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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

So I might see a train in Courtice before I retire?

Metrolinx to build 22-train facility in Whitby

In preparation for its regional express rail expansion, the province has awarded an $859.2-million contract to build, design and maintain a new GO train maintenance and storage shed in Whitby. The facility will have space for 22 trains of 12 cars each, although it will initially house only 13, according to a Friday press release from…

9 comments:

Bicky said...

Don't give up the dream yet! It might happen.

April said...

Wait, wait, wait . .. if construction hasn't begun, what the EFF are they building in Whitby now? They have been moving that dirt around for over a year!

I thought that WAS the new rail maintenance facility.

C.J. Smith said...

I believe that construction is for the bus maintenance facility (garage and repair).

Nora1968 said...

Oh PLEASE let it be so - like you, CJ, I live in Courtice and was all excited at the promised expansion to Courtice and Bowmanville, only to be left frustrated (and driving to Oshawa) for all this time. I'd gladly pay the extra bucks for the joy of a 5-minute trip to the station every day (particularly now that the LCBO has also opened in Courtice - no need to stop at the one near the OC!) :-)

C.J. Smith said...

As much I do not want to see the Big Box'ing retail landscape infiltrate Courtice, I was excited when Shoppers Drug Mart opened up and the LCBO. As far as I'm concerned, we're set! As for a train station, if the Courtice station is ever built, it will be a 15 minute walk home for me.

You ride the crazy train, I only drive it. said...

Re:April
That work is also for the new rail maintenance facility - but that is only the ground work/grading part. This contact is for the actually buildings that will be on the site. It's a huge project involving multiple stages of construction.

April said...

I gave up on the expansion. Although I live in Oshawa and the station is less than 15 minute drive for me, it is not conveniently bus accessible from where we live so we have to take a care each day. I was super excited about the proposed station at Simoce and Olive, it would have been bus accessible or I could have walked it in 30 minutes.

I waited, and waited, and my fares got hiked with no better service and still not enough parking and I kept waiting. And now I am moving back to TTC land. If I am going to be disappointed in the service, I would rather be dissapointed for $130 a month instead of being disappointed for $330 a month.

@i drive it

I have been watching them push that dirt around for a long time. I thought all the construction planning was a done deal. The news release makes it sounds like this is new news - it isn't.

TomW said...

This whole project is part of GO's long-ter mexpansion, and pre-dates RER. GO's been planning two-way all-day train service on all its lines for many years.

So, sorry, this has nothign to do with the Lakeshore East extension :-(

The earth-moving... the soil conditions at the site were very poor (hence why it was undeveloped). Bascially, it needed compacting, big time. So all the earth moving has been to squish it all down.

What's been announced is the contract for the structure itself. As has been pointed - it's not really news.

TomW said...

As for avoiding big box stores in Courtice... I don't think you have much hope, currently. Look at the new development west of Bowmanville - it's like they took everything people liked about Bowmanville, and they built the exact opposite. Clearly Clarington Coucnil need to have urban form requirements. (Contact your councillor about this... it's pointless getting rules *after* bad development goes in).