Latest news with #GO2.0
Hamilton Spectator
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Grimsby GO station still a go: Oosterhoff
It wasn't mentioned in the May 16 provincial budget, but Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff says the proposed Casablanca GO train station in Grimsby is still on the rails. '(Not mentioned) by name, but in terms of it being part of a larger tranche of GO train expansion happening across the province, absolutely,' said Oosterhoff, who is also associate minister of energy-intensive industries. 'The budget spoke about GO 2.0 and our commitment to expanding GO both within the Greater Toronto Area, but also into the rest of the greater Golden Horseshoe, and the Grimsby station is definitely part of that commitment.' Oosterhoff said provincial transit agency Metrolinx — along with Niagara Region , Town of Grimsby and other stakeholders — is working on assembling land for the project and the design of the station near South Service Road. Metrolinx owns the land where the GO station is to be built. In 2015, the region purchased 5.6 hectares (14 acres) of land south of and next to the CN rail corridor, across from the Metrolinx-owned site. The province announced in January the contract for building the Grimsby station would be awarded this spring. Oosterhoff said track improvements to connect the West Harbour GO station directly to the Lakeshore West rail line, which will speed up GO train service for commuters coming from Niagara, were completed last month.
Epoch Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Ford Urges Carney to Focus on Key ‘Nation-Building' Initiatives, Including Highway 401 Tunnel
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is asking Prime Minister Mark Carney for support on multiple projects for the province, including his plan to construct a tunnel under Highway 401. Ford wrote to Carney on May 5, presenting a list of Ontario's priorities that he wants the federal government to prioritize. The Ford said securing access to vital minerals by developing Ontario's Ring of Fire region, investing in an electric vehicle supply chain, establishing a new James Bay deep-sea port, and supporting nuclear energy generation to build small modular reactors were top priorities for Ontario that would also 'be transformational for Canada's economy.' 'Your government has our full support to urgently invest in and get shovels in the ground on new nation-building infrastructure, including pipelines, highways, railways, seaports and airports that will help Canadian goods reach new customers in new markets,' Ford wrote. 'For our part, Ontario is ready to work with federal, provincial and municipal partners to establish new energy corridors for pipelines, rail lines, transmission lines and other critical infrastructure.' Ford said it is vital that Carney honour his commitment to eliminate all federal internal trade barriers by Canada Day. 401 Tunnel Transportation was high on Ford's wish list as well. He asked Carney to support his 'GO 2.0' proposal to improve train services in the Greater Golden Horseshoe with the introduction of new lines and all-day service for Milton and Kitchener and to help create a driver and transit tunnel expressway under Highway 401. Related Stories 9/26/2024 4/30/2025 The tunnel would 'significantly ease congestion on the busiest highway in North America, helping to improve our economic competitiveness by getting goods and services to market sooner,' Ford wrote. The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Ford's letter. Provincial opposition party leaders have been critical of Ford's tunnel proposal. 'At this time when workers in Windsor, in Oshawa, across this province, their jobs are being cut, they are losing their jobs right now, Doug Ford is prioritizing his fantasy tunnel,' NDP Leader Marit Stiles told reporters at Queen's Park May 5. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie was also critical of the proposal, telling reporters the project could 'bankrupt' Ontario. 'It's a 40-year project, frankly, that will not address traffic gridlock or congestion today,' she said. 'And quite frankly, when you think about it, by the time that tunnel is complete, who knows if we're even driving vehicles or there will be alternative methods.' Although the province is seeking proposals for a tunnel feasibility study, the premier has 'This is something we're going to get done. We have the skill set. We have the skilled trades right here ready to go,' Ford said during a The request for proposals is intended to evaluate the feasibility of constructing a tunnel or other alternatives, which include an elevated highway, expanding the number of lanes, and establishing lanes exclusively for trucks. The request says the study should assess the tunnel on a long-term horizon, specifying the year 2051. In conjunction with the feasibility study, the province is requesting an evaluation of best practices from comparable projects, including a proposed four-lane traffic tunnel in downtown Ottawa that was never built. That feasibility study cost $750,000 and determined that constructing a 3.4-kilometre tunnel through downtown Ottawa would cost upwards of $2 billion. The tunnel has yet to be constructed. Bail Reform Although not a 'nation building' initiative, Ford also urged Carney in his letter to enact bail reforms to keep repeat offenders off the streets. The province The 'There remain too many cases where communities are afflicted by the scourge of violence perpetrated by someone who is out on bail,' Ford said in his letter to Carney. 'The federal government needs to put in place mandatory minimum sentences for serious crimes, a mandatory three strike rule requiring pretrial detention for repeat offenders and stricter bail and sentencing laws to better respond to the severity of a range of violent offences.' Ford also asked the prime minister to speed up approvals for 'life-saving medications' to aid Canada in becoming 'a more competitive destination for global pharmaceutical and life science investments.' The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
