At the public meeting last year at Liuna Station, they said the pedestrian bridge and platform would be completed, but the plaza/park would not be. I think the whole meeting is on youtube somewhere if you search James North Go Station if you want to hear it.

I'm a little surprised that a start date for regular service hasn't been announced yet. OK actually I'm not really surprised.

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Glass is going in along the east portion, looks sharp.

^Don't cut yourself...

HAH didn't even realize that when I wrote it.

There was an article today in the Spec entitled "Pan Am thoughts from 100 days out". I was by the new GO Station yesterday and got out and had a look around. It won't be close to being finished. It would be lucky to be finished by September. They may have a track and platform ready by then but that would be a stretch. They still have not even finished the retaining walls at the west end of the station.

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Definitely looking like it'll literally be a track and a platform for the pan am's.

Is that part of the station on the left? I was under the impression the station would only be that two story slim rectangular building.

That's below street level parking on the left.

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wow, almost like a parking garage. Never realized how significant the investment to this station was.

That's the parking structure.

I have to question if lowering the tracks was really necessary. GO trains have already used those tracks the way they are.

I've got a question: Is this train station really necessary? I mean really? I don't understand any of this...

Yes most definately necessary. Metrolinx wants to extend lakeshore west to centennial parkway. Winona. Grimsby and into the niagara region. The current hamilton go station isnt on the same tracks and is the end of the line. This station serves the lakeshorewest line in downtown hamilton as the line proceeds to niagara.

I hadn't noticed the lowering. If that's the case it's probably to allow room for future electrification of the Lakeshore West line.

Lowering the tracks is no doubt expensive, but it's still easier than raising the bridges.

The additional space leaves room for the power cables and pantograph, plus maybe a bit extra to keep it apart from the bridge above.

I'm not sure if every person calling for the immediate electrification of all GO lines is aware of just how much must be done first, before that seemingly simple upgrade can be implemented.

That's the multi-story parking structure. There has been too much urban support for this suburban-parking-inspired station.

Yeah, I guess so. The cynic in me is thinking something very different... ;)

there are issues getting all day service into the existing station as well as the tunnel can only hold a single track, plus issues with CP refusing to cooperate.

Metrolinx is notorious for not releasing scheduling information until almost immediately before service begins. Expect the service start announcement around a week before the service actually begins.

I actually think they've been super creative with this station, and wouldn't call it suburban at all. I mean, it's not actually located directly in the core. I really like how they utilized the space below ground level for parking. The station gets parking, and the neighbourhood doesn't get a giant parking block visible from the street.

Doubtful. The games are just under 100 days away. I don't know when you were last down at the site, but the actual building looks like it's nearing completion, with glass being installed.

I'm not sure they did that.

They excavated the grade on the south side to accommodate the parking structure, but I thought the rails were staying at level with the current track.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7628/...850f593e_b.jpg
James Street GO Station Construction | April 10, 2015 by .JCM., on Flickr

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James Street GO Station Construction | April 10, 2015 by .JCM., on Flickr

We need this to be a VIA station also.

Hamilton definitely the coolest GO stations between here and Union... all that crap in between looks like our MacNab bus station.... but with a sea of asphalt.

VIA probably won't ever happen again because of geography. The busiest route in the area (Toronto-Windsor) would have to go a few km's out of it's way to service a downtown Hamilton station. The only service that could be provided reliably is if they moved the stop for the Toronto-New York route from Aldershot to Hamilton but still, pointless, since the Aldershot station would remain for the Windsor service anyway. As beautiful as our geography is, it kinda screws us on passenger rail.

good points. But wasn't the Liuna Station once a VIA station?

Our geography also screws us on passenger air traffic.

VIA did commit to serving the new station but that was way back when Bratina was Mayor. No idea if that's still happening. Can't see why they wouldn't make a stop before heading to Aldershot.

Anyways this station is gonna look sleek and modern. Historical LIUNA, former GO Station, on one side and a new modern GO Station on the other side.

I would like to see VIA and Amtrak stop here. I live beside the tracks near Wentworth and I seek Amtrak cars zoom by all the time heading towards the new station.

VIA said they might use this station but that was before they canned their Niagara Falls trains - the only ones that pass it. They would have to restart that service if they were to run any trains to Hamilton.

I think a Hamilton New York train would be amazing. In the heyday of passenger rail you could take a train there straight from the TH&B station. If via or amtrak could get their shit together there ought to be a market for an express Toronto - buffalo - Hamilton - New York route.

For the routes within Canada there are routes that could be extended from Aldershot to Hamilton at no inconvenience to existing customers. They don't like to have stops so close together but maybe they could make an exception. They won't want to cut out Aldershot because the Windsor and London trains have to use it.

And the Custom's House on the other.

Excited about this for Hamilton's peeps and visitors.
 

As someone who takes more public transit than anyone I've ever met, this is a very welcome addition to the city.

