Kitchener line: Difference between revisions
| Line 151: | Line 151: | ||
== Extension westward == |
== Extension westward == |
||
In September 2008, GO Transit |
In September 2008, GO Transit announced its intensions to study the possibility of extending the line past Georgetown to [[Acton, Ontario|Acton]], [[Guelph]], and [[Kitchener, Ontario|Kitchener]]. In the final Environmental Study Report released in July 2009, the extension was identified as both viable and preferable to bus service<ref name=burnside>{{cite web |
||
|url=http://www.gotransit.com/PUBLIC/en/news/ea/georgetown-kitchener/ea_georgetown-kitchener.htm |
|url=http://www.gotransit.com/PUBLIC/en/news/ea/georgetown-kitchener/ea_georgetown-kitchener.htm |
||
|author=R. J. Burnside and Associates, Ltd. |
|author=R. J. Burnside and Associates, Ltd. |
||
Revision as of 00:14, 25 July 2010
| Georgetown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | Canadian National Railway Metrolinx |
| Locale | Greater Toronto Area |
| Stations | Georgetown Mount Pleasant Brampton Bramalea Malton Etobicoke North Weston Bloor Toronto Union Station |
| Website | Table 31 |
| Service | |
| Type | Commuter rail |
| System | GO Train |
| Operator(s) | GO Transit |
| History | |
| Opened | April 29, 1974 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 48.9 kilometres (30.4 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Georgetown is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto to Georgetown. GO Bus service to Guelph to and from Georgetown (during rush hours) and Bramalea (during midday) is provided Monday to Friday with evening and weekend service directly to Union Station via Brampton.
The Georgetown line was, after the then-combined Lakeshore West line and Lakeshore East line, the second line established by GO Transit, opened on April 29, 1974 with service from Brampton and Union Station. From October 29, 1990 to July 2, 1993, train service on the line extended beyond Georgetown to Guelph.
Stations
| Community | Municipality | Regional Mun. | Fare zone | Distance (km) | Connections | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown | Georgetown | Halton Hills | Halton | 35 | 48.9 | |
| Mount Pleasant | Brampton | Brampton | Peel | 34 | 40.6 | |
| Brampton | 33 | 35.9 | ||||
| Bramalea | Bramalea | 32 | 29.8 | |||
| Malton | Malton | Mississauga | 31 | 23.7 | ||
| Etobicoke North | Etobicoke | Toronto | 04 | 17.7 | ||
| Weston | Weston | 13.8 | ||||
| Bloor | Toronto | 02 | 6.2 | |||
| Union | 0.0 | |||||
West Toronto Diamond construction
Under the GO Transit Rail Improvement Program, construction is underway to grade separate the West Toronto Diamond on the Georgetown line. Although planned, approved and funded separately from the Georgetown South Expansion (see below), it falls within the same corridor and was seen as a necessary precursor project[1]. Owing to recent construction delays, construction at West Toronto Diamond and the broader Georgetown South Expansion will now dovetail into one another.[citation needed]
Georgetown South expansion
Following proposals for service expansions along the Georgetown line since at least 1990,[2] a project to provide both Georgetown South Service Expansion and a Union-Pearson Rail Link entered a streamlined environmental assessment process in early 2009 with Metrolinx now as its proponent.[3][4] The environmental assessment was completed in July 2009 and final approval was given in October 2009.[citation needed]
The plan would result in an increased frequency of trains on the route, from approximately 50 per day to at least 300.[5] It drew criticism from Weston community groups, which opposed the increased use of diesel locomotives emitting pollutants in their area, preferring instead that the corridor be electrified.[5] The group has also requested more stations to provide service for more neighbourhoods along the route.[5]
GO Transit is also planning to expand its service for the Georgetown line to all-day, two-way operations.[6] It purchased the 25 km Weston Subdivision segment of rail from Canadian National Railway,[7] from downtown Toronto to Bramalea Road, so that it may control train dispatching along that segment.[6] CNR will continue to operate three daily local freight trains along that corridor,[7] and Via Rail will now lease line operations from GO Transit for routes along that corridor, though GO Transit trains will receive signalling priority.[6]
Extension westward
In September 2008, GO Transit announced its intensions to study the possibility of extending the line past Georgetown to Acton, Guelph, and Kitchener. In the final Environmental Study Report released in July 2009, the extension was identified as both viable and preferable to bus service[8]. The report selected the following sites for four new stations to be in service on opening day:
- Georgetown - current GO Station to be retained and expanded in its current location
- Acton - to be located at the former GO Station site at Hide House
- Guelph - to be located at the existing Via station and former GO Station in that city's downtown
- Breslau - to be located on the eastern side of the village at the end of an extended Greenhouse Road. Would serve as the primary park and ride facility for entire Waterloo Region.
- Kitchener - to be located in that city's downtown at the existing Via station on an interim basis, and then ultimately relocated three blocks west to a new multimodal station on King Street with connectivity to the proposed LRT line.
A layover yard, potentially expandable to a full refueling and servicing facility, would be constructed on the western side of Baden. The report suggests passenger service could be added to this facility (akin to Lincolnville GO Station) at a later date, as well as identifying Rockwood as a potential location for an infill station as demand warrants.[8]
References
- ^ Cameron, Roger (1 April 2009). "Reduces Corporate Taxes, Sales Tax Harmonization". Railway Association of Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
- ^ http://www.metrolinx.com/gsse/archive/ Metrolinx Georgetown South Service Expansion - Archived Reports & Publications
- ^ http://www.metrolinx.com/Docs/News/Project_START_News_Release_Final_Dec_15.pdf News Release - Metrolinx is new proponent of Georgetown Line
- ^ http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2009/21/c9235.html January 21 Metrolinx announcement
- ^ a b c Kalinowski, Tess (22 April 2009). "GO plans anger residents". Toronto Star. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
- ^ a b c Kalinowski, Tess (9 April 2009). "Train service to improve to Georgetown, Brampton". Toronto Star. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
- ^ a b "GO Transit acquires important CN rail line for expanded commuter rail service in the Greater Toronto Area". PR Newswire Association LLC. Canadian National Railway. 8 april 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b R. J. Burnside and Associates, Ltd. (2009-07-13). "Georgetown to Kitchener Environmental Study Report". Retrieved 2009-09-03.