Lakeshore East Trains

PLANS FOR ON-CORR TRACK EXPANSION AND THE PROPOSED ONTARIO LINE ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY

Increased transit connectivity is sorely needed in the Province. But as Metrolinx makes plans to increase service, neighbourhoods are impacted - their plans need to ensure public safety, environmental issues and property interests are taken properly into account. Many neighbourhoods along the rail corridor have organized to ensure that the plans make sense for our communities. Members of those neighbourhood groups participate as representatives on the Lakeshore East Community Advisory Committee (“CAC”); a community group founded to work co-operatively with Metrolinx to minimize the impact of increased service on the quality of lives for communities and neighbours living along the Lakeshore East railway line. Community Advisory Committees have been formed by Metrolinx for other projects as well and are mandated by the provincial government to speak to Metrolinx on behalf of their communities, from The Metrolinx Act of 2004.

ON-CORR Track Expansion

To allow for two-way 15-minute service throughout the GO Transit system, Metrolinx is building a fourth rail track along the existing Lakeshore rail line. This project contemplates electrification, noise and vibration mitigation and development conducted in a manner that preserves and protects the environment. But expansion on the tracks has already begun with none of these protections in place and electrification is unplanned and unfunded.

• Increased service has already begun including a doubling of midday service added throughout the line as well as additional trips across the Kitchener, Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West lines with no environmental, noise or vibration mitigation .

Additionally, information about the plans for environmental, sound and vibration mitigation has been very difficult to obtain and noise mitigation for the full length of track isn’t currently budgeted. We need assurances that all communities will have noise mitigation at the beginning of the project - before loud and long construction to build a new track starts.

The On-Corr expansion specifically along Lakeshore East is planning to make the following changes:

• Adding a fourth track between the Don River Bridge and the Scarborough GO Station (new track will be on the south side of the existing rail tracks between the Don River Bridge and Gerrard Street East, shifting to the north side of the existing tracks between Pape Avenue and Scarborough GO Station);

• Widening of three bridges at Woodbine Avenue, Warden Avenue and Danforth Avenue;

• Modifying the structure underneath the Birchmount Road Bridge;

• Modifications at Danforth GO Station;

• Addition of retaining walls;

• New noise and vibration mitigation measures; and,

• Three culvert modifications: east of Coxwell Avenue at Small’s Creek (Mi. 329.50), east of Kennedy Road (Mi. 325.74), and Scarborough Junction (Mi. 325.55).

Metrolinx needs to be held to account. We need increased service, but we also need to make sure that the increases don’t come at the cost of our parks, green space or our communities

ONTARIO LINE

Ford Government Revises existing downtown subway relief line in favour of elevated trains through east eNd Neighbourhoods

It’s still early days for the Ontario Line. We are years away from funding being secured and shovels hitting the ground, even though the City’s Relief Line was ready for construction to begin in 2020. But the Initial Business Case (“IBC”) raises many questions which are cause for concern, including some big ones: where exactly is Metrolinx finding the space to lay two additional tracks through Riverdale’s narrow GO rail corridor (not to mention a station at Queen/Degrassi)? What’s worse, the RER and Ontario Line projects both promise to start and finish within the same decade. This means the GO rail corridor will see the construction of two massive projects at the same time, with some construction presumably happening overnight to minimize impact to ongoing GO operations. If you thought Eglinton was bad, just wait.