GO Transit's promise that it will test less nerve-jangling construction techniques on the Georgetown rail line hasn't quieted the concerns of residents living near the West Toronto Diamond rail expansion.
They have issued a deadline of Friday for GO to cease the ear-splitting, ground-shaking diesel piledriver operation that has been a daily feature of life in the Junction since January.
In a letter last Thursday, residents asked the transit agency to issue a firm schedule today of when and where alternative techniques and noise-baffling measures will be in place.
The construction, which involves driving watertight steel into the ground for a rail tunnel, is part of a massive corridor expansion. The diamond is where two sets of tracks intersect.
If GO doesn't offer a firm commitment, the residents say they will ask the Canadian Transportation Agency for mediation in the dispute, something GO maintains isn't necessary.
Residents also want GO to commit to landscaping the affected areas extensively.
But GO isn't in a position to offer dates or assurances, and it won't stop construction, said Michael Wolczyk, the company's director of rail infrastructure.
"We're not going to suspend the work. We need to finish it. This project has some big benefits for the community ... Every time a freight train goes over it is quite loud. By depressing it, it takes away that pounding, which is noise and vibration with every train."
The project, Wolczyk pointed out, will allow for improved GO service, and delaying it "may not have much in the way of benefits."
Wolczyk also said stopping the use of the diesel hammers on the project is not an option. "What is open is how much they're used, and that's what we're working on."
GO is sympathetic to residents, many of whom complain their homes and businesses are untenable between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Piling isn't uncommon, but the length of this project adds to the frustration, Wolczyk said. GO has reduced construction hours, which legally can extend to evenings and weekends, to accommodate residents' concerns.
Testing of a quieter, computer-controlled vibratory hammer began last Thursday. While early results were favourable, a technician is coming from France this week to help with the equipment, which drives the piles 80 per cent of the way in, with less noise and vibration.
The sound of the vibratory hammer is 85 decibels from 45 metres away; the diesel hammers measure about 100 decibels, Wolczyk said.
GO expects the piling to be done by the end of the year. About 550 of 2,400 piles have already been installed. But if the centre wall of the tunnel can be constructed differently, that number and the timeline could be reduced, Wolczyk said.
"We're hoping to resolve this without the need for this step of mediation," said GO spokesperson Vanessa Thomas.
Under the Canadian Transportation Agency rules, both sides of a dispute must agree to mediation. If they don't, the complainant can ask for adjudication by a CTA panel, spokesperson Marc Comeau said.
Tess Kalinowski
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER (Toronto Star)
In that event, a decision is issued in 120 days. The law around rail noise and vibration has been in effect only about two years, he said.
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The Diamond April 19-09by Transitdrum118507 views
the music is way worse than the banging!
DESO718 5 months ago
ppp
lelic014 1 year ago