built is no problemo — just do nothing and the MTO will make sure it happens. If you don’t want a highway built, you (as cabinet) need to tell them clearly that they are not to proceed. But railway improvements don’t happen without massive political involvement. Although actually having written I realized that’s not quite fair — Metrolinx is pursuing all sorts of improvements to GO that aren’t politically requested, such as signalling improvements, new GO maintenance facilities, and the like.

Anyway, I hope this time it leads to an actual system, and a good one that really meets a need, not just one that makes for a good (and expensive) ribbon-cutting ceremony.

[JoeKW]

If Doug Ford wins the PC leadership race and ultimately the provincial election we can kiss goodbye high speed rail and every other transit project.

Everything will be Subways! Subways! Subways!

Maybe we can convince him to do an above ground subway that goes 350km/hr with a route that goes from Windsor to Cornwall (and off to Montreal)

[jamincan]

As long as it stops in Scarborough, I think he'd be all for it.

[tomh009]

It just feels like getting highways built is no problemo — just do nothing and the MTO will make sure it happens. If you don’t want a highway built, you (as cabinet) need to tell them clearly that they are not to proceed.

The 407 took 38 years!

[SammyOES]

And the new highway 7 has taken a few decades too.

I generally think its less about any particular differences between roads and rails and more about the general slowness of massive infrastructure projects (and Governments) - especially transportation ones that require dealing with a really large area (vs. say even the LRT which is at least limited to a smaller geographical area).

[ijmorlan]

Good points. And especially the 7 I think has been good for several announcements over the years.

Maybe the real key is the need of politicians to make as many announcements as possible for as little actual spending as possible.