Junction Triangle

Kristen writes:

"Jeff's documentary Bending the Rails, set here in our neighbourhood, is airing on Rogers at 7 pm on Tuesday, February 14th. Hope you can tune in! [Link to more info on the Rogers TV website]"

If you go to the Rogers website, you can watch a short promo trailer for the film.

Also, in addition to the film, Rogers will feature an interview with Jeff Winch. Tune in if you can!

"Bending The Rails is a documentary by Toronto filmmaker Jeff Winch about a local issue directly affecting The Junction Triangle. The Junction is surrounded by railway lines and the film focuses on the increase of diesel train traffic scheduled to pass through the area. Citizens along the rail corridor want clean electric trains and fear the negative impact toxic diesel pollution will have on their neighbourhoods. Rogers TV presents an in depth interview with Jeff Winch and a screening of his film all in a special one hour presentation."

Here's another opportunity to see local filmmaker Jeff Winch's documentary about the diesel train expansion around our neighbourhood.

Green 13 hosts - Bending the Rails
Sponsored by the Annette Library
Located at: 145 Annette Street
Date: Monday, September 19, 2011
Time: 6:30 pm
Running time: 45 minutes
Q & A with filmmaker Jeff Winch after the screening

Details from the Facebook event page:

Bending the Rails: documentary about the diesel trains

Time: Tuesday, August 30 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Revue Cinema

More Info: Free screening at the Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles) Tuesday August 30 @ 7:00PM. MP Andrew Cash, Councillor Ana Bailão, MPP Cheri DiNovo, filmmaker Jeff Winch and Paul Gorczynski from the office of Peggy Nash will be in attendance. Q&A after screening (running time 45 mins)

The Junction Triangle in Toronto is surrounded by railway lines. Very soon those rails will bring excessive toxic diesel pollution to the neighbourhood, courtesy of the Ontario Government.

Citizens all along the rail corridor want clean electric trains, but Premier Dalton McGuinty isn’t listening.

With government sorely letting it down, the scrappy Junction Triangle fights on.

But the diesel trains are coming closer and time is running out

For more info, contact jw@jeffwinch.com.

The following update is from Metrolinx. You can download a PDF copy of the document here.

The Georgetown South Project will provide infrastructure improvements to meet existing GO Transit ridership demand and future growth. It will also accommodate the new Air Rail Link service between Union Station and Pearson International Airport.

West Toronto Diamond Construction Update:

Road Closure – June 15 to November 15

Public Meeting
Tuesday, June 21, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. (presentation at 7:00 p.m.)
Annette Street Public Library, 145 Annette Street

An update from Metrolinx, regarding their West Toronto Diamond and Georgetown South projects. Recent email update with some details is posted here.

The following update is from Metrolinx. You can download a PDF copy of the document here.

The Georgetown South Project will provide infrastructure improvements to meet existing GO Transit ridership demand and future growth. It will also accommodate the new Air Rail Link service between Union Station and Pearson International Airport.

West Toronto Diamond Construction: Road Closure mid-June to mid-November
A full road closure of Old Weston Road and Junction Road is necessary for pile validation work across the road.
For safety reasons, pedestrian access will also be closed during this time. Signage will be posted prior to the road closure.

Project Description
Work will focus in the Old Weston and Junction Roads area. Soil will be removed from within the pipe piles and replaced with concrete and sealing materials to create water-tight walls for the train underpass. A small number of piles will be replaced using vibration and some impact hammer - similar to the methods used in the latter part of 2010.

Looking Ahead
For two weeks in early July, during CP Rail’s annual track closure, we will complete the pile validation work beneath the connecting tracks. Extended work hours will be needed to complete the work during this tight timeline. We will inform the community of the extended hours prior to work beginning.

Public Meeting
Tuesday, June 21, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. (presentation at 7:00 p.m.)
Annette Street Public Library, 145 Annette Street

The following announcement comes from Metrolinx / GO Transit. You can download the original announcement here (615KB PDF).

Georgetown South Project - Construction Update

The Georgetown South (GTS) Project will provide infrastructure improvements to meet existing GO Transit ridership demand and
future growth. It will also accommodate the new Air Rail Link service between Union Station and Pearson International Airport.

Bloor Street West Bridge
Road Closure: April 30 – May 2

Project Description
Between April 30 and May 2, 2011, a new span will be installed on the east side of the Bloor Street West bridge (near Bloor and
Dundas Streets) to accommodate additional tracks. The work involves modifying the existing concrete abutments and installing
the new span. Most of the work will be from above.

Road closure for installation of the new span

• Full road closure between Dundas Street West and Perth Avenue from Saturday, April 30 at 5 a.m. to Monday, May 2 at 5 a.m.

This visioning study is the result of another student project incorporating an in-depth review of our neighbourhood. Some of the ideas presented here may actually come in handy for the recently approved Local Area Study for Lands Abutting the Rail Corridor in Ward 18.

WEST TORONTO RAIL CORRIDOR VISIONING STUDY

RYERSON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING
ADVANCED PLANNING STUDIO I
WINTER 2011

Dear Friends of Clean Trains,

Many residents along the Georgetown Corridor, specifically between Liberty Village and Weston, are under the impression that we have won the battle on electrification - that they are planning to immediately start electrifying the GO system, starting with the Air Rail Link (ARL) and the Georgetown Corridor - and that we don't need to fight for it anymore. This is completely false and we are taking this opportunity to "debunk the myth."

What Metrolinx is NOT advertising is that their claimed earliest date for ARL electrification is at least 7 to 9 years in the future. Or it could be longer. In real terms, it means that there is NO CHANGE to their plans to build the ARL with diesel engines for the start of service in 2015! Electrification of the line is NOT a given and we still need to press for it to happen. The Pan Am Games, a 2-week event, is just not enough of a reason to go ahead and build a line that will end up costing us more financially and with our health.

Under intense pressure from the Clean Train Coalition and others, Metrolinx has finally acknowledged that electric trains are not only superior in many ways but are also less expensive than diesels. Despite this, the provincial government is still insisting that we need to rush to build a diesel-powered service prior to the Pan Am Games in 2015! They say they will electrify the line later, but there are no firm promises nor dates given. And electrifying later will result in a $400-million-plus penalty to taxpayers!

This is a waste of time and money. We continue to insist that they should build smart regional rail RIGHT the first time. Build the ARL as electric from the start or wait until it can be built right the first time!

Meeting notice from Metrolinx:

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE

DUNDAS WEST-BLOOR MOBILITY HUB STUDY

Metrolinx, an agency of the Province of Ontario, is helping transform the way the region moves by championing and delivering mobility solutions for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).

Background

The Big Move, Metrolinx’s Regional Transportation Plan for the GTHA, imagines a future in which key transit stations become mobility hubs. Mobility hubs consist of major transit stations and the surrounding area. They serve a critical function in the regional transportation system as the origin, destination, or transfer point for a significant portion of trips. They are places of connectivity where different modes of transportation – from walking to riding transit – come together seamlessly and where there is an intensive concentration of working, living, shopping and/or playing.

The Dundas West-Bloor Mobility Hub Study

We are conducting a study on the proposed Dundas West-Bloor Mobility Hub. The study includes the development of a plan to better integrate existing GO Transit and TTC services, as well as provide a design foundation for future major upgrades to GO Transit and TTC service, and a stop on the Union-Pearson Air Rail Link.

The study builds closely on the findings of the Bloor-Dundas Avenue Study prepared by Brook McIlroy and commissioned by the City of Toronto in 2009.

The Open House

You’re invited to attend our open house to find out more about this study.

Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Venue: Lithuanian House, 1573 Bloor Street West