Air Rail Link project progress thread
 

As part of the Georgetown South Project by GO Transit, additional capacity is being built into the existing route to accomplish the following:

- increase GO Train capacity along the existing route to Georgetown;
- increase frequency to all-day (instead of rush-hour only);
- accommodate future expansion of the line to Kitchener;
- separate rail traffic (freight vs. commuter / passenger) at West Toronto Diamond via grade seperation;
- Air Rail Link (ARL) from Union Station to Pearson International Airport

ARL
from GO Transit website:
ROUTE
http://www.gotransit.com/gts/en/proj...ect_Map_EN.jpg
source: GO Transit Website

Stations at Union, Bloor GO Station, Weston GO Station, Etobicoke North GO Station and Pearson (Terminal 1). The project is to be completed in time for the 2015 Pan American Games.

VEHICLES
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...oronto_ARL.jpg
source: CTV via wikipedia

The plan will utilize diesel trains and will eventually, at an unspecified date, electrify the Georgetown rail line and the Air Rail Link. These trains will be built by Sumitomo Corp. of America (the American division of a Japanese company). The Sumitomo trains have relatively small engines that are on the vehicles themselves, unlike GO trains, where the locomotive pulls unpowered coaches. The single-level trains would run with two cars, each with 64 seats. The Sumitomo trains will be Tier 4 diesel — the latest environmental standard that comes into effect across North America.

The West Toronto Diamond grade separation works continue. They began quite a while ago but it appears the pile driving works have completed.

Lane closure have been put into effect at Black Creek Drive and Weston Road so that the rail bridge can be widened to allow for an addition rail line.

They had better not charge $22 per person, because that would only be economical if one person rides it, but for more it would be cheaper to take a taxi, and plus the taxi drops you off at your door.

Especially since it's only about $4.50 from York University to Union and about $12 all the way to Oshawa.

Taxis to Pearson have a flat rate charge set by the GTAA. A ride from downtown (Union) would cost $53 plus tip.

I don't know what this $4.50 & $12 you're referring to... :shrug:

GO Train prices for comparison.

But GO Train doesn't go to the airport. Not to mention, who takes GO, transfer to TTC or a Taxi to get to the airport? Also, GO doesn't run at frequencies and times to accommodate Pearson's air traffic times.

Malton GO is not the airport? It's a stones throw from Terminal 1

It's 3 km's walk with luggage to T3. Now if LINC were built to get to it.. that would be different.

Intresting.

But my question is this: Does this replace a potential exntension of the eglinton LRT? Or will that still have to be built later on?

I was thinking that..except that the TTC would be the more thrifty way to travel while the ARL would be better suited to cater to tourist and business travelers.

I would think the two can co-exist, especially by the time they are both completed.

Not to mention while the air link and the subway both serve downtown the subway would do a much better job at serving the northern portion of the city.

I tend to agree about that. I mean 22 is a lot just to go to pearson. Wel will still have to build eventually.

So this will be operated alongside GO but not by GO? Interesting. Thanks for making this thread, I had no idea an Air Rail Link was in the works, and it is most certainly something very needed in Toronto. It's quite pathetic that it doesn't yet have this kind of rail built.

It's Toronto. Five years behind always.

That about sums it up. And of course we'll have to make do - as we have learned to in so many respects - with diesel instead of electric.

Has the dispute with citizens of Weston been settled? Last I heard, construction of the Blue22 rail link was held up because Weston residents, understandably, wanted a stop in their area. Another concern was the frequency of trains running through a residential neighbourhood.

Yes. The will be the Bloor and Weston stops.

While it's nice that the Bay Street crowd and Rothchilds will be able to get downtown comfortably this line does squat for the tens of thousands who go to Pearson everyday to catch a flight or go to work. This is a line strickly for those who take it as a business tax write-off. Torontonians will NEVER use this line but have to put up with the noise and smell of the diesel cars as they pass them by while the TTC patrons are stuck in the rain waiting for a packed bus to arrive.
Remember this will be about $20 each way PLUS the cost of the TTC ticket to get to the nerarest station.
Toronto and Metrolinx state that most world cities have trains to serve their airports and they are absolutely right. The trouble here is that those cities built mass transit to the airports and then eventually build express trains.............the direct opposite of the Toronto route.
The plebians are paying for a line only the patricians will be able to afford to take.
If they want the line open for the PanAm games for 2015 then fine, but after the games more stations should be added and the line should become part of the TTC system like Sao Paulo is doing........converting many of it's once commuter rail lines over to full Metro lines. They could continue to electrify the line, add stations, and Toronto would have a new rapid transit route. A surcharge could be placed on those going all the way to the airport which is very much the norm.

word!

This project strikes me as a poor man's version of Hong Kong's Airport Express (100HK$ about $13 each way) and at least in its initial incarnation, likely to be more of an embarrassment than an improvement to Toronto.

That's better than "disaster", which Toronto is used to.