GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Without extra parking there won't be people riding those extra trains.

Lakeshore is pretty dead most of the time off peak. On peak it's way over capacity for parking by 7AM at many stations.

Fair, but only Lakeshore has serious off peak service at this point? I think they need to speed up introduction of off peak where they can.

 

[Garuda]

.I don't know who has dibs on the Guelph to Hamilton run,

Perhaps no operator does.

After Greyhound abandoned the North Bay - Ottawa run, Ontario Northland took over the service.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Yes, 100 km is a long way for a commuter train, but even so, 2 hours is a rather long time.

I have been saying for a few years now that Barrie and Kitchener are pushing the boundaries of what a commuter train service. At those distances express trains, provided either by GO or VIA, should be implemented. Not only does this reduce commute times but also creates space on trains further down the line.

 

[TOareaFan]

They should refurbish the tracks so the trains can speed up. Part of the problem is that they are old!.



But here's the thing: All the money they have spent on parking complexes, could have gone to extra tracks on the Milton line or extra capacity on lakeshore. Seems like a waste of time. And people are clamouring for more trains.

Without extra parking there won't be people riding those extra trains.

Lakeshore is pretty dead most of the time off peak. On peak it's way over capacity for parking by 7AM at many stations.

Fair, but only Lakeshore has serious off peak service at this point? I think they need to speed up introduction of off peak where they can.

If I understand this discussion...I am with Megaton327 on this.....people here may not like the construction of parking garages....but what is the point of building extra off peak service on the lines if there is no where for people who might use the service to park their cars....we may not like the idea, but driving and parking is how the vast majority of GO users do (and will) interact with the train service.

 

[steveintoronto]

In ideal conditions, it would take less than half an hour to drive a train from Willowbrook to Ajax. But if I recall correctly, this was the AM rush, so 2 out of the 3 Lakeshore East tracks would be occupied by trains heading westbound into Toronto. The single eastbound track is also used by local trains, so there's a chance you could get stuck behind one. And good luck running an unscheduled train through the congested USRC at rush hour without getting delayed.

First, many thanks for that charting! It clearly makes a number of points, not least that for all intents and purposes, GO could assume VIA's regional runs and match performance even with their present rolling stock. I correlate your stated max speed on the MP40, at least with the final drive ratio and/or speed governor for the GO version.

Interestingly, for the MP 54AC, factory spec is:
Maximum Speed
110 mph

https://www.wabtec.com/uploads/MP54_QuickSpec_B.pdf

But GO state it at "93mph". There must be a governor setting for it, unless GO is ordering a shorter final drive ratio and that's where max revs top out. It would make sense to increase acceleration rate, especially from full stops, in lieu of wasting that potential 17 mph extra, which would be exponentially higher demand to achieve at max speed than 0 - 17 mph at the low end due to resistive forces, so might as well trade off the speed to tractive effort.

You've answered my question though, as I had projected, but this is virtually definitive now.

But if I recall correctly, this was the AM rush, so 2 out of the 3 Lakeshore East tracks would be occupied by trains heading westbound into Toronto.

It was the afternoon eastbound peak.

“Based on the transaction history of your PRESTO card, we saw you were aboard GO Transit’s 16:30 Union to Oshawa train that experienced an engine failure just outside of Ajax Station on Tues., Sept. 27,” the email reads.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...layed-go-train-to-get-100-from-metrolinx.html

We're certainly not going to hear any more from Metrolinx on that, they've paid 'hush money' to the passengers, and will clamp any discussion, but someone, somewhere will write about it. You can bet your Presto magic mouth sealer. It will happen again.

I was surprised to discover that it's actually cheaper to commute from Kitchener on VIA than it is on GO if you make 10-30 trips per month.

Whoa! Can anyone else confirm or deny that?

RE: "Dibs on the Guelph to Hamilton bus route"

Perhaps no operator does. After Greyhound abandoned the North Bay - Ottawa run, Ontario Northland took over the service.

Serendipity/Synchronicity you should mention the ON route north. Being discussed in a new string for bus map routes at this site:
http://urbantoronto.ca/forum/thread...ty-bus-service-in-ontario.26251/#post-1159408

I wondered how I'd missed knowing the ON routes north through Barrie and Orillia. You just explained it!

Reaper and some others would fit well in that string.

 

[steveintoronto]

we may not like the idea, but driving and parking is how the vast majority of GO users do (and will) interact with the train service.

