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You are on the [March 2010] page of folder [Georgetown Expansion And The Air Raillink]
For the cover page of this folder go to the March 2010, 15 e-mails.
March 5, 2010
From: Go transit
http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/improve/wtd.aspx
West Toronto Diamond Grade Separation
Community Status Update -- March 5, 2010
The West Toronto Diamond is part of the Georgetown South Corridor, one of the most exciting transit projects in the GTA. It will enable a new link from Union Station to Pearson Airport, and will support expanded service to Kitchener-Waterloo, Brampton, and Mississauga.
Basically, we are building an underpass to separate two major rail corridors - right now we have the equivalent of two major highways meeting at a traffic light. This hurts our ability to provide reliable service for our customers.
We understand that this project has been noisy for some local residents, in particular, our use of impact hammers to put steel pipes in the ground (known as piling). In June 2009, we changed the way we were working in order to reduce the noise, implementing the use of impact hammers equipped with sound mitigation as well as bringing in quieter piling technology from France and Japan. As a result of these efforts the noise from our work was cut in half.
In early December, 2009 The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) asked for additional measures, including better information and monitoring of piling activity. In addition to the earlier measures we implemented in June, we also incorporated these additional requirements.
Today, we are in full compliance with the CTA's ruling.
Anticipated work plan to the end of May 2010
So far, we have put in 80% of the piles needed for the project, with fewer than 400 piles to be installed.
During the months of March and April, there are only about 80 piles being installed. The quiet press-in method will be used for majority of these piles (about 60). The remainder will be installed using a combination of quieter equipment including press-in methods and vibratory machines, in combination with the use of impact hammers equipped with sound mitigation to finish the installation.
The CTA ruling allows us to use the impact hammers in some circumstances. In instances where impact hammers are used – including completing the last 10 feet of a pile which is not possible with the press-in method or vibratory hammer – we will continue to use sound mitigation measures.
Once work on the outer walls is complete in early May, the track will be shifted in mid-May to allow the final 320 piles to be installed. Our plan for work beyond May is being developed and once finalized, that information will be provided. We will adhere to the CTA ruling on this work as well.
We apologize for the inconvenience this work has caused local residents. We have and will continue to provide support to the community. If you think this could help you, or if you have any questions, please contact Kathryn Hanford at 416-604-9582.
We would like to once again thank local residents who have been so understanding, have worked with us to develop quieter construction methods, and who like us, want this project completed as quickly as possible. With the CTA requirements, we hope to complete the piling using the quieter methods by the end of 2010.
For more information, please see our contact page.
Project Description
The West Toronto Diamond project will separate Canadian Pacific Railway's North Toronto freight line from GO's Weston Subdivision (Georgetown line). The north-south tracks to and from Georgetown will be lowered so that they run under CPR's North Toronto line.
Improvements
- More reliable GO service by eliminating the need to accommodate both freight and GO trains at this crossing point.
- Less pollution and noise for residents due to fewer trains stopping and idling in the neighbourhood, and commuter traffic running through the lowered corridor.
- Less noise and whistling from trains crossing the West Toronto Diamond.
- Increased train service for northwest Toronto and Peel Region.
Location: The Junction area in Toronto, where Old Weston Road cross the rail tracks.
Project Map
Legend
G - Giken
I - Impact Hammer
V - PTC Vibro Hammer
M - Moveable Sound Barrier
(#) - Total piles driven each day
- Shrouded impact hammers will be used to complete piles that cannot be completed using the other piling methods alone as permitted by the CTA order. In zones A, B, and C, when impact hammers are used, noise barriers will be in place. Zone D does not permit the use of noise barriers as space is restricted.
- Old Weston Road - Pedestrian Road Closure: UPDATE - Saturday, February 27, 2010, pedestrian access at Old Weston Road has been re-opened.
Project Schedule and Updates: Construction - Phase 2 (piling construction)
Total steel pipe piles driven to date: 1945 of 2338 (391remaining)
GO has implemented several noise mitigation measures to lessen the impact of the noise from this work on local residents and businesses. These measures include noise shrouds placed around the machinery and the installation of moveable sound barriers at the piling site. Since June 8, 2009, GO has voluntarily required that impact hammers, when used, must be equipped with a noise shroud. The CTA decision placed additional restrictions on the use of impact hammers effective December 22, 2009. Impact hammers have not been used at all between December 21 and January 4, 2010, and when work begins again on January 5, shrouded impact hammers will only be used for the limited use permitted by the CTA decision.
