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CN Halton Subdivision

The CN Halton Subdivision is a major railway line in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway (CN).

Route description
The Halton Subdivision is long and runs generally northeast–southwest. Milepoint 0 is in Vaughan, at the line's junction with the CN York Subdivision near CN's MacMillan Yard. Goreway (milepoint 8.8) marks the beginning of the wye that leads to CN's Brampton Intermodal Terminal. Exiting the wye, the next significant feature is CN's Malport Yard at milepoint 9.7. At Torbram (milepoint 10.5) the main line crosses over Torbram Road while a lead track curves to the east to meet the Weston Subdivision. The main line curves to the west and meets with the Weston Subdivision at Halwest (milepoint 11.1). These tracks along with the section of the Weston Subdivision between the two junctions form a wye known as Halwest Junction, which straddles the Mississauga–Brampton municipal boundary. Continuing approximately west by south, the line passes under and Bramalea Road, then reaches at milepoint 11.6. It passes under Steeles Avenue East immediately west of the station, then over Dixie Road through a heavily industrialized area of Brampton, with numerous industrial spurs junctioning with the main line. It then passes under West Drive and and over Rutherford Road South and Kennedy Road South. At Peel (milepoint 14.3), the line crosses over Centre Street South and then Etobicoke Creek, before reaching one of its last remaining level crossings in the Brampton–Mississauga area, at John Street. It then crosses over Queen Street East, Union Street, and Main Street North before arriving at Brampton, which is milepoint 15.4. West of the station, it crosses Mill Street North at grade before reaching a diamond crossing with the Orangeville-Brampton Railway (OBRY) at milepoint 15.6. It crosses over Fletcher's Creek and McLaughlin Road North, then under Chinguacousy Road, Williams Parkway, and Bovaird Drive West, before arriving at and milepoint 18.9 (Norval, distinct from the community of Norval to the southwest). After crossing Mississauga Road at grade, it enters farmland, crossing Heritage Road and Winston Churchill Boulevard (which marks the Peel–Halton regional boundary) at grade. It reaches the Credit River at milepoint 22.5, crossing it and passing under Maple Avenue and Mountainview Road North before arriving at , which is milepoint 23.5. Immediately to the west of Georgetown is Silver Junction at milepoint 24.1, which is where the Halton Subdivision connects to the Guelph Subdivision, the latter of which continues on with a slight southerly curve. The Halton Subdivision crosses Main Street North and curves significantly southwards, crossing over Princess Anne Drive, then crossing Trafalgar Road and 17 Side Road at grade to the west of their intersection. It crosses Black Creek, then reaches Stewarttown at milepoint 26.4 before crossing 15 Side Road at grade immediately west of its intersection with Sixth Line. It curves slightly west, crossing Fifth Line, then reaches Speyside at milepoint 28.0 before crossing Middle Sixteen Mile Creek twice. It crosses Fourth Line at grade, then curves slightly southward, crosses 10 Side Road, and curves east, reaching the municipal boundary between Halton Hills and Milton at a level crossing with 5 Side Road and arriving at Mansewood, which is milepoint 32.3. James Snow Parkway passes over it with a bridge as it passes through an industrial area of Milton, with several industrial spurs. The line passes under and curves to the west, arriving at Milbase, which is milepoint 34.3. It curves east again before crossing over Steeles Avenue East and the Canadian Pacific Railway's Galt Subdivision, which is CP's mainline connecting Toronto and Southwestern Ontario. The line continues southeast through a residential area of Milton, crossing over Main Street West and Derry Road, then under Louis St. Laurent Avenue. Returning to farmland, it crosses Britannia Road at grade and reaches Ash (linked to the planned CN Milton Logistics Hub) at milepoint 39.5. It then crosses Lower Base Line West at grade before curving nearly due south and crossing Tremaine Road at grade. It crosses Side Road 1 (also the Milton–Burlington municipal boundary) at grade, then passes over and Bronte Creek, reaching Tansley at milepoint 43.1. Running through a suburban area of Burlington, it passes under Dundas Street, then over Sheldon Creek, Appleby Line, the Upper Middle Road, Appleby Creek, Shareacres Creek, and crossing Mainway at grade, curving slightly west. It reaches an industrial area of Burlington, then crosses over Walkers Line and Tuck Creek, continuing to curve west. Nearing its terminus, it runs parallel to the Queen Elizabeth Way, crossing under Guelph Line, North Service Road, and then the Queen Elizabeth Way itself as it curves south and west again, crossing under Plains Road East and over Brant Street to meet the CN Oakville Subdivision at Burlington West junction at milepoint 49.4, the southern terminus of the line, which is directly southwest of the Burlington GO station. ==History==
History
Precursor lines North Main Line section The east–west-aligned middle section of the Halton Subdivision was built in the 1850s by the Grand Trunk Railway. Initially a line to the villages of Weston and Georgetown west of Toronto, it was extended through Guelph and Kitchener (then known as Berlin) by 1856, Its part of the Brampton Subdivision was managed under CN's Stratford Division. running northeast to the newly opened MacMillan Yard. CN began the first recognizable commuter services along the line in the 1950s between Guelph and Toronto, with one eastbound morning run and a westbound afternoon return. By the end of the 1970s, all remaining Canadian National passenger services were either discontinued or transferred to a new crown agency, Via Rail. Hamilton and North-Western section The southern section of the Halton Subdivision, between Georgetown and Burlington West, was formerly a part of the Hamilton and North-Western Railway. That section of the line opened to traffic around 1876, and at its fullest extent, reached as far as Barrie. It became known as the CN Milton Subdivision. ==Operations==
Operations
The Halton Subdivision is Canada's fourth busiest rail line by volume of traffic. It is considered a major freight artery which is "important for both CN freight operations and the overall Ontario economy," according to a 2021 Metrolinx report. It is used by both freight and passenger trains, though much of the line is used exclusively for freight. The section used for passenger service is an east–west stretch (part of the historic CN North Main Line) running through Brampton and Halton Hills. , passenger services along the line consist of Via Rail's daily intercity Toronto–Sarnia train (part of the Québec City–Windsor Corridor), which stops at the Brampton and Georgetown railway stations, as well as weekday regional/commuter trains operating as part of GO Transit's Kitchener line, which also stop at and . By 2021, Metrolinx had decided against pursuing the freight bypass in favour of greater co-production with CN in utilizing the existing line. In 2019, boardings at stations on the Halton Subdivision increased from 10,590 to 11,080 per weekday compared to 2018, an increase of . 1,140 of these were on newly added train trips. ==Facilities==
Facilities
Major facilities include the Malport Freight Yard in Malton, the Brampton Intermodal Terminal in Brampton, and intersections with several other rail lines, including the Orangeville Brampton Railway. Located next to the subdivision at 7 Blair Drive (former Debro Steel) is Alstom's final assembly plant for Alstom Citadis Spirit LRVs for the Finch West, Hurontario, and Eglinton Crosstown light rail lines. ==See also==
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