O-Train Line 2/4 [Stage 2 | Greenboro to Limebank/Airport] | In Service

[OCCheetos]

Where is the $26.4 million figure from?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by OCCheetos

Where is the $26.4 million figure from?

That's the often quoted price for the original O-Train in 2001. The Talent trains, the Walkley Yard set-up (using existing CN(?) infrastructure), the station concrete pads and bus shelters, the passing tracks and pedestrian underpass at Carleton, the vertical circulation at Carling, the bridge between Greenboro Transitway and O-Train stations.

With inflation, that comes to a little over $37 million.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

That's the often quoted price for the original O-Train in 2001. The Talent trains, the Walkley Yard set-up (using existing CN(?) infrastructure), the station concrete pads and bus shelters, the passing tracks and pedestrian underpass at Carleton, the vertical circulation at Carling, the bridge between Greenboro Transitway and O-Train stations.

With inflation, that comes to a little over $37 million.

The figure I usually see is $21 million for the pilot.

[Truenorth00]

If that article is correct, not even accounting for inflation they've spent over $4 per rider to date (higher with inflation). That is crazy. I, now understand, the reluctance to go full bore with a much larger investment on Stage 2, with electrification and double tracking.

Compare that to the Confederation Line at 100 000 riders per day for $2.1 billion spent. With no increase in ridership at all, assuming the same ~18.5 year timeframe, that works out to $3.11 per rider.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

If that article is correct, not even accounting for inflation they've spent over $4 per rider to date (higher with inflation). That is crazy. I, now understand, the reluctance to go full bore with a much larger investment on Stage 2, with electrification and double tracking.

Compare that to the Confederation Line at 100 000 riders per day for $2.1 billion spent. With no increase in ridership at all, assuming the same ~18.5 year timeframe, that works out to $3.11 per rider.

I'm sure there are much worst transit investments. What about the Sheppard Line, the Scarborough RT (to be replaced with a massively expensive subway!) or the new Downsview Park and Highway 407 stations?

Keep in mind that Trillium's ridership jumped significantly with the opening of Confederation because it became much easier to transfer. All that is now lost for at least two years, replaced with a crappy bus route. The new service will be suburban centric like the rest of our system.

[J.OT13]

Blast from the past! We had a lot of issues right after the "upgrade", beyond the failure to honour the promised 8 minute frequency. And this thing is nowhere ner as complicated as the Confederation Line.


RAIL FAIL: Trillium Line launch a PR disaster

Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun
March 2, 2015

OC Transpo’s much-ballyhooed launch of its "improved" Trillium Line has become a public relations disaster.

First, switching problems caused major delays during Monday’s formal launch. On Tuesday morning, the service is not working at all. OC Transpo sent out a notice at about 6 a.m. that the trains are "suspended until further notice".

Today, OC Transpo says signal problems are to blame for the shutdown.

In its stead, OC Transpo has reinstituted the Route 107 buses, which parallel the train corridor are not nearly as fast for commuters.

On Monday, a track switch went haywire at Carleton University — precisely where Transpo arranged to have reporters and photographers to help promote the new $60.3-million service — and delayed trains on the 8-km rail line during the morning peak period.

Frustrated passengers stuck in a new Alstom train at university station got off and headed for a campus bus stop. Some put their hands in front of their faces as TV cameras rolled. Others shook their heads.

"It’s just embarrassing," an upset Sheila Darlaston said after getting off the train.

It took her nearly 30 minutes to travel from Greenboro to Carleton stations.

Other riders were phoning their employers, making sure it was okay they were showing up late for work. They had no choice.

One woman stomped off the train saying into her phone, "I’ve been on the train for an hour. This is disgusting."

Aboude Almusa said he was more shocked than angry about the slow service. He was late for work.

"I took a half-hour nap," Almusa said.

Meanwhile, Transpo VIPs were at Greenboro station waiting to ride the rails to Carleton, where their train would cut a ribbon spanning the tracks at the station.

Cumberland Coun. Stephen Blais, chairman of the transit commission, said he passed the time at Greenboro apologizing to customers for the late service.

"Just like when you buy a brand new house you move in you expect everything to be perfect and every once and awhile there’s a couple things the way they aren’t supposed to be," Blais said when he arrived at Carleton.