The noise mitigation measures have been very effective in reducing the noise disruption, but they have also resulted in a longer construction schedule for Phase 2 works. The pile installation phase was originally projected for completion in December 2009, with the mitigation GO started using in June 2009 and in accordance with the information previously distributed to the community, the piling contract would have been extended. It was anticipated last November that the piling would continue into the summer of 2010 due to the implementation of these mitigation measures. With the recent decision imposed by the CTA, piling will now be complete in late 2010. Following this phase of the project, excavation will occur and the overall project is now scheduled for completion in the fall of 2014.
Construction hours
The use of the vibratory hammer and impact hammers will be restricted to the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays only. Giken technology may operate between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays, and between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
After December 18th, 2009, the use of impact hammers has been limited and will be used only in conjunction with a PTC vibratory hammer or only in exceptional circumstances where no other method is possible.
The CTA decision affects only pile driving activities. Other construction work that does not include pile driving will generally occur between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays, and between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays. On occasion, weekend and/or overnight track work will be required.
March 10, 2010
G. W. wrote:
but my house is shaking so much it feels like it's going to come down i hate my own GOvernment
March 11, 2010
SR wrote:
So sorry .... it's supposed to be better now that they're complying with the CTA ruling.
R. H. wrote:
Dear Mr. Silva,
I am writing to express my concern about the high volume of diesel trains planned to travel through, but not really serve, my neighbourhood as a result of the Pearson Airport rail link. Diesel locomotives are smelly, noisy and polluting, and according to medical experts their exhaust would represent a significant health risk for the residents of all of the neighbourhoods through which this rail corridor passes.
I support improvements to Canada's railway infrastructure, including a Pearson rail link. Rail transportation is the most energy-efficient means of surface transportation. However, it is difficult to understand why diesel locomotives are being chosen over electric.
Countries with the most highly developed rail networks – Japan, for example – use almost exclusively electric trains. Why? Because electric trains are safer, quieter, less polluting, more efficient, and, in the long run, substantially cheaper than diesel.
According to the International Energy Agency, petroleum production is falling in many oil-producing countries, and an irreversible decline in the annual global supply of petroleum is predicted for the not-too-distant future. As petroleum becomes scarcer and more costly to extract and refine, the result will be ever-increasing prices for all petroleum products, including diesel fuel.
We should NOT be investing in a past technology based on non-renewable oil. Instead, we should be investing in a future technology based on electricity.
Electric trains are the only logical choice for the Pearson Airport rail link.
I urge you to show leadership on this local issue which is a very important one to a large number of your constituents.
A. H. wrote:
Thank you to all who have written. Please keep the letters coming!
J. W. wrote:
Just a short note on this thread. If Mario Silva has “always supported the full electrification of the trains that will be running through our community along that corridor” then why wasn’t he at the Human Train rally in September? I asked him this very question on the phone a few days ago and he said he didn’t know about it. Hmmm...Gerard Kennedy knew about it, as did Cheri DiNovo and many others.
S. W. wrote:
Hi everyone,
FYI, here is the text of Mario Silva's office's response to me. I have not been as involved in the campaign as some of you, so I am uncertain about a number of his statements about actions to date; ie, which are correct/exaggerated/questionable, etc. I hope that this will help many of you to discern what further action needs to be taken. I imagine that others also received an identical, or similar response. Just in case, here it is for your review.
His office also included the following attachments which, upon review, only advocate a "review" of the provincial govt's position on the trains. They do not take a firm stance, as has been requested by residents, and contrary to what Mr. Silva says in his email response to me (below): "I have always supported the full electrification of the trains that will be running through our community along that corridor and I will continue to vigorously advocate for this in the future". From the tone of these letters, there doesn't sem to beclear support for electrification, nor vigorous advocacy.
To echo wht A. has said, I would also encourage others to take a few minutes to send a letter to Mr. Silva...even if it means copying and pasting one of the several email letters that have already been sent my members of this group, and adding your name at the bottom. It doesn't have to be a personal letter....it truly is about numbers...showing Mr. Silva's office a trend among residents.
It appears that significant momentum is being developed here. Thanks to all of you who have been taking a lead on this matter over the past year so that folks like me can simply "plug in" to the process along the way. I, for one, am most grateful for your efforts!
Here is the email response:
From the office of Mario Silva, MP - Davenport
Dear S.
Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your concerns about the West-Toronto Diamond Railway Junction. We all know that is a very important issue and it is for this reason that I have been very active in advocating for the best interests of our community with all levels of government, community agencies, individuals and regulatory bodies.
