Winnipeg Construction VIII

[Cyro]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I wonder if saturation of the market is even an issue when it comes to the casino hotel at McPhillips Station (when did it lose the "Street" in the name?)... I'd imagine that hotel, much like the HSC CanadInns, would be relying on facility traffic. No one coming to Winnipeg for a non-casino vacation or for business would be staying there. It's a terrible location for a hotel for anything other than casino purposes.

If the hotelier can secure enough commitments from tour operators to bring in enough gamblers to fill the place up, I'd imagine there is a good chance it will get built eventually...

I wonder what MLLC proposes to do about the railway line, though? The article suggests they want to get rid of it, but that is an important connection to Selkirk and the industries served by rail there. They can't just get rid of the rail line because CanadInns wants to build a hotel there. Would they reroute it instead?

It does seem like the biggest issue to the construction of the hotel is the CN rail line, not the market as I suggested..

Map/Location
https://www.google.com/maps/@49.9208...7,15z?hl=en-US

The cost/ and complexities of removing the line and re-routing it are prohibitive but not insurmountable.

I can't see them doing anything other than the re-route if they want this hotel built in this location.It's a time consuming en-devour but possible.

ps: on 10K+

[Urban recluse]

Originally Posted by The Unknown Poster

Too bad they went with CanadInns. I was at Club Regent for a work party and while the room looked fine, the food and service was 3rd rate.

Canad is third-rate, and radiates penuriousness. It's logo resembles that of a campground. God forbid the company rebrands itself, but that would entail spending some money.

[Urban recluse]

I would much rather see a large, grand casino built downtown.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by esquire

Call me a socialist, but if we're going to have gambling (and we might as well given that people are going to do it either way), it's better if government can benefit and put the proceeds back into the community instead of having guys like this get rich off them:

That's why Las Vegas has been growing so slowly as compared to Winnipeg!

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Andy6

That's why Las Vegas has been growing so slowly as compared to Winnipeg!

There is something to be said for being the first one to jump into a particular market... too bad that Premier Bracken didn't have the vision and foresight to beat Vegas to the punch and establish Winnipeg as the gambling and leisure mecca of the continent!

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by esquire

Now we're talking. Although I'm fine with leaving the drive thru out.

That entire block of the old Dominion store needs to be levelled and rebuilt, including the awful Hilltop Research building. It just sets a terrible vibe for the entire Confusion Corner intersection.

Confusion Corner will get its day. There are lots of other village area properties I would but higher on the list. The A&W/Macs strip mall, the strip mall with the big step back, the single story building with 92 Citi and the old Blockbuster all would rank high on my list.

[CoryB]

In terms of the casino v rail line, couldn't they route the traffic out the line running towards route 90/HWY 6 then do a cut over someplace outside the Perimeter? It would seem to be the only viable option without a major demo of the surrounding neighbourhood at the existing site.

[Cyro]

Better view of the overpass, rail line and what the proposal entails...

Location Overview:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mc...5833d?hl=en-US




https://www.canadinns.com/stay/mcphi...no-hotel/home/

[esquire]

^ Thanks, Cyro.

If people are willing to take the second floor overpass to the parkade, I don't really see why the connection to the hotel has to be ground floor or bust.

In any event, I think that CP could just as easily move the rail line a bit to the north... that means of course that trains would enter the yards facing west instead of the current loop that has them coming out east-facing. I doubt that will have any real impact, though... the current arrangement is ideal for passenger trains so they can easily connect to the CP station, but considering that there haven't been passenger trains on that route in at least 50 years, I doubt anyone cares anymore.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Thanks, Cyro.

If people are willing to take the second floor overpass to the parkade, I don't really see why the connection to the hotel has to be ground floor or bust.

In any event, I think that CP could just as easily move the rail line a bit to the north... that means of course that trains would enter the yards facing west instead of the current loop that has them coming out east-facing. I doubt that will have any real impact, though... the current arrangement is ideal for passenger trains so they can easily connect to the CP station, but considering that there haven't been passenger trains on that route in at least 50 years, I doubt anyone cares anymore.

How often do trains even run on that line? I lived in the Maples and travelled the route all the time for a good 20 years and can only recall seeing a train cross there once.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by cheswick

How often do trains even run on that line? I lived in the Maples and travelled the route all the time for a good 20 years and can only recall seeing a train cross there once.