"Our staff fixed them very quickly and the train is back in service."

It was horrible luck for Transpo.

General manager John Manconi said everything was working fine earlier in the morning and the night before as Transpo prepared for the service launch.

Even when the Trillium Line (formerly called O-Train) was shut down last month for a full week of commissioning, there wasn’t a problem, he said.

Manconi said he heard "nothing but positives" from riders he spoke to Monday on the new trains.

The rail switches are scheduled for replacement later this year during the warmer months and when there’s less demand on the train service.

The six new Alstom trains will initially provide service every 10-12 minutes Monday to Saturday.

The Sunday service will be every 10-15 minutes.

Transpo wants to improve the weekday service to 8-10 minutes as staff get used to the upgrade.

https://ottawasun.com/2015/03/02/embarra...wcm/414e150d-02c6-4716-803d-fb2827fc4ed7

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

If that article is correct, not even accounting for inflation they've spent over $4 per rider to date (higher with inflation). That is crazy. I, now understand, the reluctance to go full bore with a much larger investment on Stage 2, with electrification and double tracking.

Compare that to the Confederation Line at 100 000 riders per day for $2.1 billion spent. With no increase in ridership at all, assuming the same ~18.5 year timeframe, that works out to $3.11 per rider.

Hasn't ridership grown to 16,000 per day now? And Stage 2, will grow that number substantially. The original ridership study was projecting ridership of 41,000 per day by 2021. That assumed that it would offer trunk line service to the entire south end of the city, which meant double tracked, electrified and more frequent service. The current plan does not provide trunk line service to the entire south end with large areas still being directed by bus to Hurdman or Tunney's.

The Confederation Line will not grow ridership substantially even with Stage 2 and 3 investment. It just changes the location where people transfer.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Hasn't ridership grown to 16,000 per day now? And Stage 2, will grow that number substantially. The original ridership study was projecting ridership of 41,000 per day by 2021. That assumed that it would offer trunk line service to the entire south end of the city, which meant double tracked, electrified and more frequent service. The current plan does not provide trunk line service to the entire south end with large areas still being directed by bus to Hurdman or Tunney's.

The Confederation Line will not grow ridership substantially even with Stage 2 and 3 investment. It just changes the location where people transfer.

Ridership fluctuates a lot because it's primarily seasonal, but IIRC the line had record ridership in Q4 2019 exceeding 20,000 passengers per day.

From the special transit commission meeting in January according to Manconi:
September, October, November, and December of last year all set new records for ridership averaging 20,000 passengers per day.
https://www.otrainfans.ca/news/special-transit-commission-meeting-january-23-2020 (at around 14:00)

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Hasn't ridership grown to 16,000 per day now?

The point here is historical data does show that it was an expensive "experiment". They spent $86 million for 21 million riders over the 18.5 years. Those figures are from the article. That is $4.095 per rider. Correct for inflation and it's over $5 per rider in today's dollars.

Yes, ridership has gone up. And that helped make the case for Stage 2. But it also explains very much why they limited spending on Stage 2. At 16 000 per day, that's 6 million riders per year. At $1.6B for Stage 2, over 20 years that works out to over $13 per rider at current ridership rates. It's going to take a large increase in ridership every year to come close to justifying the cost for Stage 2, let alone further investment.


I looked at some generous growth scenarios. Double ridership to 32 000 per day at launch of Trillium Stage 2. Grow ridership at 3% per year. Averages out to 45 000 riders per day over 20 years. Or $4.87 per rider. So even with solid growth, Trillium is going to be a very expensive proposition.

As a point of comparison let's be pessimistic on the Confederation Line. Assume no jump from the opening of Stage 2. Just steady 2% growth per year over 20 years on the current 100 000 per day ridership. Works out to $5.70 per rider. Assume a jump to 150 000 riders when Stage 2 opens and keep the same 2% growth. Drops the cost to $4.50 per rider. A more realistic case guaranteedly gets it to under $4. It really doesn't take much to make the business case for the Confederation Line by comparison.

This back of the envelope math also shows how expensive suburban rail expansion is. The marginal cost of rider acquisition gets higher as we push into lower density areas.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

The point here is historical data does show that it was expensive experiment. They spent $86 million for 21 million riders over the 18.5 years. Those figures are from the article. That is $4.095 per rider. Coerect for inflation and it's over $5 per rider in today's dollars.

