GO/VIA Transit

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by markbarbera

You certain they are 12-carriage trains in the morning? My understanding is that the 5:02 PM train was the only 12-carriage train serving Hamlton, and that all three AM train currently remain in the 10-carriage configuration. The easiest way to check (besides counting the carriages) is to check out the engine. If it isn't one of the sleek, new MPI locomotives, then the train is definitely only a ten carriage configuration. The older locomotives by EMD simply cannot pull a dozen carriages.

Today's 5:02 was its usual 12-carriage configuration and its easternmost carriages remained closed during arrival at the GO Centre.

Yes, the 7:04am is 12 cars.

I don't know why they keep them closed on the evening train. A few weeks ago they weren't opening any cars behind the accessibility car (that's 7 cars closed), and I questioned that at that time.

[matt602]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Quote from the 2009 Budget....

"Funding will also be used to modernize VIA Rail Canada’s fleet of locomotives and passenger cars, and to upgrade key stations in Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Hamilton, Belleville and Windsor."

Finally getting a VIA Station at James St North.

They might have been counting Aldershot as Hamilton, but that also doesn't make sense, as it is a fairly new station anyway. I suppose we'll have to wait.

[bornagainbiking]

Had the pleasure of taking the morning commute from Barton/Nash to Union via Burlington Station.
Wow, 8 mins with a coffee stop to my FREE parking. (lots of it)..
15 mins to Burlington and transfer (lots of seats left).
So 1 hr and 10 mins with my MP3 player. Sweet, Not to say I like going to downtown Toronto, but as an occasional or rare business traveler, this is better than before. Take the HSR to downtown Hamilton or drive into T.O.
The return trips and connections could be restrictive.
In the East end so easy in and out of Barton/Nash, I was home in 5 mins with RedHill.
I wonder if this takes some of the load of our downtown or if people who migrate here will consider this as a factor to buy in the East End or Stoney Creek.
Only about 15 people on the 0630 bus and 10 on the 1545 bus. So lots of room and the lot has plenty of space.
A Major issue is no washrooms available.

[omro]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Quote from the 2009 Budget....

"Funding will also be used to modernize VIA Rail Canada’s fleet of locomotives and passenger cars, and to upgrade key stations in Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Hamilton, Belleville and Windsor."

Finally getting a VIA Station at James St North.

That's the second thing that was in the MoveOntario plans that's been mentioned without mentioning MoveOntario. I wonder if that money will go to them as part of the federal funding they are currently lacking?

[SteelTown]

Hamilton is on the priority list for a VIA Station, apparently with the $400 million (which must be spent within 2 years) Hamilton is suppose to get a brand new Station. Bob Bratina on the radio said it'll be a GO/VIA Station.

GO Transit is suppose to bulid the platforms this year so maybe they'll work together at the same time.

Hope you guys don't mind that I changed the title to GO/VIA Transit.

[omro]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Hamilton is on the priority list for a VIA Station, apparently with the $400 million (which must be spent within 2 years) Hamilton is suppose to get a brand new Station. Bob Bratina on the radio said it'll be a GO/VIA Station.

GO Transit is suppose to bulid the platforms this year so maybe they'll work together at the same time.

Hope you guys don't mind that I changed the title to GO/VIA Transit.

Does anyone know if this money will be funnelled through MoveOntario's plan to provide the above or will be separate to. If so, does that mean that MoveOntario now a) has look for less money overall or b) has more money to spend on other projects?

Hopefully b), then perhaps they could speed up other Hamilton related transit plans.

[SteelTown]

This money has nothing to do with MoveOntario 2020 plan, even though a new GO/VIA platform is part of the plan, a new Station isn't. There's no mention of MoveOntairo 2020 in the 2009 Budget either.

[omro]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

This money has nothing to do with MoveOntario 2020 plan, even though a new GO/VIA platform is part of the plan, a new Station isn't. There's no mention of MoveOntairo 2020 in the 2009 Budget either.

That's a bugger.

BTW, wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy back the old station?

