Metrolinx: Georgetown South Service Expansion

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Clean Train Update Jan 09

Clean Train Update Jan 09
 
1.  RMRA - Roncey Rocks
 
Members of the Clean Train Coalition will be at Fern Public School participating in "Roncey Rocks," an event organized by the Roncesvalles-Macdonell Residents' Association (RMRA). Come on down and find out about our ongoing activities and check out all the other great organizations working to make Roncesvalles Village and other west-end neighbourhoods wonderful places to live.

 

     Where: Fern Public School 128 Fern Ave [east of Roncey]

     When: Tuesday, January 26, 7-9 pm

2.  Piledriving Update and Call to Action

You may have heard that the Canadian Transportation Authority (CTA) ruled in favour of local residents in the Junction area, and found that GO's diesel piledriving was unreasonable. Following the ruling, Junction residents enjoyed a brief period of peace.
 
Unfortunately, that peace may be short-lived: GO is appealing the ruling, arguing that any delay would impact the timelines for the Georgetown South Expansion. The Georgetown Expansion's dependency on the piledriving is debatable, but residents' need for solidarity with their fellow residents is not. There are two things you can do:

     i) Send an impact statement: Tell them how intolerable the piledriving has been. 

        Impact statements should be sent to or dropped off at:

     Gerard Kennedy Constituency Office

     2849 Dundas Street West
     Toronto, Ontario
     M6P 1Y6
 
* The office is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday but there is a mail slot you can use outside those hours.

      ii) Attend the hearing. A show of force will strengthen residents' chances of maintaining the CTA's   injunction.

     Where: Federal court, 180 Queen Street West, Suite 200

     When: Thursday, January 28, 9:30 a.m.
 

3.  Metrolinx Air Quality Monitoring

Metrolinx is still taking comments on their Air Quality Monitoring Program. Voice your concerns. Tell Metrolinx that you will not settle for anything other than electrified rail service!
 
      Go to: http://www.metrolinx.com/gsse/default.aspx
      When: Comments will be accepted until Jan 31, 2010.
 

4.  Mario Silva at DIGIN

For residents of Davenport and the West Toronto Diamond, here's your chance to press Mario Silva on the rail expansion. We need the Federal Government to step up, and we need all our elected officials to do what we elected them to do: represent our interests.

 Where: Wallace Emerson Community Centre (Ambrico Room)

 When: Tuesday, February 9, 7 p.m.
 
Help get the word out - get your neighbours to sign up to www.cleantrain.ca
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Canadian Transportation Agency Pile Driving Decision

The Canadian Transportation Agency has issued its final decision about Go Transit/Metrolinx and their pile driving work on the West Toronto Diamond Grade Sepearation Project. You might have seen some of the details on the evening news tonight. Here is the link to the news release issued by the Transportation Agency that Go Transit/Metrolinx will have a difficult time putting a positive spin on. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2009/07/c8698.html
Let's hope the measures help people affected by all the noise.

Hello Smog....thanks Dalton

Here is some evidence that the Metrolinx 1890's transit plan is starting to worry people.

http://torontoist.com/2009/08/smog_on_the_horizon.php#_login

Toronto Board of Health Opposes Metrolinx's Plans

So folks we are starting to see that people are figuring out that Metrolinx has a plan that makes no sense and is dangerous to our health. The BOH strengthened their previous position on Metrolinx's plans for the Georgetown corridor.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/651687

Hats off to all the residents of the rail corridor who did a great job expressing our collective support for green transit and our collective opposition to obsolete dirty diesel.

And speaking of the Board of Health meeting, Metrolinx promised to study electrification, but forgot to tell the public that they did a study last year but wont release the details.

Call Tony Ruprecht and ask why. 416-325-7777

Parkdale opposes Metrolinx Diesel plans

Parkdale opposes dirty diesel but loves clean electric:

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/651943

Language

It seems silly that people would refer to dirty diesel and clean coal.
If you want the air to be cleaner, you need to convince people to drive less. Full stop.
The thing I respect about Boone Pickens is that he talks about the energy generation and doesn't avoid inconvenient reality. 'Clean electric' is a deceitful phrase.

Need people out on Tuesday for MetroLinx

Look in the calendar section for details but we could really use a good turnout at the Metrolinx open house. Remember that they gage things by how many people show up to events like this. Ask them the hard important questions like why the entire city should suffer from dirty diesel when the entire world is going electric, or why they are wasting a billion dollars to build the system twice in 20 years. Ask them why they are hiding the service expansion up Campbell from everybody.

GO Construction Noise

There was some discussion about the extended hours of work this past weekend on the "Hook Ave. Pile Drivers" mailing list:
http://focusedcreative.com/pipermail/hookavepiledrivers_focusedcreative....

For anyone who lives close to the West Toronto Diamond construction project, this mailing list is probably the best / fastest place to get up to date info, as many of the nearby residents communicate through it.

Extension Of Noise

I find that GO is starting to push buttons a little too much now. I have noticed they are working later and later every time. During the week they are working past the dinner hour and right now as I write this it is going on 3:00 a.m. Monday morning and they still haven't let up from this weekend. They have to give if they want us to be tolerable. When do we get any rest from this? During they week we can't get peace from them and now they take our weekend and evenings away from us.

GO is buying the corridor

In today's Toronto Star:

http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/615729

GO to pay $160 million for rail line through Toronto TheStar.com - Ontario - GO to pay $160 million for rail line through Toronto
April 08, 2009
THE CANADIAN PRESS

GO Transit has agreed to buy a strategically important rail line that runs through Toronto from Canadian National Railway (TSX: CNR).

The provincially owned commuter service will pay $160 million to buy the track

GO currently runs its Georgetown commuter rail service over the line, which runs from near the lakeshore in downtown Toronto along a northwestern route to connect with CN track in Brampton, Ont.

GO says it will be better able to build new infrastructure and expand its operations by owning the rail corridor.

It says Via passenger trains and CN freight trains will continue to use the line after the ownership changes.

EDIT:

And the GO press release is here:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2009/08/c7954.html