I'll point out that the costs might actually be a bit more than that. I'm still not sure where that $26.4 million figure comes from since the cost of the pilot itself was $21 million. There were smaller costs after that to purchase the ROW (including the bridge) and to upgrade to CWR along with various other upgrades over the years. I'd expect it still comes in under $100 million though (unless I'm completely forgetting the cost of the bridge being really large?)

That said, the ridership number quoted there is from 7 years ago and yearly ridership is several million. e.g. ridership through Q3 2019 was 2.6 million riders. You're severely under-counting the Trillium Line's ridership by nearly half.

It could be a good comparison point, but you'll have to do some more work to get a proper comparison.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Assume a jump to 150 000 riders when Stage 2 opens and keep the same 2% growth.

Just to add, average daily ridership was 159,000 passengers per day back in the fall.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I'm sure there are much worst transit investments. What about the Sheppard Line, the Scarborough RT (to be replaced with a massively expensive subway!) or the new Downsview Park and Highway 407 stations?

Those lines get slammed. But you'd be surprised by how much lower the cost per rider is. Assuming $5.5B and 150 000 daily boardings at launch, the SSE is a little over $5 per rider. And these are conservative numbers assuming no ridership growth over 20 years.

I'm always careful jumping on the bandwagon against projects in the GTA. By any objective standard, the return for their projects is almost always better than most projects elsewhere in the province. Numbers and higher density guarantee that. If we start saying the SSE is bad, a lot of our Stage 3 proposals are going to look pretty indefensible.

[Truenorth00]

@occheetos.

It was some quick back of the envelope math using numbers from the article and a quick Google on Confederation Line ridership and costs. They don't have to be perfect. The ROME is enough for a rough comparison of value.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by OCCheetos

Ridership fluctuates a lot because it's primarily seasonal, but IIRC the line had record ridership in Q4 2019 exceeding 20,000 passengers per day.

From the special transit commission meeting in January according to Manconi:
September, October, November, and December of last year all set new records for ridership averaging 20,000 passengers per day.
https://www.otrainfans.ca/news/special-transit-commission-meeting-january-23-2020 (at around 14:00)

The investment case for major capital projects is usually based on annual boardings though. Losing 4 months of Carleton ridership is undoubtedly painful for that line. Wiki cites the APTA figure of 4 million for 2018.

I'm supportive of twin tracking and electrification. But these numbers do show why that is a much harder sell to higher levels of government bringing the big bucks.

Even assuming 15 million riders per year over the next 20 years, gets a cost of $5.33 per rider. Not cheap.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

The point here is historical data does show that it was an expensive "experiment". They spent $86 million for 21 million riders over the 18.5 years. Those figures are from the article. That is $4.095 per rider. Correct for inflation and it's over $5 per rider in today's dollars.

You are wrong.

Read the article again; the quote is from 2013, from Diane Deans, when the city received the new Alstom trains.

At that point, the city had spent only the original 26.4 million for 21 million riders.

$26,400,000/21,000,000 = $1.26 per rider

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

You are wrong.

Read the article again; the quote is from 2013, from Diane Deans, when the city received the new Alstom trains.

At that point, the city had spent only the original 26.4 million for 21 million riders.

$26,400,000/21,000,000 = $1.26 per rider

That makes the original better. Doesn't change much for the discussion on Stage 2.

[Multi-modal]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

The point here is historical data does show that it was an expensive "experiment". They spent $86 million for 21 million riders over the 18.5 years. Those figures are from the article. That is $4.095 per rider. Correct for inflation and it's over $5 per rider in today's dollars.

Yes, ridership has gone up. And that helped make the case for Stage 2. But it also explains very much why they limited spending on Stage 2. At 16 000 per day, that's 6 million riders per year. At $1.6B for Stage 2, over 20 years that works out to over $13 per rider at current ridership rates. It's going to take a large increase in ridership every year to come close to justifying the cost for Stage 2, let alone further investment.


I looked at some generous growth scenarios. Double ridership to 32 000 per day at launch of Trillium Stage 2. Grow ridership at 3% per year. Averages out to 45 000 riders per day over 20 years. Or $4.87 per rider. So even with solid growth, Trillium is going to be a very expensive proposition.

