tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3680264279342137192.post3806461216761986839..comments2024-03-27T08:04:11.430-04:00Comments on THE BEACHBURG SUB: For consideration: GO Trains in OttawaMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07917230984518214781noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3680264279342137192.post-58592631345036468882014-09-22T21:05:13.164-04:002014-09-22T21:05:13.164-04:00If I recall, in the Peterborough situation, the pr...If I recall, in the Peterborough situation, the previous transit holder up to 1990 was VIA before it got dumped due to lack of ridership. Any in house reports since 2008 have VIA confident that it would loose approx $2m per year unless their projected ridership tripled. CP owns that line and from what I can tell, anyone looking to put service in there would have to negotiate and get their approval. The biggest question is who has jurisdiction here - VIA as the national rail carrier or GO as the intercity provincial carrier.<br /><br />I also found in an article that "The federal government and province each committed as much as $150 million in July 2008 toward restoring the Havelock-Peterborough-Toronto commuter rail service." To compare, that's probably along the same numbers for a restoration of the Renfrew Spur and Beachburg Sub.AJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805174926952294860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3680264279342137192.post-91167132772699931722014-09-22T08:21:57.908-04:002014-09-22T08:21:57.908-04:00Thanks Michael and Eric for your comments. I'm...Thanks Michael and Eric for your comments. I'm really happy to see this conversation happening. I like the idea of a commuter line on the Renfrew spur. I hadn't thought of the benefits of such a line. Great idea, Michael. Eric -- I doubt Via would allow GO to extend to Kingston. Interesting idea, though. It would be an odd form of competition. Federally-subsidized Via versus provincially subsidized GO. Hmmm.<br />Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07917230984518214781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3680264279342137192.post-68258045752916667602014-09-21T22:38:01.967-04:002014-09-21T22:38:01.967-04:00Excellent discussion - this topic has even spilled...Excellent discussion - this topic has even spilled over to Kingston, though with a western connection.<br /><br />Rick Downes, a mayoral candidate in the fall municipal election, suggested GO Transit be extended to Kingston from Toronto. Roundly criticized online, we're awaiting more of his platform to see this plank fleshed out.<br /><br />In Kingston's case, GO would be competing head-to-head, which would not appear to be an issue in the Ottawa discussion, at least to me.<br /><br />Bearing in mind today's enviro protest in NYC, this is and should be a hot topic in our nation's capital, if not its first capital.<br />EricErichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11822288099043790296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3680264279342137192.post-44601876501862933502014-09-21T16:10:03.666-04:002014-09-21T16:10:03.666-04:00They turned that into a rec trail! It's part o...They turned that into a rec trail! It's part of the Trans Canada Trail now. A huge opportunity lost there if you ask me! As you said, we got another bike path to no where. Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16438376599128499287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3680264279342137192.post-77107606866235145072014-09-21T12:10:23.553-04:002014-09-21T12:10:23.553-04:00Great points made Michael. I strongly believe that...Great points made Michael. I strongly believe that the Beachburg / Renfrew sub would make a perfect commuter/heavy rail line. Commuters from Renfrew would love to have a GO train type system for their commute into Ottawa. Not to mention the line passes through Kanata, Bells Corners and a good chunk of Nepean which would be a great help for a huge amount of people who work downtown. Why the city of Ottawa hasn't shown any interest in this line while showing so much enthusiasm for commuter rail just boggles my mind. Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16438376599128499287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3680264279342137192.post-79318549266999612062014-09-19T12:30:15.926-04:002014-09-19T12:30:15.926-04:00No problem. As you can tell I am very passionate a...No problem. As you can tell I am very passionate about this! Mind you it affects my day to day to, beyond the hobby side of it. <br />The municipality dropped the ball on heavy rail in the 90's (like through Stittsville/Kanata/Carleton Place which I think was a CP sub) and I hope we don't replicate history!AJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805174926952294860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3680264279342137192.post-26214872907528321352014-09-19T08:25:29.230-04:002014-09-19T08:25:29.230-04:00Excellent points, AJ. You hit the nail on the head...Excellent points, AJ. You hit the nail on the head. I would add that CN is only looking to discontinue service on Beachburg to Nepean Junction, which is the junction just past Corkstown Road. The remainder of the Sub, through Bells Corners up to the Renfrew Spur will still remain operational. Thanks for your comments.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07917230984518214781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3680264279342137192.post-75745680434308731922014-09-18T22:19:34.200-04:002014-09-18T22:19:34.200-04:00Regional rail could easily be done in the area, bu...Regional rail could easily be done in the area, but no one is talking about it. Watson seems more concerned about photo-ops and running his pet project of the fancy streetcar than getting a proper heavy rail project together. I have heard that CN wants $30 million for the Beachburg sub and Walkley Yard; throw in another 100 million for transfer point infastructure, line upgrades and platforms and you would have something that works reasonably well.....at a tenth of the cost of phase one of "light rail". I think with Watson it is more he doesn't want to pressure his friends in Toronto about shelling out for a GO system here as it would embarrass them to explain why Toronto can have one and Ottawa can't. Actually with the rumblings Go may expand to Peterborough (now that Barrie has been completed) it would be harder to explain. The interest as a rec path is a joke and is another example of pandering to the bicycle lobby that seems to be common here. Afterall, we have traffic jams, no heavy rail, but by God we have another bike path to nowhere.<br /><br />What is worse is as you mention the connection to Tunney's. What gains do we get from ripping up an already respectable rapid bus transit way system (did I mention already paid for too?) to put a light rail line??? This will do nothing for the current traffic problems for two reasons - 1. We are just replacing capacity we already have on the current transitway, only in this case, instead of running a few buses more on and off the transit way if there is an added need, we are unlikely to run another train or two. 2. People (like myself) are not going to bus in from the west end and then switch off onto a train just to get downtown. In order to run a good transit system it has to be as or more convenient than personal vehicles as an incentive. Let's face it, who wants to switch onto multiple buses/trains everyday?<br />Mind you as someone told they will be moving to Tunney's in the next year and a half, this won't even effect me in the first place outside of making Tunney's a complete mess.<br />I can't even get into the Prince of Wales railway bridge because that makes so much sense to use it that it is pure stupidity we aren't. <br />As for the old CP Prescott Sub, the stupid part is that it will eventually be re-laid for the O-Train as the road capacity to Riverside south simply isn't going to cut it and will need massive expansion. It's far easier, faster and cost effective to put heavy rail in this area than it would be to twin roads.<br />BTW here is something of interest - if CN dumps Beachburg...what happens to Walkley yard? I thought the city was keeping this as a staging/storage area for the O-Train? <br /><br />All I can say is that we all have to get out and spend the next month pressing candidates to answer to why we don't have a GO/heavy rail system here and why no one is using the Beachburg sub as apart of a sensible transit plan.AJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805174926952294860noreply@blogger.com