Metrolinx buys Oshawa, Brampton, Georgetown stations

[Tom Box [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

Here are news reports that say Metrolinx, GO Transit's parent,
is buying the stations in Oshawa, Brampton and Georgetown.
<http://www.durhamradionews.com/archives/68219>
<http://www.bramptonguardian.com/news-story/4636801-metrolinx-acquires-cn-station-in-brampton/>

Here's another report about the purchase of the Oshawa station:
<http://goo.gl/CAXafV> or
<http://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/4644282-oshawa-train-station-now-owned-by-metrolinx/>

The story says "GO Transit and VIA Rail share the station and that
partnership will continue" and "She [Metrolinx spokeswoman Vanessa
Thomas] noted Metrolinx and VIA are in the process of designing a
new station in Oshawa."

That gives the impression that GO is planning to stay at the
present site. But here's another story: <http://goo.gl/uj149b> or
<http://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/4725781-oshawa-knob-hill-farms-property-expropriated-for-new-go-station/>
that says Metrolinx has just completed the expropriation of a site
in Oshawa next to Canadian Pacific's Belleville Subdivision, to
be used for a new station when (if?) GO moves to that line. In
the 2011 plans for that move, GO would no longer run to the
existing Oshawa station. So the purchase of the existing station
and the expropriation of a site that would make that station
redundant don't seem to fit together very well.

Tom Box
tbox at ncf dot ca
Port Hope, ON, Canada


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Posted by: Tom Box <tbox-***@public.gmane.org>
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[Herb Hall [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

Sounds like a typical bureaucracy at work.....

Herb Hall

To: canadian-passenger-rail-***@public.gmane.org
From: Canadian-Passenger-Rail-***@public.gmane.org

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2014 12:45:11 -0400
Subject: [CanPassRail] Re: Metrolinx buys Oshawa, Brampton, Georgetown stations

Here are news reports that say Metrolinx, GO Transit's parent,
is buying the stations in Oshawa, Brampton and Georgetown.
<http://www.durhamradionews.com/archives/68219>
<http://www.bramptonguardian.com/news-story/4636801-metrolinx-acquires-cn-station-in-brampton/>

Here's another report about the purchase of the Oshawa station:


<http://goo.gl/CAXafV> or


<http://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/4644282-oshawa-train-station-now-owned-by-metrolinx/>






The story says "GO Transit and VIA Rail share the station and that


partnership will continue" and "She [Metrolinx spokeswoman Vanessa


Thomas] noted Metrolinx and VIA are in the process of designing a


new station in Oshawa."






That gives the impression that GO is planning to stay at the


present site. But here's another story: <http://goo.gl/uj149b> or


<http://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/4725781-oshawa-knob-hill-farms-property-expropriated-for-new-go-station/>


that says Metrolinx has just completed the expropriation of a site


in Oshawa next to Canadian Pacific's Belleville Subdivision, to


be used for a new station when (if?) GO moves to that line. In


the 2011 plans for that move, GO would no longer run to the


existing Oshawa station. So the purchase of the existing station


and the expropriation of a site that would make that station


redundant don't seem to fit together very well.







Tom Box


tbox at ncf dot ca


Port Hope, ON, Canada

[Tom Box [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

... the purchase of the existing station and the expropriation
of a site that would make that station redundant don't seem to
fit together very well.

I had another look at the 2011 environmental assessment for the
proposed move to the Canadian Pacific line through Oshawa, at
<http://goo.gl/EZxpu8> or
<http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/docs/ea/oshawabowmanville/MainEPR_GOTransitServiceExpansionOshawatoBowmanville-Feb2011.pdf>.

As I mentioned previously in this thread, its preferred route
to connect the existing GO Sub to the CP Belleville Sub was a
new connecting track to be built in eastern Whitby. That would
have ended GO's use of the existing Oshawa station.

Two other alternatives are presented, though. They were rejected
in 2011, but maybe one of them will be resuscitated. See the
map in the lower left of PDF p. 86 (paper p. 54), and the text
descriptions on PDF p. 89 (paper p. 57) of the above report.
Alternative A was the preferred one in 2011, as described above.
Alternative B runs diagonally through the parking lot of the
Oshawa station, tunnels under the 401 and the CPR's General
Motors spur, and connects to the CPR main line at Stevenson Road.
Mike Jacula mentioned it earlier in this thread. The EA report
says

"This alternative would result in significant effort and disruption
to Highway 401 traffic for the construction of tunnels including
extensive detouring of traffic (in 2 or 3 stages of construction).
Furthermore, by going through the existing Oshawa GO Station
parking area, it would be extremely difficult and costly to deal
with parking arrangements for the two to three year construction
period. Other Highway 401 crossing alternatives were far less
disruptive. This alternative was therefore not carried forward
for further consideration."

As someone who occasionally uses the Oshawa parking lot, those
concerns seem valid to me. The lot has 2242 spaces, and is
often completely full before the end of the morning rush hour on
weekdays. Turning a big chunk of the lot into a construction
zone for two or three years would be hugely disruptive to GO
passengers.