[Jon Dalton]

Probably not, but I don't see why space couldn't be leased in the old station for a modern GO and VIA station. The building is huge. Furthermore land behind the station is being wasted as it is - LIUNA doesn't need rail frontage for anything. It would just make too much sense, that's why it won't be done.

[SteelTown]

It might be possible. Feds perfer to rent space than to own a building.

LIUNA did hint way back that it would be willing to discuss with GO Transit and VIA.

[omro]

Originally Posted by Jon Dalton

Probably not, but I don't see why space couldn't be leased in the old station for a modern GO and VIA station. The building is huge. Furthermore land behind the station is being wasted as it is - LIUNA doesn't need rail frontage for anything. It would just make too much sense, that's why it won't be done.

Ryan, if you're reading, perhaps a potential article for RTH? New station vs reusing the old station?

[flar]

It seems that today's VIA stations (like Aldershot) are purely utilitarian, so I doubt they are looking to reuse an old station (the TH&B restoration and use as an actual train station notwithstanding). I think they are looking to build platforms with small shelters and ticket machines.

The old method of building grand train stations might have one major thing to offer; it depends on whether people more inclined to use a train station if the train station is an impressive looking building.

[flar]

An applicable quote from another thread:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/newr...eply&p=4054237

Originally Posted by RandySavage

"[Through Penn Station] one entered the city like a god. Now one scuttles in like a rat."
- Vincent Scully

"There was no such act of vandalism in the history of New York City as the destruction of the original Pennsylvania Station."
-Daniel Patrick Moynihan







Today's Penn Station's main "hall":

[coalminecanary]

Thanks for travelling VIA and welcome to hamiton. If you climb the hill to your right and hop over the chain link fence, you can hail a cab from the street

[DHLawrence]

If London is any indication, the era of Via stations with no architectural merit (the CN-branded office tower notwithstanding) has come and gone. If they don't use a section of LIUNA (the elevated concourse perhaps?), they'll put something reasonably attractive in place.

As for Penn Station, they've been in the process of rectifying that glaring error of the 60s for a few years now. Unfortunately, it's embroiled in red tape that's impressive even by Ontario standards. It's a pity the layout of the railway lines won't let Amtrak use Grand Central again; now that place is where you enter like a god!

[omro]

Well... they were going to tear this place down until somebody had the bright idea to actually use it as a railway station again.

Thank god that they did!


From Dennis Jackson's website on St Pancras

Now 'n' Then

From a Daily Mail Article



From the St Pancras Site


From Wikimedia

[highwater]

They had to fight tooth and nail in the 70's to save Union Station in Toronto. Thank God they did. (Of course GO travellers are still scuttling in like rats in the lower concourse.)

[Jon Dalton]

Montreal's old train station has been preserved and adapted to other uses while the modern station operates in its basement (most trains enter Montreal underground).

Here's where the trains used to go:

[fastcarsfreedom]

What happened in Montreal was that the historic Windsor Station (CP) was previously used for regional commuter rail (now AMT) while Central Station (CN) was used by both regional commuter rail and VIA/Amtrak. When the Bell Centre was built, it severed Windsor Station from the rail lines--and the commuter rail was moved to a station shared with the Metro (Lucien L'Allier) while everything else has remained at Central Station--Central isn't below ground per se - is a mid-century modernist station that went up with the current Queen Elizabeth Hotel in the 1950s.

The destruction of Penn Station is widely considered to be among the most grievous architectually losses in U.S. history. Unlike Grand Central which was positioned to allow high rise-construction near and around it (Pan Am Building notably) -- Penn's design didn't allow for use of the "air rights" above it--dooming it in the era of exploding Manhattan real estate prices.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Quote from the 2009 Budget....

"Funding will also be used to modernize VIA Rail Canada’s fleet of locomotives and passenger cars, and to upgrade key stations in Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Hamilton, Belleville and Windsor."

Finally getting a VIA Station at James St North.

Hopefully they don't chintz out. Considering what they're upgrading from, a cement platform under the bridge would qualify.