GO/VIA Transit

[NortheastWind]

New low-height double-decker GO buses go into service starting July 25.

They are lower than the existing fleet of double deckers and will be serving Hamilton, as they can now get under the TH&B bridges.

[IMG]
New-GO-buses by Glenn Sollie, on Flickr[/IMG]

[drpgq]

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/68...in-beamsville/

Starting Sept. 3, there will be expanded GO bus service to Brantford from Hamilton, as well as a new stop on the route from Niagara Falls to Burlington. The Niagara stop will be at the new Beamsville Park and Ride lot at Ontario Street and the Queen Elizabeth Way. The bus to Brantford will run seven days a week, departing from Aldershot GO station, travelling to McMaster University and ending up at the downtown Brantford Bus Terminal. Connections to trains will be available in Aldershot. There will be other select stops in Brantford as well as one at McMaster Innovation Park on Longwood Road South. Trips will run hourly during weekday peak periods (between 5:30 and 10:30 a.m. and 3 and 6 p.m.) and every two hours during the off-peak times, weekends and holidays.

[Beedok]

Didn't the people asking for GO in Brantford want to connect to downtown Hamilton?

[mishap]

Originally Posted by Beedok

Didn't the people asking for GO in Brantford want to connect to downtown Hamilton?

Metrolinx only asks us what we want; they tell us what we need.

[drpgq]

Canadian National Railway: The Great Railroad Construction Robbery

http://sirf-online.org/2016/12/12/ca...ction-robbery/

People on this forum now way more than I do about the Lakeshore GO tracks situation so I would be curious as to what people think. This article is interesting to me mainly because I was always wondering what was in it for CN to be selling track to GO. I'm still wondering why it seems not a lot of progress has been made on the track situation from Hamilton, although not as much. I'm also understanding a bit more why these projects always had such ridiculous dollar values attached to them.

[thistleclub]

Progress on Burlington GO station going nowhere
(Toronto Star, Azzura Lalani, Dec 21 2016)

The long delayed Burlington GO station is turning out to be more of a wait station, with construction not expected to be completed until at least next spring.

Construction of the $13.8-million project began in fall 2012 and was set to be completed by spring 2014, but almost three years later, the station is still in the lurch.

The new station was commissioned to accommodate the increased ridership and address problems with crowding, but over four years since construction began, fences draped in black cloth, wooden boarding and caution tape still block off areas.

Metrolinx, responsible for overseeing the construction of the station, wrote in a statement that it “is disappointed with this contractor’s (Bondfield) performance to date. We share the public’s frustration and apologize for the delays and appreciate their patience.”

But, added Metrolinx, they won’t be cancelling the contract with the Ontario-based construction company, Bondfield Construction.

“We evaluated our options and cancelling the contract would delay the project further by more than 2 years—this would mean stopping the ongoing work, retendering the project, and then beginning fresh with a new contractor,” wrote Metrolinx.

In-house counsel to Bondfield Paul Dipede said the company “continues to work cooperatively and vigorously with Metrolinx to overcome issues that have occurred at the Burlington GO project.”

But he would not comment on the cause of the delays, saying “by contract, we cannot comment or divulge on specifics regarding constructions.”

However, in a 2014 interview with the Star, Metrolinx listed an unusually harsh winter and poor performance by Bondfield.

The east tunnel of the station is still incomplete, as are ticket booths, elevators and the east waiting room, wrote Metrolinx. It’s expected to be completed in early 2017. The roof structure and roof system will also be under construction into 2017.


Read it in full here.

[davidcappi]

The new rail bridge over the canal is nearing completion, save for some work on the slope down to the water/rails. Work is also commencing on the new 403 bridge over the canal.

[/url]
17-511238 by =https://www.flickr.com/photos/drum118/]drum118, on Flickr

[/url]
Hamilton Photo: New HWY 403 Bridge At Desjardins Canal by =https://www.flickr.com/photos/drum118/]drum118, on Flickr



17-511236 by drum118, on Flickr

[NortheastWind]

I guess they are going to shift 403 traffic over and replace the old existing bridge. Hopefully this means a future widening of the 403 from the Linc downward.

[ScreamingViking]

"Toy" train at Burlington GO Station:


Tweeted by Spectator photographer Gary Yokoyama (@Yokoatthespec)

[davidcappi]

Does anyone know when/how the demolition of the old 403 bridge will occur? That'll make for some sweet photos! I know they're leaving the columns intact but it'll be cool to see it come down beside the new bridge to the North.

[thistleclub]

First I've heard of this. Note the plural.

Via The Bay Observer:

The federal government also has announced it will contribute more than $1.8 billion to the transformation of GO Transit into a regional express rail network, increasing the frequency of trains along the Lakeshore West line to every 15 minutes, instead of the current schedule of every half-hour during peak times.

Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon, the provincial Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, said a brand new electrification infrastructure system has to be built along the Lakeshore West GO Transit line before service to and from Toronto every 15 minutes can be initiated.

A decision also must be made on exactly where new stations in Burlington will be located.

“This all is in the works with Metrolinx,” she said. “I hope it can be done in five to seven years.”

McMahon said the extra stations will be constructed in areas which have a high density of population.

Read it in full here.

[king10]

Prelim renders of the Confederation Go Station.


http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/i...Confederation/

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by king10

Prelim renders of the Confederation Go Station.


http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/i...Confederation/

Thanks for posting that. Here are the two images from that page.

[thomax]

Awesome, I can't wait 'til it's done. I always use Burlington GO because it's the easiest to get to from where I am in Stoney Creek. I'll be using Confederation GO all the time.


I posted the pictures in the Confederation GO thread ---> Confederation GO Station | ? | 1 fl | Approved

[Beedok]

Not as fancy at the other one, but important for the city.

[fuller]

Looks like a nice and simple modernist design. This would be good enough, but maybe they'll end up pulling a rabbit out of the hat like they ended up doing at West Harbour, and build something that's even better than the render.

[thistleclub]

Better than the Centennial GO.



From Metrolinx's GO Transit Rail Parking & Station Access Plan (June 2013)

Confederation*
Forecast Ridership (2031): 150
Proposed Parking expansion (2014 to 2032): To Be Determined
Land Availability / Values: To Be Determined
Parking Type (2014 to 2032): To Be Determined
Timescale: Long Term

* Potential future services identified in an Environmental Assessment

[drpgq]

Forecast Ridership (2031): 150

Is that only 150 people?

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by drpgq

Forecast Ridership (2031): 150

Is that only 150 people?

It is.

For comparison's sake, West Harbour is forecast to have three times that ridership by 2031, and Aldershot almost three times West Harbour.

So it goes.

[Berklon]

That's quite a bit of money just to service 150 commuters in 2031.
How many will there be the first month it opens? 3?

Is there a list of current ridership numbers from all GO stations in Ontario? I'm curious about the numbers.