[URBAN NOTE] "Davenport GO train bridge stirs opposition from residents"

[rfmcdonald]

CBC notes continuing controversy at Dupont and Davenport over a new downtown rail crossing.

To the province, a proposed rail overpass just north of Dupont Street is an essential piece of infrastructure, key to expanding GO train service along the busy Barrie line. But for many residents of the Davenport neighourhood, the overpass they're calling a "Gardiner for GO trains" is a bridge too far.

Metrolinx — which manages regional transit for Toronto and Hamilton — will host a public meeting Monday evening to gather public feedback about its plans to build the overpass, which will allow GO trains along the north-sound Barrie line to pass over the Canadian Pacific freight corridor.

The bridge would eliminate the existing Davenport Diamond, where the two rail lines meet at grade level and create, according to Metrolinx, a choke point for train traffic.

Metrolinx is moving ahead with plans to build the bridge despite opposition from some residents who would rather see a tunnel built to separate the rail lines.

"We have a lot of concerns about it, it's going to be elevated three storeys high," said Davenport resident Sam Barbieri Wednesday on CBC Radio's Metro Morning. Barbieri is with the group Options for Davenport, which is opposed to the overpass plan.