Quote:
Originally Posted by 1overcosc
I imagine VIA would add an additional set of tracks within the CN corridor on the Kingston Subdivision (the 'mainline' track between Toronto and Montreal) that would be exclusively VIA's by agreement, despite being technically CN-owned. GO did this between Pickering and Oshawa some time ago (in the 1980s or 1990s I think).
The federal government already invested a lot of money in replacing many of the stations along the route. Although, notably, Kingston station has not been replaced and as such has a number of deficiencies; and there's some pressure from Kingston City Council for the station to be relocated further east around Division Street; so we'll see how that plays out.
If they ditch the Toronto-Montreal direct train, that would mean the removal of service from Cornwall station, which is a fairly high ridership station; I imagine they would likely leave a few trains on the old route to reach Cornwall. Same solution could be done for Brockville.
A new straight-line track from Kingston to Smiths Falls, although identified as necessary/desirable in pretty much every HSR study, would be difficult. It would have to pass through heavily forested hills filled with lakes, making pretty much any route route both expensive and environmentally sensitive, and likely to draw the ire of cottage owner NIMBYs.
The track from Brockville to Smiths Falls is single-tracked (would have to be doubled as part of this plan likely) and owned by CP, but I don't think CP ever uses it. I'm a very frequent VIA rider, and while VIA trains are frequently stopped on sidings for each other on this route, never once has a train I've been on ever conflicted with a CP train. CP may very well retain ownership of the corridor; although the new second track built here might end up being VIA-owned.
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That's interesting. Why is this? Easier to get to or something? Hopefully if they do move the station they could find a way to better integrate it with Kingston's express busses. A new station could also be an easy way to put more tracks at the station with minimal disruption.
However, I would have thought that the current location is more central...
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