As a point of comparison let's be pessimistic on the Confederation Line. Assume no jump from the opening of Stage 2. Just steady 2% growth per year over 20 years on the current 100 000 per day ridership. Works out to $5.70 per rider. Assume a jump to 150 000 riders when Stage 2 opens and keep the same 2% growth. Drops the cost to $4.50 per rider. A more realistic case guaranteedly gets it to under $4. It really doesn't take much to make the business case for the Confederation Line by comparison.

This back of the envelope math also shows how expensive suburban rail expansion is. The marginal cost of rider acquisition gets higher as we push into lower density areas.

Do your cost/ride calculations typically include the maintenance costs? Because the $1.6B value of the Stage 2 Trillium is inclusive of maintenance costs for the next 30 years. The capital costs of the expansion are $663M.

https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/docume...%20Evaluation%20Steering%20Committee.pdf

So estimated 663000000/(30,000 riders per day*365*20) = approx. $3 per rider for the expansion.

[PHrenetic]

Good Day.

More from City : Stage 2 Trillium Line South Extension Spring 2020 Update

https://ottawa.ca/en/planning-developmen...-line-south-extension-spring-2020-update

Stage 2 Trillium Line South Extension Spring 2020 Update

Overview
As of March 2020, Trillium Line South Extension has been under construction for one year. To date, project activities have been focused on advancing station designs, constructing rail-over-road bridges, and completing preparatory work in advance of the Trillium Line shut down on May 3, 2020.

In 2020, work will continue on structures, guideway and elevated guideway work in the south, and the ramp-up of construction activity in the north on the existing line. With the Trillium Line closed, crews will have the access they need to renovate existing stations by lengthening station platforms to accommodate longer trains with greater capacity. It will also allow for the widening of the existing guideway and addition of a second track in sections, which will result in greater operational efficiency of the line once complete.

Finally, 2020 will see the start of construction on eight new stations along the entire alignment. This includes two stations along the existing line, two stations along the Airport Link and four stations along the extension. Overall, the addition of these stations will create enhanced access for communities in the north, while providing new, affordable transit connections to the airport and for residents of Riverside South.

The City of Ottawa’s Rail Construction Program is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and is in contact with the constructors about adhering to guidance provided by Ottawa Public Health and the Province of Ontario. Construction schedules and sequencing are subject to change as work progresses, at the discretion of the project contractor. Should there be any significant changes to this information, and as additional construction activities are scheduled through 2020, the public will be updated via electronic updates. Please sign-up for Stage 2 e-newsletter updates, specifying the extensions and stations of interest, to receive updates targeted for those areas.

Here is what construction you can expect to begin or occur in 2020:

Bayview Station to Carling Station:

The next phase of construction in this segment will include widening of the guideway in sections, upgrades to Bayview Station and Carling Station and the start of construction on the new Gladstone station. In addition, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario will be replacing the Highway 417 bridge over the guideway and this work was coordinated with the closure.

Bayview Station Site mobilization, demolition, start of the Trinity pedestrian bridge Dust and low to medium noise Starting late spring/early summer

Gladstone Station Rock excavation at the site of the new station followed by start of construction on new station Medium to high noise impacts along with intermittent vibration associated with rock excavation, within City guidelines Rock excavation to start late spring; station construction to follow in summer

Carling Station Demolition of existing platform, rock excavation, construction of elevator shaft, start of new platform Medium to high noise impacts along with intermittent vibration associated with rock excavation, within City guidelines Starting in summer

Carleton Station to South Keys Station:

The next phase of construction in this segment will include upgrades to existing stations and guideway, construction of a new station at Walkley Road, continuation of construction at the new Walkley Maintenance and Storage Facility, and the renovation and upgrading of existing rail infrastructure.

