Demolition work underway as GO train expansion in Ontario region (slowly) moves forward

The snail’s pace of progress in Metrolinx’s grand plan to extend GO train service to Bowmanville has been upgraded to tortoise speed with demolition work of a Tim Hortons on Simcoe Street in Oshawa (that has been closed for more than a year) now underway.

Delsan AIM Environmental Services began demolition and removal of several properties on the street in late August to make way for tracks leading to the future GO station on First Avenue, just east of the Tim Horton’s restaurant. A two-storey building at 399 Simcoe that housed an insurance company is already gone and other properties on the list include All Canadian Awards (424), Pets Kingdom (426) and a two-storey multiplex at 428 Simcoe St. S.

Oshawa Councillor Brian Nicholson is advising residents to avoid the area, “given the disruptions this will cause” and worries the traffic issues will be much worse if a planned year-long shutdown of Simcoe Street – Oshawa’s main north-south artery – happens later this year.

The closure has not been confirmed by Metrolinx, who pointed to soil testing being done right now on Simcoe Street that will mean some lane closures as the only announced closure of the road.

“That is the only work they are flagging to me right now but if I hear more, can keep you posted,” said a spokesperson.

The word from Oshawa Councillors, however, is that they have been told Simcoe – at least a portion of it between Highway 401 and the planned new GO station off First Avenue – will be shut down for an extended period.

“This will be a major challenge if Simcoe is closed for a year,” said Nicholson, who called on Metrolinx to “do a better job” of consulting with the public.

“This is irresponsible.”

Photo Michelle Brown

In the meantime the buildings along the corridor are being taken down as Metrolinx ramps up to sloth speed to get the four planned new transit stations built, though locals are not convinced the work is progressing fast enough, with one wag on social media noting “Mars will be colonized” before service arrives in Bowmanville.

• Waiting for close to 30 years for a train to Bowmanville…won’t see it for at least 10 years in my opinion – Todd

Others were just happy something was being done, though the threads on Facebook were also chock-full of comments about the more recent history of the Tim Horton’s location, which was frequented by the city’s vulnerable population – many facing homelessness and addiction issues – leading to the restaurant’s closure for “safety reasons” in early 2024 before it was expropriated for the Go train expansion.

It served its last coffee and donuts September 15, 2024.

• It will have a significant impact on the entire area, in good ways – Robert
• It’s time for the GO train to come through to Bowmanville finally – Paul
• Let’s go Oshawa. Good to see the Metrolinx project progressing – Jeff
• This is great for Oshawa long term. There will be much more business activity around the stations and investments will go up. Property values as well. The downtown core obviously needs a rejuvenation – Will
• Oh, if it could talk. Great memories made there – Bev

The new Central GO Station is one of two new stations planned for Oshawa, with the other at Thornton’s Corner, north of the existing Oshawa GO station.

Metrolinx is still working on a new alignment for the tracks that will see the trains swing north from the existing Oshawa GO along a GM spur line to the CPKC tracks on the other side of Highway 401.

The other two stations will be at Courtice and Bowmanville.

Despite Metrolinx not confirming any full closures of Simcoe Street, Oshawa Councillors know the potential for full closures of roads exist and wants to be prepared, passing a motion last month asking the provincial transit agency to work with the city, as well as the Region of Durham and the Ministry of Transportation, to “prudently plan and phase construction activities” to avoid potential full road closures at key bridge crossings along the rail corridor to “minimize impacts on Oshawa residents and businesses.”

Any road closures on Simcoe Street – the city’s north-south “spine” – will cause “excessive delays and long detour routes, lead to increased traffic into residential neighbourhoods and have negative impacts on local businesses, the motion read, with council asking Metrolinx to “work collaboratively” with the city to host public information sessions and engage in “transparent communication” with residents, businesses and city staff.

The motion passed unanimously but Councillor Jim Lee questioned whether it would do any good.

“It’s a feel-good motion but at the end of the day it will accomplish nothing,” he said. “Metrolinx will do what they want to do.”

Metrolinx’s reputation for not completing projects in a timely fashion – see the Eglinton Crosstown in Toronto – may mean the closures will not happen this fall anyway, noted Regional Councillor Tito-Dante Marimpietri.

“It’s supposed to happen in one month according to Metrolinx – but that’s nowhere close to true unless a series of consultation and executions happen … which hasn’t happened,” he said.

The idea to extend GO train service to Bowmanville and build the four new stations along the way, was first floated a dozen years ago and it has been eight years since it was given the official go-ahead.

Work has been sluggish at best since then, though it ramped up a bit this summer, with soil testing, geo-thermal work and new watermains under the Albert Street bridge, but there is still of plenty of bridge and road work to be done, as well as the actual construction of the new stations at Thornton’s Corner, First Avenue, Courtice and Bowmanville.

Demolition of the Simcoe Street bridge over Highway 401. Photo Steve Alford