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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)
- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
Jonny5
Senior Member
mdrejhon
Senior Member
I'm on the same train too.
I witnessed a lot of people cram into the 17:43 LSW train, including people wearing Canada T-Shirts. That train looked like it was packed (~3000 people). People clearly didn't know about the West Harbor express, and don't yet associate West Harbor with Hamilton (yet).
Metrolinx/GO -- please make a public announcement over the intercom on the 17:37 train and the 17:43 train -- that there's an express GOtrain to Hamilton's brand new GO station. This will relieve overcrowding on the non-PanAm trains. I even saw people disembarking the train.
I witnessed a lot of people cram into the 17:43 LSW train, including people wearing Canada T-Shirts. That train looked like it was packed (~3000 people). People clearly didn't know about the West Harbor express, and don't yet associate West Harbor with Hamilton (yet).
Metrolinx/GO -- please make a public announcement over the intercom on the 17:37 train and the 17:43 train -- that there's an express GOtrain to Hamilton's brand new GO station. This will relieve overcrowding on the non-PanAm trains. I even saw people disembarking the train.
mdrejhon
Senior Member
UPDATE
A GO ambassador ran the whole train confirming everyone whether we wanted to go to West Harbour.
I told (wrote) this guy:
I rarely see the all-stop 17:37 and the 17:43 as crowded as I saw it was, so there had to be a little PanAm overflow crammed into there.
A GO ambassador ran the whole train confirming everyone whether we wanted to go to West Harbour.
I told (wrote) this guy:
He confirmed and said he will call the 17:37 and 17:43 tomorrow, to make sure they do the public announcement about this West Harbour train. If the train is a little bit busier with a few dozen more tomorrow, you can blame me!Mark Rejhon said:
I rarely see the all-stop 17:37 and the 17:43 as crowded as I saw it was, so there had to be a little PanAm overflow crammed into there.
nfitz
Superstar
Wow ... worse than I thought. Far more on the Sunday train to West Harbour. Perhaps running it as an express was a mistake. I'm sure you'll tell us what time it pulls into West Harbour ... I have a hard time seeing why it's so slow, unless it's stuck behind a local.
mdrejhon
Senior Member
I tweeted to GOTransit, they responded.
So two different people at GO now has heard my suggestion loud and clear. There is only 1 other person on my coach at the moment, so we can't let this valuable resource go to waste. It's a rare gem to see a non-stop express train heading to Hamilton.
It probably uses a conservative 70 minute journey time as a large built-in safety margin for delays, but let's see if this train arrives early.
STATUS: 5:55pm
- Start. West Harbor express left 5 minutes late
STATUS 6:25pm
- We've passed Oakville already.
- It appears to be making up time already.
- Speed peaked 135kph according to iPhone GPS speedometer, usually 120kph
STATUS 6:30pm
- Passed Appleby at 102kph
STATUS: 6:35pm
- Passed Burlington at 63kph
- Passed IKEA (between Burlington and Aldershot) at 102kph
- 40 minutes since leaving Union.
STATUS: 6:38pm
- Passed Aldershot at 58kph
- 43 minutes since leaving Union.
STATUS: 6:42pm
- Beautiful bay view to the left side of the train. Moving freight train on right side.
- Then another GO train passed us on the right at the same time.
STATUS: 6:44pm
- Crossing the Bayview and Hamilton Junctions at 37kph
- I see the West Harbor parking garage construction crane now. ETA 6:50?
STATUS: 6:46pm
- Crawling through waterfront CN railyard at 20kph. Parked GOtrain is currently in the CN rail yard. (layover?)
STATUS: 6:50pm
- I see the West Harbour GO platform now.
STATUS: 6:51pm
- We've stopped at West Harbor GO.
- Time elapsed: 0:56 from Union-Hamilton
Left 5 minutes late, arrived 9 minutes early.
So two different people at GO now has heard my suggestion loud and clear. There is only 1 other person on my coach at the moment, so we can't let this valuable resource go to waste. It's a rare gem to see a non-stop express train heading to Hamilton.
It probably uses a conservative 70 minute journey time as a large built-in safety margin for delays, but let's see if this train arrives early.
STATUS: 5:55pm
- Start. West Harbor express left 5 minutes late
STATUS 6:25pm
- We've passed Oakville already.
- It appears to be making up time already.
- Speed peaked 135kph according to iPhone GPS speedometer, usually 120kph
STATUS 6:30pm
- Passed Appleby at 102kph
STATUS: 6:35pm
- Passed Burlington at 63kph
- Passed IKEA (between Burlington and Aldershot) at 102kph
- 40 minutes since leaving Union.
STATUS: 6:38pm
- Passed Aldershot at 58kph
- 43 minutes since leaving Union.
STATUS: 6:42pm
- Beautiful bay view to the left side of the train. Moving freight train on right side.
- Then another GO train passed us on the right at the same time.
STATUS: 6:44pm
- Crossing the Bayview and Hamilton Junctions at 37kph
- I see the West Harbor parking garage construction crane now. ETA 6:50?