Walkley Yard Maintenance and Storage Facility Continuation of foundation work; start of construction, including steel structure and start of exterior enclosure Dust and low to medium noise Construction of structure to start in summer

Rail Bridge Construction at Ellwood Diamond Preparatory work and caisson drilling followed by construction of piers and pier caps for bridge Medium noise impacts anticipated Starting in late spring

Dow’s Lake tunnel renovation Preparatory work; temporary relocation of utilities, construction of temporary access ramp; and, start of foundation and tunnel rehabilitation Medium noise impacts anticipated Starting in late spring

Carleton Station Mobilization and site preparation; dismantling of existing platform fixtures and demolition of platform asphalt; temporary at-grade pedestrian crossing to facilitate work on the north and south MUP underpasses; MUP detours Dust and low to medium noise Starting in late spring/summer

Mooney’s Bay Station Civil work for electrical; demolition of existing Dust and low to medium noise Starting in late spring/summer

South Keys Station to Limebank Station, including Airport Link:

The next phase of construction in this segment will include the start of construction of a new station at South Keys to accommodate transfers to the new Airport Link, completion of seven rail-over-road bridges, the advancement of the 400-metre elevated Airport guideway, and guideway and station construction along the extension and Airport Link.

Airport Parkway Rail-over-road Bridge Column and pier cap construction; installation of span girders Span girder installation will require overnight work, low noise and dust impacts anticipated Late spring

Uplands Drive Rail-over-road Bridge Column and pier cap construction; installation of span girders Span girder installation will require overnight work, low noise and dust impacts anticipated Late spring

Bowesville Road Rail-over-road Bridge Column and pier cap construction; installation of span girders Span girder installation will require overnight work, low noise and dust impacts anticipated Late spring

Lester Road Rail-over-road Bridge Column and pier cap construction; installation of span girders Span girders: overnight work, low noise and dust impacts anticipated Summer

Leitrim Road Rail-over-road Bridge Column and pier cap construction; installation of span girders Span girders: overnight work, low noise and dust impacts anticipated Summer

Earl Armstrong Road Rail-over-road Bridge Column and pier cap construction; installation of span girders Span girders: overnight work, low noise and dust impacts anticipated Summer

Limebank Road Rail-over-road Bridge Column and pier cap construction; Low noise and dust impacts anticipated Ongoing

Hunt Club Road Rail-over-road Bridge Preparatory work and start of caissons; construction of centre columns Low to medium noise and dust impacts anticipated. Centre column construction will require temporary lane closures on Hunt Club Road. Late summer

South Keys Station Mobilization and site prep; foundation and retaining walls; start of structure and platform; work on MUP underpass Low to medium noise and dust impacts anticipated Spring onward

Uplands Station Structural excavation; underground utilities; excavation for north and southbound platforms; foundation work; start of station structure Low to medium noise and dust impacts anticipated Spring onward

Airport Station Construction of stair shaft and stairs; construction of station platform Low to medium noise and dust impacts anticipated Spring onward

Leitrim Station Mobilization and site prep; utility service; foundations and retaining walls; start of structure and platforms; start of parking and bus loop Low to medium noise and dust impacts are anticipated Spring onward

Bowesville Station Continuation of parking and bus loop; mobilization and site prep for station; foundation and retaining walls; start of station structure; start of under-platform pedestrian tunnel Low to medium noise and dust impacts are anticipated Summer onward

Limebank Station Mobilization and site prep; foundation and retaining walls; start of the station structure and platform Low to medium noise and dust impacts are anticipated, within City requirements Summer onward

Airport Elevated Guideway Continued work on caissons, columns and pier caps; installation of girders Girders will be installed overnight; low noise and dust impacts are anticipated Ongoing

Construction of new Guideway Continued work to remove rails, start on foundation and embankments, installation of duct-banks and tracks Low to medium noise and dust impacts are anticipated, within City requirements Ongoing


Girder installation at rail-over-road bridges will be completed at night and will create temporary impacts to vehicular traffic while work is proceeding. The construction of a centre column as part of the Hunt Club rail-over-road bridge will require lane reductions, which will impact vehicular traffic. Specific notifications outlining the scope and timing of these impacts communicated before work begins. Members of the travelling public should be aware of and adhere to traffic control signage, posted speed limits and traffic control personnel.

Dates and Hours of Work
Construction activity is primarily scheduled to occur during typical daytime construction hours between 7 am and 10 pm Monday through Friday. Intermittent night work will be required at times but will be communicated in advance through the project website at ottawa.ca/stage2 or by e-newsletter.