Not often... I used to spend summers at Winnipeg Beach and the train ran no more than a few times a week right up until the early 00s. I'm sure there is probably slightly more frequent service to Selkirk where the big traffic generators on that line are, but even then I doubt it ever exceeds a total of one train a day, Sunday excluded.

[esquire]

A couple more things to get off my chest today...

Walking by Centrepoint I have to say I'm impressed at how Glasshouse is coming together. It looks better than I expected it to... almost a 50s International Style vibe to it. It's funny, but of the two towers in that project, Glasshouse is better than expected while Alt was a bit of a letdown.

Also saw the finishing touches being added to RBCCC... the ballroom above York Ave with its glass wall is really quite spectacular. The details are really nice, and I like how the conference room south of York is glassed in. I'm still scratching my head over the big blocks along the Edmonton St side, but the rest of it looks really good.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by esquire

In any event, I think that CP could just as easily move the rail line a bit to the north... that means of course that trains would enter the yards facing west instead of the current loop that has them coming out east-facing. I doubt that will have any real impact, though...

I am not an expert on trains but I would imagine having some cars enter or leave the yards effectively in reserve would be a lot bigger deal than it might sound. These aren't exactly your personal automobiles that could turn around in the parking lot.

Even moving the track to the north, trying to sketch out what would seem to be an acceptable path would always end up cutting through the middle of the casino parking lot. If you closed the line completely, used the existing line by Burrow and Sheppard crossing the Perimeter near HWY 6 (Route 90) you could then find a route through the rural area north of the Perimeter back onto the existing line. It would definitely add some extra distance to the rail route but could be made to work. I thought someone said that line is used by the distiller out in Gimli still. I would imagine it is a fairly low volume route.

That said, any rail relocation, even something on the small end of the scale, is going to be very expensive here.

---

On the hotel itself, those concept pictures show a huge podium which made be wonder what all was up with it: three restaurants and a dinner theater! I wonder if the plan is to move Celebrations to McPhillips Casino and refuse the space on Pembina for a new concept.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by CoryB

I thought someone said that line is used by the distiller out in Gimli still. I would imagine it is a fairly low volume route.

That said, any rail relocation, even something on the small end of the scale, is going to be very expensive here.
.

Seagram's gets tank cars of something, a lot of old rail cars get sent to Mandak Metal in Selkirk for salvage/ scrapping (those are the ones sitting on the siding where Hwy 9 and 67 meet at Lower Fort Garry). There is also a cement plant in Selkirk that gets bulk concrete by rail and the grain elevator in Petersfield.

Inside the city, the North end treatment plant gets chemicals by tank car off of this rail line.

[dennis]

I live right beside the track to Selkirk and hear the horns from the train blow twice a day on average. Sometimes just the engines travel down the track, but more than half of the times I see the train, it is pulling cars.

[bomberjet]

On the CP line at McPhillips. They seriously looked at routing it to the east of McPhillips. Curving in between the road and that strip mall IIRC. Not sure if it ever seen public light. But it was kiboshed for a number of reason that I can't remember. Mostly cost and "political" will. It was feasible from a technical point of view.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

On the CP line at McPhillips. They seriously looked at routing it to the east of McPhillips. Curving in between the road and that strip mall IIRC. Not sure if it ever seen public light. But it was kiboshed for a number of reason that I can't remember. Mostly cost and "political" will. It was feasible from a technical point of view.

The CP actually used to split just east of the current crossing at McPhillips with one track going right into the Winnipeg Yard (as opposed to the Weston Shops that it currently runs into) while remaining east of McPhillips at all times... I'd imagine it was a pretty awkward and tight curve, but it existed probably up until around the time McPhillips Street Station opened in the early 90s... it went right through where the staff parking lot is on the east side of McPhillips.

I'm sure it would cost a lot, but it could probably be rebuilt as you suggest... especially seeing that MLLC probably owns most of the land that it would use.

[Urban recluse]

So much for hoping for a substation that is pleasing to the eye and the surrounding area




Courtesy of me

[rkspec]

is that a prison yard??

[Tacheguy]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

I would much rather see a large, grand casino built downtown.

I totally agree with this. Perhaps inside a redeveloped Bay store.