All safety rules and guidelines have been adhered to in the design of the proposed track extension of GO tain to Bowmanville, according to Metrolinx, operator of GO Transit.
“It is important to note that the statements made are not accurate. Safety is our highest priority and project designs are always meticulously reviewed by internal and external experts throughout the project’s lifecycle,” said Metrolinx.
An engineer had raised concerns that the proposed extension has tight railway curves with steep grades leaving or approaching Oshawa station to and from the east. “There are concerns that a westbound GO train approaching the existing Oshawa Station may derail ending up on the CNR mainline tracks in front of an approaching freight train,” Jim McEwen, told Durham Post.
“The safety concerns raised are not accurate. The preliminary design for the Bowmanville Extension rail alignment has been developed and approved by professional engineers and will meet all operational safety standards. The Bowmanville Extension adheres to the appropriate GO standards, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern standards, American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association recommendations, among other applicable design standards and guidelines, and meets rigorous safety requirements,” said a Metrolinx response.
It pointed out that before construction begins, all designs are approved, signed, and sealed by professional engineers licensed to practice in Ontario. “At each design milestone, the design undergoes a thorough technical review by internal and external stakeholders prior to proceeding. These internal and external stakeholders review the design based on technical, constructability, maintenance, and safety factors. Moreover, Metrolinx also has a thorough commissioning process before any track is put into service.”
Transparency
The train operator also countered the allegation that the Stantec EA Addendum Report fails to include correspondence received by Metrolinx from the public over the past 12 months, in contravention of industry standards.
It said the Metrolinx correspondence in the addendum report included community emails relevant to the Environmental Project Report (EPR) Addendum dating back to 2021. These were included in the report appendix. “You can view public correspondence here in Appendix B4. During the 30-day public review period and once the EPR was finalized, comments, concerns or objections received by Metrolinx’s Durham Community Engagement team were also submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks as required,” said Metrolinx.
The ministry has cleared the project (see below).
Public input
Metrolinx also refuted the charge that public was denied input in that on February 20, 2020, the Metrolinx board adopted the new Option 2 solution and all before completing an EA Addendum and engaging with Durham’s citizens on this major change in track alignment in west Oshawa.
“During the Initial Business Case process, Metrolinx conducted an extensive engagement process to source feedback from the community on four proposed alignment options being considered. Based on this evaluation and input from the community, the alignment extending a new connection from Metrolinx’s GO Subdivision at Durham College Oshawa GO Station through the CPKC rail corridor to Bowmanville was recommended,” said Metrolinx.
It explained that based on the advancement of the design, it was determined that an EPR Addendum was also required to assess environmental impacts that were not assessed in the initial Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) EPR in 2011. In accordance with the TPAP, the EPR Addendum does not evaluate new or additional options and is not intended to be a thorough consultation on technical design specifications, but rather identifies environmental impacts and potential mitigation measures of the preferred option from the IBC.
“Metrolinx always consults with the public on all of our transit projects and will continue to do so throughout the development of the Bowmanville Extension,” the company said.
“As the Durham region expands, it’s vital that our transit services keep up with growing populations within our community by offering faster and more frequent rail service beyond Oshawa through the Bowmanville Extension. Expanded service will reduce commuters’ travel time by an average of 15 minutes from Bowmanville to Union Station,” it added.
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At a slow enough speed, for example 10km/h, even track in need of serious maintenance, like the Yonge line right now, can be deemed safe. The question is what is the speed going to be over this stretch of track, how does that compare to other stretches of track on the line, and a question of whether or not that is reasonable.