GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[Fritter]

Are there any plans for development immediately around GO rail stations? I feel like it's a huge missed opportunity to not have higher density developments in those areas. It would aid with building out a true downtown or city centre and centralize business and entertainment.

I believe there are proposals for Burlington, Appleby and Aldershot?

I believe the Province is now having Metrolinx incorporate developments into new station builds. For example building joint condo and station like what is happening with the Mimico redevelopment.

 

[Krypto98]

Any updates about weekend service on the Kitchener Corridor.

 

[Streety McCarface]

Any updates about weekend service on the Kitchener Corridor.

Not happening for the foreseeable future. CN needs the Guelph sub, especially on weekends to do their freight operations, particularly those that involve switching with CP along the Huron park spur.

There's also a ton of construction at the 401 tunnels and Bramalea station that running any sort of weekend service isn't feasible at the moment. What I don't understand is why 30 service doesn't run on weekends.

 

[timio]

There'd need to be an express bus from Bramalea to Union to make the 30 running on weekends practical. The 25-21 works fine for the most part, although you need to get up to the universities to catch the express to make travel times reasonable.

 

[ShonTron]

There'd need to be an express bus from Bramalea to Union to make the 30 running on weekends practical. The 25-21 works fine for the most part, although you need to get up to the universities to catch the express to make travel times reasonable.

Malton Station doesn't draw much ridership on the 31 bus in my experience, especially on weekends. Given Malton GO's relative isolation, I suspect that the Miway 30 bus to Islington draws more Toronto-bound traffic. But even the extra stop at Malton only adds a few minutes over a non-stop trip to Bramalea GO at most times.

I agree that the 25C is the only worthwhile branch for travelling directly from Toronto to Waterloo - the regular 25 has far too many stops off the highway that add at least 30 minutes to the trip.

 

[robmausser]

Not happening for the foreseeable future. CN needs the Guelph sub, especially on weekends to do their freight operations, particularly those that involve switching with CP along the Huron park spur.

surely there is a case for weekend train service between Union-Bramalea? Once the 401 tunnel is complete of course.

 

[robmausser]

There'd need to be an express bus from Bramalea to Union to make the 30 running on weekends practical. The 25-21 works fine for the most part, although you need to get up to the universities to catch the express to make travel times reasonable.

Why not weekend train service from Bramalea to Union? Once the 401 tunnel is complete. It wouldnt interfere with CN, and you could have the weekend buses go to Bramalea.

 

[Krypto98]

surely there is a case for weekend train service between Union-Bramalea? Once the 401 tunnel is complete of course.

UP Express is already running 15 minute service on the same tracks. Frequencies below 30 minutes arent possible unless the tunnel is completed. Looking at the site the other day, they have fencing between the tracks and the tunneling site.
Probably should ask @smallspy about this.

 

[smallspy]

UP Express is already running 15 minute service on the same tracks. Frequencies below 30 minutes arent possible unless the tunnel is completed. Looking at the site the other day, they have fencing between the tracks and the tunneling site.
Probably should ask @smallspy about this.

The signalling system installed on the line can handle dual 15-minute frequencies without too much difficulty. The RTCs, on the other hand.....

What would make it tricky, however, are the other limitations within the corridor - for instance, the single platform at Etobicoke North, or the fact that the Barrie trains are currently limited to only a single track between Strachan and Parkdale.And the fact that the two different types of rolling stock have fairly different performance characteristics.

Weekend service is coming to the line - but the timing seems to be a bit fluid, to say the least.

Dan

 

[Streety McCarface]

There'd need to be an express bus from Bramalea to Union to make the 30 running on weekends practical. The 25-21 works fine for the most part, although you need to get up to the universities to catch the express to make travel times reasonable.

The express buses are basically non-existent on weekends. Sure, when the 25 is eventually extended to Kipling (or the 25F is made a permanent feature of the line), then it'll be practical, but right now, a 3 hr commute to downtown is awful on all fronts, and that's assuming you make the connection with the 21.

Personally, I think that the 25F should become its own route, treat it as a HWY 407 bus and extend it throughout North York. I can see usage there.

The signalling system installed on the line can handle dual 15-minute frequencies without too much difficulty. The RTCs, on the other hand.....

What would make it tricky, however, are the other limitations within the corridor - for instance, the single platform at Etobicoke North, or the fact that the Barrie trains are currently limited to only a single track between Strachan and Parkdale.And the fact that the two different types of rolling stock have fairly different performance characteristics.

Weekend service is coming to the line - but the timing seems to be a bit fluid, to say the least.

Dan

The questions then become how far will that weekend service go, and what time will they run at. Reducing the number of school trips might be ideal for Metrolinx, even though buses are fairly cheap to operate along the corridor.

 

[Streety McCarface]

surely there is a case for weekend train service between Union-Bramalea? Once the 401 tunnel is complete of course.

That's the goal with RER, but with electrification eventually entering the scope of work that needs to be done to the line, I'm not sure I can see it happening until after the line is electrified.

 

[Krypto98]

The express buses are basically non-existent on weekends. Sure, when the 25 is eventually extended to Kipling (or the 25F is made a permanent feature of the line), then it'll be practical, but right now, a 3 hr commute to downtown is awful on all fronts, and that's assuming you make the connection with the 21.

Personally, I think that the 25F should become its own route, treat it as a HWY 407 bus and extend it throughout North York. I can see usage there.

The questions then become how far will that weekend service go, and what time will they run at. Reducing the number of school trips might be ideal for Metrolinx, even though buses are fairly cheap to operate along the corridor.

I'm guessing only as far as bramalea and hourly, or as far as mount pleasant and the odd trip out of kitchener or Georgetown. Higher frequencies aren't really possible with all the bottlenecks

 

[cbrown2009]

I don’t understand why they couldn’t run an hourly weekend schedule even as far as Mount Pleasant, and even extend the odd trip to Kitchener, given a similar timetable to the weekday midday schedule. Work on the 401/409 tunnel are off-corridor and the constraint with Etobicoke North and UP train frequency is no different than any other time. Also, CN operations don’t seem to be any more intense on weekends compared to any other day...
One question: there was a rendering of a proposal a bit back for a new 3rd track through downtown Brampton with a new bus terminal and building. Would anyone know far along/close to becoming a real plan that might be?

 

[mb4wong]

I don’t understand why they couldn’t run an hourly weekend schedule even as far as Mount Pleasant, and even extend the odd trip to Kitchener, given a similar timetable to the weekday midday schedule. Work on the 401/409 tunnel are off-corridor and the constraint with Etobicoke North and UP train frequency is no different than any other time. Also, CN operations don’t seem to be any more intense on weekends compared to any other day...
One question: there was a rendering of a proposal a bit back for a new 3rd track through downtown Brampton with a new bus terminal and building. Would anyone know far along/close to becoming a real plan that might be?

Could you give a link to the renderings you saw?

 

[Krypto98]

Could you give a link to the renderings you saw?

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