Geotechnical work underway as GO prepares for expansion into Oshawa, Bowmanville
Published September 3, 2021 at 11:26 am
Geotechnical work is underway along the Canadian Pacific-owned part of the rail corridor that eventually will lead to an expanded GO Transit line all the way to Bowmanville.
The work requires borehole drilling and soil testing for the future construction of corridor infrastructure and will be ongoing for the next year.
After several years of debate Metrolinx – the GTA transit arm of the Province – approved the GO Train extension last year that will see two-way, all-day train service into Clarington, with new stations being built at Thornton’s Corner East and Ritson Road and First Avenue (the Knob Hills Farms site) in Oshawa and at Courtice and Bowmanville in Clarington.
Metrolinx weighed several options for making the crossing from the CN rail line south of Highway 401 – the original choice called for the closing of the Oshawa GO Station – before deciding on using the General Motors spur line to cross the highway and link up with the CP line at Thornton Road.
Clarington has been fighting for this expansion for a long time, citing an economic impact study that predicted $1.1 billion investment that would be generated by the project.
The municipality has also been working on plans to bring transit-oriented development to the lands surrounding the two proposed GO stations in Clarington.
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Oshawa, meanwhile, will reap enormous benefits from the expansion, particularly from the construction of the new station on the Knob Hills Farm site, an area that has fallen into neglect but is a gateway to downtown Oshawa.
The extension was to have been operational by 2024 by the pandemic may delay construction.
