HomeMy WebLinkAboutPD-199-90 TOWN OF NEWCASTLE
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METING. General Purpose and Administration Committee
DATE: Monday, June 4, 1990
REPORT #: PD-199-90 FILE #:
S(JB,ECT: E%TENSION OF GO RAIL SERVICE TO BOWMANVILLE
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and
Administration Committee recommend to Council the following:
1. THAT Report PD-199-90 be received;
2 . THAT the Ministry of Transportation be requested to initiate a
Corridor Overview Study or other appropriate studies under the
Environmental Assessment Act to establish full GO Rail service to
the Bowmanville Urban Area and identify station locations
consistent with the current technically preferred route through the
City of Oshawa.
3 . THAT GO Transit, the Ministry of Transportation and the Region of
Durham be so advised and forwarded a copy of Report PD-199-90.
1. REPORT
1. 1 On April 24, 1990, the Honourable Robert Nixon, Treasurer of
Ontario, announced the extension of GO Rail service to Bowmanville,
Barrie and Guelph. The extension of service to Bowmanville would
be an interim measure providing a single train operating in the
morning and afternoon peak periods on the CNR mainline. Under this
scenario, the train originating in Bowmanville would stop in Oshawa
and Pickering terminating at Union Station. (It would not stop in
Whitby or Ajax since these stations are located on a separate
dedicated track. ) Go transit officials have advised Town Staff
that CNR officials are reviewing the operational requirements . The
) ( . . . .2
REPORT NO. : PD-199-90 PAGE 2
actual station site is under study and no decision has been made
at this time. In order to expedite the extension of this service
and given the limited scale of the service under consideration, GO
Transit has requested an exemption from the Environmental
Assessment Act.
1.2 The current undertaking is viewed as an interim measure until
provision of full service can be provided on a dedicated track
separate from CNR or CPR. The Ministry of Transportation is
presently pursuing the necessary studies to enable the extension
of services to Oshawa. This requires a complete analysis under the
Environmental Assessment Act. In order to facilitate this, the
Ministry is completing the work in two stages.
The first stage involves the laying of double track to an improved
Oshawa VIA Station with all the necessary grade separations . Given
that the alignment proceeds through an industrial area within an
existing rail corridor and adjacent to a major freeway, few
environmental concerns are anticipated.
The second stage involves the extension of services through to the
easterly end of Oshawa. The current technically preferred route
through Oshawa would see the GO rail alignment switch northerly to
the CPR right-of-way with two permanent station sites, one south
of the Oshawa Centre and one near the Holiday Inn on Bloor Street.
This is more technically complicated and will take some time to
resolve the environmental impacts.
1.3 The provision of the full GO Rail service to Bowmanville is desired
by both Regional and Town Councils . The interim service along the
CNR alignment is not consistent with the technically preferred
route through Oshawa for the permanent service. Staff are
concerned that the Province should initiate the appropriate
planning studies to provide for the full service to Bowmanville
including a detailed examination of potential GO Train station
. . . .3
REPORT NO. : PD-199-90 PAGE 3
sites . Given the residential development presently under
consideration, there is a danger that the most appropriate station
sites in Bowmanville may be pre-empted if such as study is not
undertaken shortly. Once completed, such a study would enable the
Town to plan for and protect the appropriate station site.
Respectfully submitted, Recommended for presentation
to the Committee
AY-
Fr klin Wu, M.C. I.P. Lawrence E. Kotseff
Director of Planning Chief Administrative
and Development Officer
DC*FW*cc
*Attach
30 May 1990
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