Confirmed timeframes and implementation details for key activities will be posted to the project website at ottawa.ca/stage2. Please note the timeframes in this summary are estimated and subject to change.

Mobility Impacts
Pedestrian and cyclist detours will be required. Details will be posted at ottawa.ca/stage2 and shared via e-newsletter. Vehicular traffic may experience delays at times. Cyclists and motorists should be aware of and adhere to traffic control signage, posted speed limits and traffic control personnel.

During the closure of the Trillium Line, OC Transpo will be operating enhanced bus service. Please visit octranspo.com(link is external) for details and routes.

Stay Informed
Sign up for the Stage 2 e-Newsletter to stay up-to-date with project progress. Visit ottawa.ca/stage2 to receive station specific updates on construction and project updates.

The safety of our workers and the public is paramount, we thank you for your cooperation and patience during construction.

EnJoy!

[PHrenetic]

Good Day.

City has also posted a short T-Line Airport Link construction article and 50 sec. video

https://ottawa.ca/en/planning-developmen...tion-taking-ottawa-international-airport

Stage 2 Trillium Line South Extension construction taking off at the Ottawa International Airport

A key feature of the Stage 2 Trillium Line South Extension Project is a new four-kilometre Airport Link that will connect the O-Train network to the Ottawa International Airport. This key city amenity will provide an easy and affordable public transportation option for Ottawa’s residents, businesses, and visitors travelling to and from the airport.

The Airport Link will be a dedicated grade-separated rail link that will travel between the Airport terminal and the future South Keys LRT Station, with a station at Uplands Drive. OC Tranpo’s Alstom Lint vehicles will provide service every twelve minutes, matching the same hours of operation and level of service as the Line 2 mainline.

Constructing a four-kilometre rail link that spans above three roads and includes a 400-metre elevated guideway before ending in an international airport is an impressive feat. The complexity of this work requires significant coordination between the City of Ottawa, TransitNEXT, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority, and Air Traffic Control.

TransitNEXT has recruited experienced personnel to the project who have overseen elevated guideway work on Vancouver’s Canada, Evergreen and Millennium Lines, as well as Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown. Alongside a local crew which will grow as work progresses, the team has already begun the foundation for the elevated guideway that will see 17 columns constructed, some of which will reach a maximum height of 12 metres. These columns will be capped and will eventually support the pre-fabricated concrete girders/beams that will be placed on top.

Building the elevated guideway within an active airport requires careful planning and coordination. Some of the upcoming work involves the management of relatively heavy loads as they are hoisted into elevated positions amidst congested and limited areas. These pre-fabricated concrete girders, the longest of which will be 40 metres, will arrive later this summer and will be put into place by a 300 tonne crane.

All this work has been planned and coordinated using the latest design technology. Designers, 3D modellers and constructors work together to create a step-by-step simulation of the construction sequencing of the elevated guideway to identify early obstacles and challenges before work begins. Getting the construction sequencing right in a virtual space is critical. This technology has been invaluable for coordinating construction in a fixed footprint and directly next to the airport’s future expansion of the terminal building. Check out the video below to see the Airport elevated guideway construction process for yourself.

Airport Elevated Guideway by the numbers:

17 columns topped with 17 pier caps at a maximum height of over 12 metres at the Airport Elevated Platform
Girders/beams precast in concrete segments up to 40 metres long that will be hoisted on to the pier caps using a 300 tonne-crane and integrated together by concrete diaphragms

EnJoy!

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by PHrenetic

Good Day.

More from City : Stage 2 Trillium Line South Extension Spring 2020 Update

https://ottawa.ca/en/planning-developmen...-line-south-extension-spring-2020-update



EnJoy!

Couple of things I question.

First Bayview, it says they will start the construction of the Trinity pedestrian bridge. I would have thought that would be built at the same time as the Trinity complex years down the road. Without the Trinity towers, what will the bridge connect to? How will they excavate the parking garage with the bridge in the way?

For both Gladstone and Carling, it talks about rock excavation. I assume that for Gladstone, that means widening the trench to double track. I know they won't be double tracking Carling, but will they take the opportunity to widen that section of the trench as well?

For Carling to Greenboro, do they need to demolish the platforms? Why can't they just add the new segment? Platform heating?