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GO officials talked about what they’ve planned for rail services in the Barrie, Georgetown North, Georgetown South, Lakeshore East, Lakeshore West, Milton, Richmond Hill and Stouffville corridors, new corridors and other rail projects, buses and parking.

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Barrie rail corridor

1. Extend rail service closer to downtown Barrie

• building new Allendale Station in 2010.
• starting environmental assessment study in spring 2011, finishing in summer 2012.

2. Expand the rail corridor

• building a grade separation to eliminate the Davenport Diamond.
• building a new station at St. Clair Avenue West in Toronto.
• build new infrastructure to accommodate all-day, two-way service.
• starting feasibility study this summer.
• starting environmental assessment study in spring 2010, finishing in spring 2011.

Georgetown North rail corridor

1. Extend rail service from Georgetown to Kitchener

• building four new stations: Acton, Guelph, Breslau, Kitchener, with a possible future fifth station in Wilmot Township.
• building a new layover facility west of Kitchener, possibly near the village of Baden.
• improving Georgetown Station, signals and tracks.
• filing an environmental assessment study this month

2. Offer two-way, all-day service between Union and Mount Pleasant or Georgetown Stations

• starting the environmental assessment study this fall and finishing by 2013.

Georgetown South rail corridor

(Metrolinx is administering this project directly, so GO’s presentation didn’t offer much information. Read Transit Toronto’s December 27, 2008 and January 22, 2009 posts for more details.)

1. Expand the rail corridor

• building a new underpass for GO trains at the West Toronto Diamond.
• building about 25 kilometers of new rail between Malton and Union Station, with three new tracks north of Dundas Street West in Toronto and four new tracks between Dundas Street West and a point just east of Strachan Avenue.
• widening 14 bridges, eliminating all street-level road crossings and building new grade separations at Strachan Avenue, Denison Road and Carlingview Drive;
• moving the Weston GO Station southward from John Street to Lawrence Avenue West and upgrading the station to serve both GO and Union - Pearson trains;
• protecting the Weston community by maintaining links between both sides of the railway tracks and building a railway tunnel.
• modifying Bloor Station (east of Bloor and Dundas Streets West) to accommodate GO and Union - Pearson trains and link to the TTC’s 2 Bloor - Danforth subway at Dundas West Station.
• designing a future station where the line crosses Eglinton Avenue West in the Mount Dennis community.
• designing a possible future station at the Woodbine racetrack (and future entertainment complex).

2. Build the Union - Pearson rail link

• building a 3.3 kilometer-long rail spur from the Georgetown Line to Pearson’s Terminal 1 with seven grade separations.
• building a new passenger station at Terminal 1.
• stopping trains at Weston and Bloor Stations.
• designing and building a new yard for repairing and maintaining Union - Pearson rail link trains.

Lakeshore East rail corridor

1. Extend service from Oshawa (West) to Bowmanville

• building three new stations.
• building a new facility to maintain and service trains.
• building a new facility to store trains.

2. Expand the rail corridor

• building another track between Guildwood and Durham Junction (Pickering) to enhance service, improve reliability and reduce congestion.
• starting environmental assessment study in spring 2011, finishing in spring 2013.

Lakeshore West rail corridor

1. Offer Monday-to-Friday service to Niagara Falls

• (started weekend-only, summer-only service on June 27.)
• build new stations at Hamilton East and Grimsby.
• start environmental assessment study from this summer until summer 2010

2. Expand the rail corridor

• building a grade separation at Hamilton Junction to enhance service, improve reliability and reduce congestion.
• starting feasibility study this fall.
• starting environmental assessment study winter 2010, finishing winter 2011.

Milton rail corridor

1. Extend service from Milton to Cambridge

• starting feasibility study in 2011.
• conducting environmental assessment study from fall 2012 until fall 2013.

2. Offer all-day, two-way service between Union and Milton Stations

• building two more tracks.
• building underpass at Humber River.
• expanding facilities at Milton to store trains.
• finished feasibility study in June.
• starting environmental assessment study this summer, finishing in summer 2010.

Richmond Hill rail corridor

1. Extend service from Richmond Hill to Vandorf (Aurora Road, east of Woodbine Avenue)

• building new stations at Gormley (Stouffville Road and Highway 404), Bloomington and Vandorf.
• building a new facility to store and maintain trains at Bethesda Sideroad.
• filing environmental assessment this summer.

2. Expand the rail corridor

• building a grade separation to eliminate the Doncaster Diamond (southeast of Bayview Avenue and John Street in Thornhill).
• starting environmental assessment study in spring 2012, finishing in summer 2013.

Stouffville rail corridor

1. Offer all-day, two-way service between Union and Lincolnville Stations

• upgrading infrastructure
• starting environmental assessment study in fall 2010, finishing in winter 2011.

2. Extend service from Lincolnville to Uxbridge

• building new end-of-the-line facility to store trains in Uxbridge.

New rail corridors

1. Bolton to Union Station

• building new stations.
• building a new end-of-the-line facility to store trains.
• finishing feasibility study this fall.
• starting environmental assessment study in spring 2011, finishing in summer 2012.

2. Locust Hill and Seaton to midtown Toronto

• starting environmental assessment study in fall 2011, finishing in winter 2012.

3. Peterborough to midtown Toronto or Union Station

• already started feasibility study, finishing in spring 2010.
• starting environmental assessment study in winter 2013, finishing in spring 2015.

Other rail projects

1. Expand Willowbrook yard

• building heavy-maintenance coach facility and new wheel repair shop.
• starting environmental assessment study this summer, finishing in fall 2010.

2. Restore, renew, rebuild Union Station

• Federal, provincial and City of Toronto governments are funding the improvements.
• built new eastern pedestrian walkway (“teamway”) along Bay Street.
• improved platforms 26 and 27.
• built new facility to store trains at Don Yard.
• building new access to platforms.
• replacing train shed roof.

3. Improve signals and tracks and other infrastructure throughout the system

• building third tracks between Oakville and Port Credit Stations and at Mount Pleasant Station.
• building passing tracks on the Barrie and Stouffville rail corridors.
• improving accessibility.
• expanding platforms to accommodate 12-car trains.

Buses

1. Extend service to Kitchener

2. Extend service to Niagara Falls

3. Extend service to Peterborough

• starting this fall.

4. Build new facilities to store and maintain buses

• building a new eastern facility on the north side of Wentworth Street West, east of Thornton Road south in Oshawa.
• finished feasibility study.
• starting environmental assessment this summer, finishing summer 2010.
• arranging for new facilities in Kitchener, Niagara Falls and Peterborough to store buses when regular service starts this fall.
• designing new facilities in Aberfoyle, Milton and Bramalea and expanding Steeprock facility.

5. Make various other improvements

• build new carpool lots.
• build new bus-only lanes along the Don Valley Parkway.

Parking

• rehabilitating current and building new parking lots and structures.
• increasing the number of spaces by 3,500 each year.
• opened new parking structure with 815 spaces in Burlington in December 2008.
• opening new parking structure with 1,060 spaces in Whitby this December.
• opening new parking structure with 866 spaces in Aurora this December
• tendering contracts to build a new structure at Erindale this fall.

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You can read GO Transit’s report to the board here. (.pdf)

You can see GO’s presentation to the board here. (.pdf)