For the GO Transit’s Lakeshore West corridor (West Toronto, Ontario), track time has become more precious than ever as it handles more than 60,000 commuters every working day. With increasing ridership, GO transit planned to add a third track to the corridor. A potential bottleneck to the expansion was the Credit River Bridge, but Western was able to meet the challenge. The method of installation Western proposed to CN and GO Transit provided a safer and more-cost-effective alternative to the more common practice of assembling the bridge over open water. Western made it possible to assemble the bridge safely, a few feet from the ground. The bridge was then hydraulically driven onto four railcars and shunted onto the existing bridge. The 330 Ton bridge was then driven under strand jacks and lowered into place. The installation took five hours as the next train needed to use the track, making the first run of passengers for the day. Using this unique bridge lifting method, a safe solution to installing the bridge was made in a tight window of time without any interruptions to the commuter service. Photos courtesy: H.B. Photo & Western