I travel 2 hours to work, and 2 hours from work daily. HSR > GO > TTC.
I've been doing so for over 7 years.
I work off peak hours, so the 16 Express GO is my only option to leave the city. The 18 > Aldershot > Train to TO is just stupid. The bus is direct and almost alway faster.

In a perfect world, I'd hop on the train on James North, go to Toronto, continue on until Scarborough, then take the TTC up McCowan to work. Less vehicle changes, less hassles overall.

I'm more curious to know how the new James North GO Station, and Hamilton GO Centre will co-exist. The bus bays at the new station...will they replace some of the busses now at Hunter? Will a train still go to the Hunter station even with the James station now taking trains? Curious to know how the HSR will handle this new transit hub and how quick/easy it will be to get there from the Gore Park area.

Believe it or not, many people outside the city think there is no GO service at all to Hamilton most of the day! I tell them, yes there is an express all-day bus to Hamilton. They only thought it was accessible by train in the am and pm rush hours.
I think the train would bring more people to the city who might not currently know about GO's destinations.

Just to have all-day service by train is a huge step forward.

I'm excited to see how the area will bloom. I'm positive there will be a large spike in development.

And who knows, Metro daily might one day be delivered to Hamilton!

VIA has stations in Grimsby, Aldershot, Oakville and Brampton which also serve as Amtrak's Toronto-NYC route stops. VIA's stations seem to be set around 30 minutes apart on average. It's hard to imagine VIA launching service at James North without terminating it at Aldershot. Maybe a 1,700-vehicle parking facility would sweeten the pot.

VIA service to the James North Station ended in 1992. Aldershot GO opened that year, with Burlington, Hamilton and Dundas VIA services grouped at that station.

GO train service to the James North Station ended in February 1993. Hunter GO was opened in April 1996.

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Twitter | April 16, 2015

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Twitter | April 16, 2015

What's the building being made on the right? (Currently steel beams only)

That's the entrance to the station from the Bay Street bridge. You can see it in the background of this rendering:
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Hamilton's James Street North GO Station - Final Rendering by Metrolinx, on Flickr


There will be a small walkway connecting that building to the sidewalk of the Bay Street bridge, just like this one on the MacNab Street bridge:
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Ah okay thanks. I wasn't aware that there was another entrance/bridge being built on that side

So what exactly do they plan on having completed in time for the Pan Ams?

Looks like it'll be the tracks, get off the train and take some temporary scaffolding stairs to bay street lol.

Pretty sure that'll be about it. The Macnab stairs might be finished in time but obviously the Bay stairs won't be. Probably only one track where the platform is being constructed currently.

.

That's one h*ll of a retaining wall. Love it.

Has there been any confirmation yet of service after the Pan Ams? Seems like we're getting pretty close.

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Twitter | April 19, 2015

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Twitter | April 19, 2015

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Twitter | April 19, 2015

Is this to be done by PanAm?

"operational" by the Pan Ams. Aka a track and platform. Doubt anything else is completed. But you never know, exactly 100 days till the games. Over 3 months.

EDIT: made a mistake exactly 100 days to the parapan am games. Pan ams are couple weeks before.

Miracles do happen but the province is in charge of both the stadium and the station, and we see how the stadium turned out. As I posted before, I'm expecting one platform and track, a stairway, a temporary ticket trailer and some slapped together presto machines on the platform.

Realistically though I don't think anything more than that is needed for just the Pan-Am games. The majority of people coming to Hamilton for events will probably just drive anyway instead of taking a train from Toronto and then local transit that they're not familiar with or a shuttle bus to THF.

That's kind of embarrassing as it is. Train dropping off people from Toronto to a very barebones and unfinished station, where they'll then have to take local transit to get to the actual stadium. Doesn't sound all that enticing.

The plan was always to take local transit to the stadium. Did they expect a limo to pick them up lol. If you take the UP express into union you still need to take public transit to other sporting venues. Maple leaf gardens, bmo field.

It wouldve been nice to be completed on time. But it is what it is. Construction of a new multi million dollar go station isnt emabrassing IMO. Some of these countries that have hosted the pan am games no doubt have much more embarrasing things to hide than an under construction train station.

Not to mention ppl from toronto know a thing or two about train station construction... Union station and front street has been under construction for years. Im sure they'll sympathize with us.

There's a difference between taking local public transit to the events and taking a 75 minute train ride to another city and THEN having to still take that cities local transit to get to the event. I know a few Torontonians who expressed some interest in the soccer games and were actually turned off when they found out the train didn't take them straight to the stadium. It may not seem like a big deal to you - but it does annoy people.

Except Union Station's construction is huge and happening while still trying to serve 250,000 passengers a day - so it was a necessary long-term pain and is totally understandable. . This James North station is very small scale without the constraints and should've been fully completed by the games since we knew well in advance that we were going to host some games. Again, it may not seem like a big deal to you - but outsiders will have a negative perception.

You're right, it is what it is - and we really can't do anything about it now. Just saying that these things will put the city in a bad light. I won't even start on the parking location for the stadium (if it's still going to be where I last heard).