Alternative C continues east along the present GO/Kingston Sub
alignment, then turns north to cross over the 401 parallel to
the CPR General Motors spur, then continues along that spur to
the CPR main line. The EA says "This alternative was not carried
forward for further consideration, primarily because it had some
potential to impact use of the CPR GM Spur line."

I'm not competent to say for sure, but perhaps those problems
could be overcome by spending enough money. The plan would
probably require demolishing the existing Oshawa station to
extend the GO tracks eastward, and modifying the north "mainland"
side of the VIA footbridge, but that fits with the news report
that GO and VIA are working on plans for a new station at the
existing site.

Tom Box
tbox at ncf dot ca
Port Hope, ON, Canada


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Posted by: Tom Box <tbox-***@public.gmane.org>
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[[e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

The DurhamRegion.com news report Tom linked to earlier states that Metrolinx purchased all three stations for $2.5 million dollars.

When Via opened the new footbridge and island platform at the Oshawa station, the Oshawa Express reported "Funding for this $16 million facelift came from the federal government’s investment of nearly $1 billion in VIA Rail since 2007 for improvements to its facilities, equipment and infrastructure, and included $3 million from Canada’s Economic Action Plan."

If this report is correct, either Metrolinx got one heck of a bargain or the deal doesn't include the Oshawa VIA station proper.

If the VIA properties were sold to Metrolinx so cheaply, taxpayers should be asking some pointed questions about this deal.

David

[[e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

" If the VIA properties were sold to Metrolinx so cheaply, taxpayers should be asking some pointed questions about this deal. "


And who else would be an eager buyer? Not good for a condo development that is for sure!


Raymond

[Tom Box [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

Andrew "Windward", Don Thomas and Mike Jacula posed some
interesting questions earlier in this thread, so I contacted GO
for more information. Sherie Anderson of GO Customer Service
provided us with some answers.

As Don speculated, Metrolinx has bought land, not buildings.
This includes the land under the existing buildings (but not
under the new footbridge at Oshawa). The land was formerly
owned by CN. The buildings were and still are owned by VIA.
VIA will now pay Metrolinx, rather than CN, rent for the land
under the buildings. VIA and GO will continue to share the
costs of operating the station buildings.

Since VIA still owns the buildings, the federal Heritage Railway
Stations Protection Act still applies in Brampton and Georgetown.
There's no transfer of ownership, so no Order in Council is
required.

GO now plans to retain the Oshawa station when the extension
to Bowmanville goes forward. Though the reply from Ms. Anderson
didn't explicitly say so, I guess that means the planned
crossing of the 401 in eastern Whitby won't happen, and the
connection to the Canadian Pacific line will be farther to the
east.

Tom Box
tbox at ncf dot ca
Port Hope, ON, Canada


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Posted by: Tom Box <tbox-***@public.gmane.org>
------------------------------------

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[Nick Haste [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

I guess if they do this, then they will not be building the other planned
station near Thornton Rd in Oshawa.

Perhaps what they will do is use the current Oshawa station as the terminus
for all day Go Train service. They could install a switchover just west of
the station to join with the Kingston sub so thru trains could use track 3
at Oshawa (which currently sees very little use other than the odd Via
Train).

I wonder if there would be enough room for them to build a link between the
east end of Oshawa station and the CP GM spur to cross the 401 and link
with the main CP line to continue to Bowmanville.

This would actually make a lot more sense if it is feasible. Saves the huge
cost of having to build a new bridge over the 401, eliminates the need to
build a new station at Thornton Rd as originally planned, and the new
station at Knob Hill Farms site in Oshawa should pull some passengers away
from the current Oshawa station and improve the parking situation there.

The only downside would be lack of all day service at the new Oshawa
station, which I think the City of Oshawa is pretty big on.

Nick

Post by Tom Box tbox-***@public.gmane.org [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]
Andrew "Windward", Don Thomas and Mike Jacula posed some
interesting questions earlier in this thread, so I contacted GO
for more information. Sherie Anderson of GO Customer Service
provided us with some answers.
As Don speculated, Metrolinx has bought land, not buildings.
This includes the land under the existing buildings (but not
under the new footbridge at Oshawa). The land was formerly
owned by CN. The buildings were and still are owned by VIA.
VIA will now pay Metrolinx, rather than CN, rent for the land
under the buildings. VIA and GO will continue to share the
costs of operating the station buildings.
Since VIA still owns the buildings, the federal Heritage Railway
Stations Protection Act still applies in Brampton and Georgetown.
There's no transfer of ownership, so no Order in Council is
required.
GO now plans to retain the Oshawa station when the extension
to Bowmanville goes forward. Though the reply from Ms. Anderson
didn't explicitly say so, I guess that means the planned
crossing of the 401 in eastern Whitby won't happen, and the
connection to the Canadian Pacific line will be farther to the
east.
Tom Box
tbox at ncf dot ca
Port Hope, ON, Canada