GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[TOareaFan]

Add convenient grocery shopping to attending Jays/Leafs/Raptors games and Tim Horton's coffee on the list of "things GO thinks only its Lakeshore customers are interested in"

http://www.metrolinx.com/en/aboutus/mediarelations/news/20180226_PC_Express.aspx

 

[hw621]

Passengers for Danforth, Kennedy, and Union may use their GO fares on TTC at a staffed entrance until further notice as a train has struck a person east of Danforth GO.

 

[robmausser]

Any speculation or inside scoop on what service changes are coming to GO trains in April?

I hear Verster really wants a lot of off peak and reverse commute service

 

[innsertnamehere]

he's got a big speech today so we may hear a bit more of his plans then.

 

[TOareaFan]

he's got a big speech today so we may hear a bit more of his plans then.

Metrolinx will not recommend dropping two contentious GO Transit stations from a planned expansion of the commuter rail service, despite concerns about political interference in the initial approval of the stops.

At a speech at the Toronto Region Board of Trade on Monday, Phil Verster, the chief executive officer of Metrolinx, is expected announce the agency has determined all 12 stations its board approved in 2016 should advance to the final planning stages for GO’s regional express rail plan, according to a source with knowledge of Metrolinx’s plans.

The list of 12 includes Kirby and Lawrence East stations. As the Star has previously reported, in 2016 former transportation minister Steven Del Duca pressured Metrolinx, an arms-length agency of the provincial government, to change planning reports to recommend the two stops, despite them not being supported by studies.

Initial business cases for the two stations determined they would lead to a net loss of ridership on the GO network, and a report Metrolinx commissioned recommended neither be considered for at least another 10 years.

Kirby is in Del Duca’s riding of Vaughan, and Lawrence East in Scarborough is a key component of Mayor John Tory’s SmartTrack plan.

And the cost just keeps going up!

https://twitter.com/BenSpurr/status/968162045332893696

https://twitter.com/BenSpurr/status/968163076032745472

 

[canarob]

From the article:

That risks driving away “upstream” riders who board at the start of the trip, because stopping at the new stations adds travel time and makes the service less attractive.

The new analysis considered express service at some stations; only four of six trains travelling GO’s Barrie line each hour would stop at Kirby, while four of seven trains travelling on the Stouffville line would stop at Lawrence East.

Does this mean that these lines may eventually get "true" express service? Or will this be like a few runs not stopping at Danforth?

 

[innsertnamehere]

Likely intending true express service, at least on the Barrie line. I know Metrolinx has long considered it, and Stouffville has room for an express track after the SRT is ripped up to make that work.

 

[crs1026]

^The recent double tracking on the Barrie line has a bridge built for three tracks, which shows that ML is taking action and not just treating it as a hypothetical. How long it will take, and how extensive it can be, remains to be seen. But it's a start.

- Paul

 

[MisterF]

The Barrie line has been designed to allow for a third track. I don't know how much of it, but significant portions anyway. The purpose is to allow local and express service.

 

[Leo_Chan]

My Richmond Hill line train today was a 11 coach, plus front coach cab, plus rear locomotive, all of which had the new livery colours. I’d like to ask how common this occurrence should be, as the train always used to be “multiliveried”.

 

[JSF-1]

From the article:



Does this mean that these lines may eventually get "true" express service? Or will this be like a few runs not stopping at Danforth?

I wonder if it would be possible to implement a Japan style service pattern, where you have "Local", "Rapid" and "Express" trains. With Express trains being peak period only while Locals and Rapids run all day at some interval. For example I created a little map for the Lakeshore East line to show the difference. Now I know this would never work on the LE because everything east of Guildwood is only 2 tracks and a bypass track would be needed at Pickering and Ajax or Whitby, but its just a thought exercise.

 

[TOareaFan]

My Richmond Hill line train today was a 11 coach, plus front coach cab, plus rear locomotive, all of which had the new livery colours. I’d like to ask how common this occurrence should be, as the train always used to be “multiliveried”.

I rode a train on the KW corridor just last week that was 100% the new livery....interesting how noticeable it is when it happens isn't it?

You win, though, not surprisingly my train was only 10 cars.

 

[gweed123]

I rode a train on the KW corridor just last week that was 100% the new livery....interesting how noticeable it is when it happens isn't it?

You win, though, not surprisingly my train was only 10 cars.

It was probably a train that they use for photo ops and stuff. I notice that every time there's a presser at a station and there's a train sitting behind them it's always one that's completely in the new livery with the new cab. You're right though that most of the time I take GO there's at least a couple coaches in the train that are still old livery.

 

[smallspy]

My Richmond Hill line train today was a 11 coach, plus front coach cab, plus rear locomotive, all of which had the new livery colours. I’d like to ask how common this occurrence should be, as the train always used to be “multiliveried”.

That train is a 10-car train, not 11. GO does not run 11 car trains.

While they've got over 200 cars painted in the new scheme, there are generally only 2 or 3 trainsets that run that are completely equipped with cars in the new scheme at any given time.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[torontocolin]

I'd be surprised if we saw TWAD even akin to the old Lakeshore hourly service any time soon. Station improvements aside, Metrolinx refuses to run GO trains on the UPX tracks, which means the Kitchener line needs another track to be finished, which I believe has some other infrastructure projects attached to it. They also still need to negotiate access to Bramalea with CN, who seem to be giving them a hard time about that. And Stouffville likely needs to be double-tracked too.

That said, I think Metrolinx would love to be able to have TWAD in place by the time the Crosstown opens in 2021 (hopefully), since it connects to both the Stouffville and Kitchener lines. That's years away yet, but also much closer than 2025. Maybe hourly comes sooner and half-hour comes with the Crosstown, but I wouldn't hold my breath.