Quote:
Originally Posted by swimmer_spe
I have always thought that a station should be on a siding. That would allow freight to pass them by.
|
That would be ideal. Some GO stations do have dedicated rails. The new West Harbour station in Hamilton has 2 sidings for passenger service, and on the Lakeshore East corridor passenger tracks are completely separate from freight between Pickering and Oshawa.
The land requirements mean it may not be possible on many parts of rail corridors, but for those with multiple tracks (especially 4 or more) there's no reason why at least one or two tracks can't be "reserved" for freight with a couple that offer easier access to train doors -- this would work in stations like Oakville (4 tracks), Clarkson (5), Mimico (5), and Aldershot (9 tracks!). There may be others on GO's other corridors. And I'm not sure what the plans are for Union Station's platforms, but there's no reason they can't be at door level (there are 2 tracks without platforms on the south side of the corridor, for pass-through trains).
Someone else may know, but I wonder if there are a legacy agreements with CN and CP to preserve the tracks and platform levels "just in case" every track needs to handle freight, even on the corridors Metrolinx now owns and supposedly controls.
The accessibility they offer is one thing. But they'd also help speed up boarding and alighting, and increase the safety of each.