GO Transit

[jamincan]

At a bare minimum, it adds another complication and risk to track maintenance for CN.

[clasher]

Well dang. I guess there's no way around the shared tracks short of building a whole new line somwhere which doesn't really seem all that easy around here.

If building something new isn't all that easy, then we have bigger problems than transit.

I was just thinking that this area where the railway runs a lot more urban/developed so that would make it more difficult to build than just laying a new rail line in a more rural area, but I'm not very familiar with the possibilities for building a new line in that area. I agree with you that it should be easy to build better transit and that they should have a really strong business case for building new highways.

[Bytor]

One major operational consequence of dual-mode vs. EMUs is that the dual-mode's have much lower acceleration.

EMU is a whole other dimension, though, is it not? It would require also replacing all the bilevel passenger cars that GO has standardized on.

Not really. Diesel locomotives are really diesel-electric locomotives. The diesel engine only drives a generator, not the wheels directly, and head-end power couplings to the coach cars is standardised as well, so you can swap one for the other.

[KevinL]

Electric locos and EMUs are different. The former has all the power in one unit and can push-pull coaches like a diesel; the latter has power in every unit and is generally not swappable with diesel setups.

[tomh009]

Right. So that would mean EMU cars, different from (and incompatible with) the 600+ Bombardier BiLevel cars that GO currently uses. If they go EMU, I hope (and assume) that they it will be the first step in a system-wide EMU standard, rather than the rolling stock for just a single line.

[ac3r]

Ontario is continuing its transformation of the Kitchener GO line from a rush hour commuter service to a two-way, all-day rail service. Today, Kinga Surma, Associate Minister of Transportation, announced the breakthrough and completion of excavation on tunnel one of two rail tunnels under Highways 401 and 409.

Looks like one of the tunnels under the 400 series highways has been completed: Major Milestone Reached for Kitchener GO Rail Tunnels Project

[ac3r]

Both tunnels have now been completed: https://www.kitchenertoday.com/local-new...ne-3418981

[LesPio]

Go Line Track Ownership

[Coke6pk]

Go Line Track Ownership

Under "Ownership of non-operating lines" there is a thin green line for GO Transit... but I don't see any on the map.  Does Metrolinx own any track they currently DON'T use?

Coke

[jamincan]

I forget what it's called, but I think they own the line connecting the Milton Line and Lakeshore Line just west of Kipling Station. (And now checking the map itself, it is indeed shown there as owned by Metrolinx)

[westwardloo]

Interesting map in terms of ownership. Its too bad Brampton is developed so close to the railway.  Seems like the best fix to CN ownership is to just build additional tracks. 

Who owns the track west of downtown kitchener? 

Does anyone think GO would ever build a station in west kitchener near the boardwalk?

[danbrotherston]

Interesting map in terms of ownership. Its too bad Brampton is developed so close to the railway.  Seems like the best fix to CN ownership is to just build additional tracks. 

Who owns the track west of downtown kitchener? 

Does anyone think GO would ever build a station in west kitchener near the boardwalk?

Seems extremely unlikely, the only reason would be for a park and ride, there is not even remotely enough density there to support a station without being a park and ride, and Kitchener's development plans do not support developing such density there.

And Breslau is already planned for a park and ride facility, as much as I disagree with that idea.

In my dreams, I see the boardwalk being developed into a TOD node with a complete community built there, just like for Breslau, but the reality is such a thing will never happen.

If it was to extend west, stratford is the first town which could possibly justify a GO station, but I find that extremely unlikely as well, it would certainly be an expansion of GO's mandate.

[timio]

I forget what it's called, but I think they own the line connecting the Milton Line and Lakeshore Line just west of Kipling Station. (And now checking the map itself, it is indeed shown there as owned by Metrolinx)

Obico, I believe. They use it when there's construction on the mainline for detours of Lakeshore West.

[KevinL]

When they planned a train yard in New Hamburg/Baden, they also considered a station there, in part to placate the community who had objections to the yard. Don't know if those plans are still active.

As a more general point, I'd like to see regional rail operated out of London as a hub, with branches to Windsor, Sarnia, Kitchener, and Hamilton; VIA could then shift to express-only operations in southern Ontario.

[plam]

When they planned a train yard in New Hamburg/Baden, they also considered a station there, in part to placate the community who had objections to the yard. Don't know if those plans are still active.

As a more general point, I'd like to see regional rail operated out of London as a hub, with branches to Windsor, Sarnia, Kitchener, and Hamilton; VIA could then shift to express-only operations in southern Ontario.

The London train station is pretty big, yes.