HomeMy WebLinkAboutDSD-2021-174 - Transfer of Jurisdiction - Duke St W between Victoria St and the Rail CorridorREPORT TO:Community & Infrastructure Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING:November 8, 2021
SUBMITTED BY:Barry Cronkite, Director, Transportation Services,
519-741-2200ext. 7738
PREPARED BY:Barry Cronkite, Director, Transportation Services,
519-741-2200ext. 7738
WARD(S) INVOLVED:Ward 10
DATE OF REPORT:October 21, 2021
REPORT NO.:DSD-2021-174
SUBJECT:Transfer of Jurisdiction -Duke St Wbetween Victoria Street and the Rail
Corridor
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That Council support the assumptionof Duke St between Victoria St and the rail corridor
bythe Regionof Waterloo;and further,
That Council support the inclusion of an active transportation underpass on Duke Street
atthe rail corridorthat connects the adjacent neighbourhood to downtown and the
King/Victoria Transit Hub
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:
The purpose of this report isto support the assumption of Duke Streetbetween Victoria
Street and the rail corridor by the Region of Waterloo.
The key finding of this report isthat it is necessary to close Duke Street at the rail corridor
to support higher order rail transit
There are no financial implications.
Community engagement includeda public meeting hosted by Metrolinx with the directly
affected neighbourhood in 2019.
This report supports People-friendly Transportationand Environmental Leadership.
BACKGROUND:
On May 7, 2018, Council passed a motion thatcalledupon political parties atalllevels of
government to remain committed tobringingboth two-way all-day GO rail service from Toronto
to Kitchener by 2024and Canada' s first high-speed rail line from Toronto to London by 2025.
The King/Victoria Transit Hub (KVTH) site is a key component of thosecommitments.The
KVTH site is planned to be a mobility hub,connecting the Regionof Waterlooto Torontothrough
higher order transit service. It is expected that passengers will connectseamlessly through the
co-location of ION,GO Transit(rail and bus service), VIA rail service, intercity bus, passenger
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vehicles and GRT. Metrolinx is completing needed corridor improvementsto accommodate
enhanced speed and frequency of the Kitchener line GO service,. The shared
municipal/regional/provincial vision is that Kitchener GO expansion will transform the line into a
truly frequent rapid transit experience and feed directly into/through the Region’s transit hub and
transform the way people move through not only Waterloo Region, but southern Ontario.
REPORT:
Two-way, all-day service to Kitchener requires new infrastructure at key locations alongthe
corridor and creates interface challenges between the rail operations and public rights of way.
One of the primary challenges is the at-grade rail crossing of Duke Street W. The typical GO
trainused along the lineis 12 cars long and needs a platform approximately 315 metres in length
to accommodate access to those cars.By accommodatingaplatformof that sizeat the
King/Victoria transit hub, the train would extend into the Duke Street right of way, as shown in
figure 1.
Figure 1
Train length at Platform
An alternative alignment wasconsidered that could have lessened the impact on Duke Street
and would have seen the train pushed beyondKing Street.However,locating the platformmore
westerly would force the realignment of a spur rail line adjacent to Victoria Park, and require
property purchases thatwouldaffect several properties. Ultimatelythealternative alignment
was screened out through the assessment process.
Metrolinx held apublic meeting was held on November 28, 2019to share thefuturerailcorridor
design, including the closure of Duke Street between Victoria Street and the rail corridor. 37
residents as well as local media outlets attended the meeting.Generally, the public was
supportive of higher order transit, but concerned about theimpacts the closure would have on
the neighbourhoodand wanted to ensure appropriate mitigation measures were considered.
Through thorough analysis, Metrolinx screened outthe feasibility of an under/overpass for
vehicular traffic given significant geometric constraints. Additionally, a traffic study was
completed that demonstrates that there is sufficient vehicular capacity within the street network
to accommodate the closure with limited impact to the adjacent neighbourhood.From a vehicle
capacity and safety standpoint, the closure of Duke Street can be accommodated.
While vehicular transportation can be accommodated, concerns werealsoraised by the City of
Kitchener and members of the community around pedestrian and bicycle access from the Mount
Hope Breithaupt neighbourhood and the downtown. This has already been exacerbated by the
closure of Waterloo Street and Ahrens Street; both of which will remain closed in the future. A
feasibility assessment of a pedestrian and cyclist link under the rail corridor at Duke Street has
been completed and is included in preliminary designsprovided to staff by Metrolinx. The
inclusion of this connection is very important to ensure that active transportation and connection
to the downtown is maintained in order to move towards achieving Council’s stated target of an
80 per cent greenhouse gas reduction target by 2050.Staff at both the City and the Region of
Waterloo consider an active transportation corridor with direct connection to the rail platforms a
necessarycomponent of the overall design and a requirement of theclosure of Duke Street
between Victoria Street and the rail corridor.
In order to facilitate the closure ofDuke Street between Victoria Street and the rail corridor,
Region of Waterloo staff (in consultation with City staff) have proposed anapproach thatwould
see the portion of Duke Street between the rail corridor and Victoria Street both assumedand
closedbythe Region of Waterloo. In this approach,any remaining right of way wouldbe used
to provide direct access to the King/Victoria transit hub.This approach would also see the
inclusion of a pedestrian/cyclist underpass with proposed access directly to the rail platforms. It
is worth noting that as per the Municipal Act, an upper tier municipalityhas the authorityto
assume roadways that are currently within the lower tier’sjurisdiction.
It is staff’s understanding that the Region does not intend to immediately close DukeStreet at
this timebut would do so upon commencement of track improvementsby Metrolinx.Legal
Services and Transportation Services staffsupport theRegionassumingthisportionofDuke
Streetasproposed. StaffarethereforerecommendingthatCouncil support the assumptionof
theportionofDuke StreetfromVictoriaStreetto the rail corridor bytheRegionalMunicipalityof
Waterloo.Staff will continue to work with both the Region of Waterloo and Metrolinx to ensure
all future infrastructure easements and an active transportation corridorare included within the
Duke Street corridor.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This report supports People-friendly Transportation.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Capital Budget–The recommendation has no impact on the Capital Budget.
Operating Budget–The recommendation has noimmediateimpact on the Operating Budget,
however the inclusion of an active transportation corridor in future works will require analysis to
better understand the associated operatingcosts.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM –This report has been posted to the City’s website with the agenda in advance of the
council / committee meeting.
CONSULT –A meeting was held (hosted by Metrolinx) with the community in 2019 (prior to the
pandemic) to discuss the potential closure of Duke St. Generally, the public was supportive of
higher order transit, but concerned of the impacts the closure would have on the neighbourhood.
Subsequently, a traffic study was completed that demonstrates that there is sufficient capacity
within the street network to accommodate the closure with limited impact to the adjacent
neighbourhood
COLLABORATE –Staff from the City of Kitchener, Region of Waterloo and Metrolinx continue
to meet regularly regarding ongoing plansand designs to ensure community needs are being
met.
APPROVEDBY: Justin Readman, General Manager, Development Services