This development in the West-Toronto Diamond Railway Junction has affected all of us in the community. As you will likely know, starting a year ago, noise, vibrations and pollution from the construction of this project itself began to impact residents along the line. In consultation with local residents and business owners with whom I met personally, spoke to on the telephone and communicated via mail, I immediately contacted GO Transit and the Canadian Transportation Authority to address these issues. I also contacted the then Ontario Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Jim Bradley, to impress upon him the need for a resolution of the concerns that residents and I were raising at that time.
In addition to these personal contacts, I also used issued large numbers of mailings from my office to all residents in the community in order to keep them apprised of the status of my inquiries and the additional efforts I was making on their behalf. In subsequent correspondence I also made a point of alerting residents to the contact numbers for the contractor, the Canadian Transportation Agency and the local Member of Provincial Parliament so that they might join me in directly contacting those involved to convey their concerns to them. I updated the community with further mailings after I wrote to the Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Transportation Agency in April and then again in May to follow up on the status of my actions. In my upcoming household mailing, which will go out to every resident of the riding, I will be addressing the situation further to ensure that we're all kept informed.
Most recently, I have been again in contact with the new Ontario Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Kathleen Wynne, and Mr Robert Pritchard, Chief Executive Officer of Metrolinx in an effort to further press for the electrification of the line as opposed to diesel trains. As noted, I have always supported the full electrification of the trains that will be running through our community along that corridor and I will continue to vigorously advocate for this in the future.
Since the beginning of this issue, I have, or in my absence, my staff have attended community meetings at every opportunity and I have heard your concerns and shared mine with residents. On a personal note, as someone who has lived in the riding for over 35 years, who grew up here, went to school here and who continues to make this community my home, these issues that directly impact you also impact me too. I have always been personally gratified that the people of our community of Davenport, my friends and neighbours, have always taken the time to express their appreciation for the work I gladly do on their behalf and which I am deeply honoured to undertake for them.
As someone who has essentially spent their life in this community I am always surprised and dismayed at the fact that none of the other major political parties has saw fit to put forward candidates who, like me, actually live here. I believe it is important that representatives who wish to represent a community actually live in that community so that issues like the one being discussed here is understood and experienced personally not from a strictly political position.
You may be assured that I will continue to work diligently on this issue and others on your behalf because as well as being your issues they are also mine. I sincerely thank you again for taking the time to contact me. For reference, I have attached for your consideration the letter that I wrote to Minister Bradley last March; Mr Geoff Hare, CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency and Premier Dalton McGuinty. Also available upon request are copies of the mailings I sent to residents of the affected areas.
Should you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me or my office again. I am here to continue to proudly serve this wonderful community and together we will ensure we do what is needed to protect it for all of us.
March 12, 2010
From: Clean Train Coalition
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE : CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
This forum, hosted by the City of Toronto, is an opportunity for public discussion of the proposed Metrolinx expansion of the Georgetown South transit line and the rail link from Union Station to Pearson. The Board of Health supports expanded public transit as a way to reduce vehicle traffic, but remains concerned about health risks and air quality impacts predicted with the proposed diesel rail expansion.
Date: Monday, March 22, 2010
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Place: Council Chambers, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street W. Moderator: Eva Ligeti, Executive Director, Clean Air Partnership
Panelists: Gary McNeil, Executive VP, Metrolinx
Minister of the Environment, Ontario (invited)
Prof. Christopher Kennedy, Transportation Infrastructure Expert
Dr. David McKeown, Toronto Medical Officer of Health
Questions from the audience will follow the panel discussion.
This forum is hosted by City Councillors John Filion, Chair of the Toronto Board of Health, and Paula Fletcher, Chair, Parks & Environment Committee.
Everyone is welcome to attend. No registration necessary.
CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!
We need your help to get the word out!
Please help distribute Clean Train flyers to let residents know
about the City's Public Forum on the Metrolinx Proposal.
Please pick up leaflets and route assignment
When:
Monday March 15, 6 - 8 pm
Tuesday march 16, 5 - 7 pm
Where:
86 Brock Ave
(South of Dundas, up the stairs immediately south of the railway bridge)
416.536.9673 416.536.9673
Why: Residents need to know about the City Hall Clean Train Forum on March 22. A big turnout at the Forum is needed AND People need to know that the fight is still on and we can win!
The Clean Train Coalition Progress Report leaflet features both an announcement of the City Hall Forum and a concise report of current campaign issues.