The issue is *paying* for them, and/or paying road tolls in lieu of. Like it or not, Metrolinx is winding down the building of free parking and garages, as stated by Del Duca.

 

[smallspy]

For the Niagara and Brantford VIA services, the "top speed" is the 95 mph speed limit between Aldershot and Mimico. When I've ridden VIA Corridor services, they have indeed cruised at 95 mph (153 km/h), but bizarrely when I've ridden the VIA/Amtrak Maple Leaf along the same stretch, it's only gone 80 mph (130 km/h), even when behind schedule. I know it's not an equipment limitation because the same train gets up to 110 mph (177 km/h) in upstate New York.

It is an equipment limitation. Or I guess, more specifically, a limitation due to a lack of equipment.

Amtrak equipment is not allowed to exceed 79mph unless there is some sort of wayside system to enforce signal indications. Amtrak's ACSES and PTC installations meet this requirement (as did Sante Fe's ATS, when it was still active). As there is no such equipment installed in Canada (or even most of the Empire Corridor north of Albany), the equipment then reverts back to its 79mph maximum.

VIA's equipment has no such equipment installed, and thus there is no speed limitation on the equipment until you get to the overspeed of the locomotive, 110mph.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[Megaton327]

I drove past Gormley GO Station on Stouffville Rd the other day--I was driving so I only glanced at it briefly, but it looked pretty much complete. It was night and the parking lot lights were all on--that's what drew my attention--the lot looked good, I saw passenger shelters and I think the station building as well. From my quick glance it looked like it should be on track to open shortly, let's home it still makes December.

 

[Fritter]

I drove past Gormley GO Station on Stouffville Rd the other day--I was driving so I only glanced at it briefly, but it looked pretty much complete. It was night and the parking lot lights were all on--that's what drew my attention--the lot looked good, I saw passenger shelters and I think the station building as well. From my quick glance it looked like it should be on track to open shortly, let's home it still makes December.

A little birdy told me that Gormley is one GO construction project that was actually completed early!

 

[reaperexpress]

It is an equipment limitation. Or I guess, more specifically, a limitation due to a lack of equipment.

Amtrak equipment is not allowed to exceed 79mph unless there is some sort of wayside system to enforce signal indications. Amtrak's ACSES and PTC installations meet this requirement (as did Sante Fe's ATS, when it was still active). As there is no such equipment installed in Canada (or even most of the Empire Corridor north of Albany), the equipment then reverts back to its 79mph maximum.

VIA's equipment has no such equipment installed, and thus there is no speed limitation on the equipment until you get to the overspeed of the locomotive, 110mph.

Very interesting, thanks for the info! I knew that Canada is a lot more lax than the United States when it comes to signaling requirements, but it never occurred to me that American trains had that built in.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

If I understand this discussion...I am with Megaton327 on this.....people here may not like the construction of parking garages....but what is the point of building extra off peak service on the lines if there is no where for people who might use the service to park their cars....we may not like the idea, but driving and parking is how the vast majority of GO users do (and will) interact with the train service.

I don't agree. Right now off peak, it's bus to bus. (Brampton, YRT, MiWay to GO Bus.) This makes it look like GO transit is doing nothing at all.

The issue is *paying* for them, and/or paying road tolls in lieu of. Like it or not, Metrolinx is winding down the building of free parking and garages, as stated by Del Duca.

Agreed.

 

[Amare]

A little birdy told me that Gormley is one GO construction project that was actually completed early!

That's impressive! Meanwhile at Burlington GO....

 

[TOareaFan]

I don't agree. Right now off peak, it's bus to bus. (Brampton, YRT, MiWay to GO Bus.) This makes it look like GO transit is doing nothing at all.

Agreed.

I really have no idea what you just said.

 

[TransitBart]

I drove past Gormley GO Station on Stouffville Rd the other day--I was driving so I only glanced at it briefly, but it looked pretty much complete. It was night and the parking lot lights were all on--that's what drew my attention--the lot looked good, I saw passenger shelters and I think the station building as well. From my quick glance it looked like it should be on track to open shortly, let's home it still makes December.

This is very exciting. Is the construction visible at Bloomington Side Road visible to the west of 404 the beginnings of the Bloomington Station? If so, it is also well underway.

 

[Megaton327]

This is very exciting. Is the construction visible at Bloomington Side Road visible to the west of 404 the beginnings of the Bloomington Station? If so, it is also well underway.

I've seen that too--pretty sure it is. Certainly looks like a big parking lot is being laid out. Not sure I'd call that "well underway", though, based on what I saw