STATUS: 6:46pm
- Crawling through waterfront CN railyard at 20kph. Parked GOtrain is currently in the CN rail yard. (layover?)
STATUS: 6:50pm
- I see the West Harbour GO platform now.
STATUS: 6:51pm
- We've stopped at West Harbor GO.
- Time elapsed: 0:56 from Union-Hamilton
Left 5 minutes late, arrived 9 minutes early.
Last edited:
mdrejhon
Senior Member
I am home now. I am pleased to report that elevator is now functioning at West Harbour.
The bathroom was also impeccably clean, as well.
Thankfully, the asphalt at James Street North looks like it is temporary. They had to do that for a section of Queens Quay until after Pan Am before installing accent work.
The speedy train was shamefully empty though. Hamilton in less than an hour. I told the PanAm booth that they needed to do better messaging at Union to get people to board the West Harbor train.
The bathroom was also impeccably clean, as well.
Thankfully, the asphalt at James Street North looks like it is temporary. They had to do that for a section of Queens Quay until after Pan Am before installing accent work.
The speedy train was shamefully empty though. Hamilton in less than an hour. I told the PanAm booth that they needed to do better messaging at Union to get people to board the West Harbor train.
nfitz
Superstar
I have to say, that I was quite impressed with the layout of the new West Harbour station. All the elevation change is dealt with right a t the platform stairs (which didn't seem that bad when climbing) and then the plaza south of the station connecting to James Street seemed quite well done!
mdrejhon
Senior Member
I actually ran into an UrbanToronto member at West Harbour plaza (you know who you are). He says the plaza looks ugly.
I said it did not look too bad, considering the state of Oakville, Burlington and Aldershot -- compared to those -- West Harbour is much better. He agreed.
I said it did not look too bad, considering the state of Oakville, Burlington and Aldershot -- compared to those -- West Harbour is much better. He agreed.
smallspy
Senior Member
Except that there aren't. There are about 23 12-car trains scheduled for service, and about 21 of them are stored overnight and on weekends in locations that are not Willowbrook (8 at Milton, 2 in Barrie, 4 in Hamilton, 4 in Stouffville, 2 at Henry St. and 1 at Oshawa).
On weekends, the 2 trains (of 3 total) at Henry St. and the one (of 2) at Oshawa are put into service, and are run in such a way that they end up in Willowbrook on either Saturday night or Sunday night, so that they can be cleaned/inspected/serviced. And to replace them, 3 other 12 car trains have to be put into service, so that they are where they need to be on Monday morning.
Dan
Toronto, Ont.
AlbertHWagstaff
Senior Member
Thanks for the info. There are usually only two or three 12-car sets parked at Willowbrook in the late evenings so that all makes sense.
TOareaFan
Superstar
I am sure that the crowds we are seeing in certain places are a logistic nightmare.....what with PanAm events, Gold Cup at BMO Field and a Def Leppard show at the Ampitheatre I am sure it is a mess.......but tweeting this out just before 10 seems to be a poor decision.
GO Transit @GOtransit 4m4 minutes ago
To help manage Pan Am and concert crowds @ Exhibition Place tonight, there will be no public access through Pan Am Park after 10pm. (1/2)
Aside from the obvious inconvenience to the folks coming out of the concert and having to walk around the grounds to get to streetcars and GO Trains it could bring some safety issues.
1. ppl who don't know they can't walk through the grounds may only find out as the approach or get on the bridge over lakeshore and turning back into a crowd can cause issues
2. ppl trying to get to streetcars and EB GO trains may walk to the north side of tracks and try to cut back through the tunnel at the GO station....a tunnel that cannot handle the crowds as it is...and having significant amount of people coming back through will make it worse.
I have empathy for those that had to make this decision.....but I think they have erred.
GO Transit @GOtransit 4m4 minutes ago
To help manage Pan Am and concert crowds @ Exhibition Place tonight, there will be no public access through Pan Am Park after 10pm. (1/2)
Aside from the obvious inconvenience to the folks coming out of the concert and having to walk around the grounds to get to streetcars and GO Trains it could bring some safety issues.
1. ppl who don't know they can't walk through the grounds may only find out as the approach or get on the bridge over lakeshore and turning back into a crowd can cause issues
2. ppl trying to get to streetcars and EB GO trains may walk to the north side of tracks and try to cut back through the tunnel at the GO station....a tunnel that cannot handle the crowds as it is...and having significant amount of people coming back through will make it worse.
I have empathy for those that had to make this decision.....but I think they have erred.
mdrejhon
Senior Member
How was today's 5:50pm express West Harbour train? Did they manage this particular train better?
Jonny5
Senior Member
It left Union about 15 minutes late, but arrived on time in Hamilton at 7pm. It appeared to be extremely lightly used. There was a somewhat embarrassingly large number of volunteers at West Harbour waiting for the trains arrival, with several shuttle buses waiting to move people to the stadium.