CBC
08-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
PCs promise ambitious GO Transit expansion. But experts question its feasibility
Ontario's Progressive Conservatives are promising a radical expansion of the GO Transit network if re-elected, but many doubt a line cutting through midtown Toronto will ever materialize. Before the election was called, the PCs announced a so-called GO 2.0 plan, instructing Metrolinx to explore the construction of a freight rail bypass that would help keep commercial rail off routes used by passenger trains that have to use tracks owned by CN Rail and Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway (CPKC). This week, as part of the re-election campaign, the party took GO 2.0 further, announcing a PC government would create a midtown Toronto GO line. That line that would run along a route owned by CPKC, according to the company's network map. Experts say it's an idea that's been floated before but is difficult to deliver on, while opposition parties say Ford doesn't have the transit record to get it done. "People don't want pie in the sky goodies that are going to cost billions, if they're ever built, and take years if not decades," said Greg Gormick, a transportation policy advisor. "They want improvements to their service now." CPKC likely wouldn't want to give up capacity on the line because it connects to other important freight rail lines, said Gormick, who worked at CBC from the 1970s to the 1990s. "[Freight service] does have a slight impact on the economy of Canada," he said. PC Leader Doug Ford maintains the idea is more than just an election promise. "It all depends who owns the rail, but we're working collaboratively with them," he said this week. CPKC declined to comment on a specific campaign promise, but said generally that changing its routes would be a tall task. "Evaluating the feasibility of relocating railway infrastructure is an enormously complex matter and the magnitude of the challenges should never be underestimated," a company statement says. Midtown line important to CPKC, says transit advocate The proposed bypass would be built adjacent to Highway 407 and would have the potential to divert trains that don't need to travel through Toronto, opening tracks for passenger cars. But even if the bypass were constructed, CPKC would still need to use that midtown line to get to its Scarborough yard, said Steve Munro, a Toronto transit advocate. Or, he said, CPKC would need to build a new yard. "You tell me where there's a piece of land in the southern GTA big enough to hold a new rail yard for CPKC and I'm sure they'd be thrilled to take it off your hands," Munro said. WATCH | PCs announced part of GO 2.0 before calling election: Ford asks Metrolinx to work on new transit plan to expand GO Transit 29 days ago Duration 2:30 Some say a midtown line is not impossible, even if unlikely. Reece Martin, a popular transit advocate, published a YouTube video about a possible midtown corridor called "Toronto's Secret Rail line" in 2021, which racked up nearly a hundred thousand views. "You might argue that a giant rail yard is not the best use of land within the city of Toronto," Martin said in an interview with CBC Toronto. "We got rid of a lot of them in the past. So I don't think that it's impossible for them to give it up. But that would require some really smart policymaking from the government." Overall, Martin believes the announcement will end up being an empty election time promise. Opposition criticize Ford's transit record City councillor Josh Matlow, whose Toronto-St. Paul's residents would likely be among the passengers of the potential midtown line, agrees it's a good idea but doesn't have the faith a re-elected Ford government is the one to do it. "For so many different reasons, it's a good idea. The question is can this government actually do it and do it well and do it within our lifetimes?" he said. That sentiment is one that's shared by some of Ford's election opponents. Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles pointed to the much-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT as an example of the PC's record on transit. "Doug Ford is going to promise just about anything right now to get himself re-elected," she said. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said his party has been advocating for the expansion of GO service. "We're still waiting for the Ford government to even bring forward a timeline for all-day, two-way GO on the Kitchener line, for example," he said. On the 2018 election trail, Ford said all-day, two-way GO service between Toronto and Kitchener would happen "as quickly as possible" if his party won the legislature. This week he said the region will "100 per cent" see all-day service in the coming years, but noted freight carriers that need to be part of the discussions.