Please take a couple of hours next week to distribute this important message. info@cleantrain.ca http://www.cleantrain.ca
Let's fill the Council Chambers! This is your opportunity to ask questions of Metrolinx officials and show that there is public support for a clean, electric transit vision.
March 15, 2010
D. C. wrote:
On behalf of DIGIN (Dupont Improvement Group:Improving Neighbourhoods) in West Toronto, I wish to state our interest in attending the Metrolinx stakeholder meetings in connection with the expansion of rail service along the Georgetown rail corridor.
DIGIN is a local community group committed to the cultural, social, environmental and economic vitalization of the Bloor Street West neighbourhood and is comprised of residents and various stakeholders in the community.
As the constituents in the Davenport neighbourhoods are very concerned about this issue, I have cc'd the DIGIN membership and our Municipal, Provincial and Federal representatives on this email to keep everyone in the loop on the various initiatives that surround the railway expansion.
I look forward to DIGIN representation at the electrification study consultation.
March 17
From: Clean Train Coalition
CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!
Your help is needed to get the word out!
Please help distribute the attached Clean Train "Progress Report" leaflet.
The leaflet features both an announcement of the City Hall Forum and a concise report of current campaign issues.
Please pick up leaflets and route assignment
When: Friday March 19, 7 - 8 pm
Where: 86 Brock Ave
(South of Dundas, up the stairs immediately south of the railway bridge)
416.536.9673 416.536.9673
Why: Residents need to know about the City Hall Clean Train Forum on March 22.
A big turnout at the Forum is needed AND People need to know that the fight is still on and we can win!
Please take a couple of hours this weekend to distribute this important message.
http://www.cleantrain.ca
Help get the word out - get your neighbours to sign up to http://www.cleantrain.ca
March 21, 2010
From: Clean Train Coalition
Please be reminded of the Public Forum on Diesel vs. Electric Trains at City Hall on Monday, March 22nd at 6:30 in Council Chambers. Please see below for more details. Please wear your Clean Train T-shirt to show your support. If you wish to get a shirt for the meeting, meet Suri and Cherri behind City Hall on Chestnut Street between 5:45 and 6:30pm. $15 per shirt appreciated.
This forum, hosted by the City of Toronto, is an opportunity for public discussion of the proposed Metrolinx expansion of the Georgetown South transit line and the rail link from Union Station to Pearson. The Board of Health supports expanded public transit as a way to reduce vehicle traffic, but remains concerned about health risks and air quality impacts predicted with the proposed diesel rail expansion.
Date: Monday, March 22, 2010
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Place: Council Chambers, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street W. Moderator: Eva Ligeti, Executive Director, Clean Air Partnership
Panelists: Gary McNeil, Executive VP, Metrolinx
Minister of the Environment, Ontario (invited)
Prof. Christopher Kennedy, Transportation Infrastructure Expert
Dr. David McKeown, Toronto Medical Officer of Health
Questions from the audience will follow the panel discussion.
This forum is hosted by City Councillors John Filion, Chair of the Toronto Board of Health, and Paula Fletcher, Chair, Parks & Environment Committee.
Everyone is welcome to attend. No registration necessary.
Let's fill the Council Chambers! This is your opportunity to ask questions of Metrolinx officials and show that there is public support for a clean, electric transit vision.
March 22, 2010
Donna Cowan wrote:
I belive I haven't received any further information about this meeting.
I look forward to receiving it as soon as possible.
Thanks for your immediate attention.
Jim Faught wrote:
Thank you for your interest in the GO Electrification Study to address the GO rail network across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). As one component of the study consultation plan we are bringing together a broad cross section of organizations from across the GTHA to ensure that a diverse range of views and perspectives inform the study. In addition we will be seeking the input from many sectors including: environmental and health, community and land use, economic, system cost, funding, financing and delivery.
The Stakeholder Workshop that you enquired about has limited capacity and is structured to ensure a diverse cross section of interests. We will do our best to continue to accommodate as many as possible and we will contact you as space becomes available.
Other opportunities to participate in the Study will be made available. You are encouraged to forward any comments on the Study to estudy@metrolinx.com
Thank you again for your interest and we look forward to your comments.
Jim Faught on behalf of;
Karen Pitre
Donna Cowan wrote:
Thank you for the reply.
However, I don't believe true community representation has been achieved.
Please outline which community representatives and stakeholders will be present from the Davenport Ward.
The many community groups in this ward are interconnected and share information regularly. At this time we are aware of no representation from the community.