GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[rdaner]

^I live adjacent to Bloor UPX/GO and can testify that many of the late night trains are standing room only both ways. The thing is that this line is basically treated as a ‘new’ subway by most people from Brampton south as I do with the combination of airport and regional trains basically every 7-10 minutes and this will only increase when Mt. Dennis opens!

 

[T3G]

It is difficult to imagine that in a region like the GTA that is constantly growing, that there is any GO line where there ISN'T demand for 30 minutes or better service.

We are too hung up on raw ridership numbers, and too little attention is paid to inducing demand. Who in their right mind is going to willingly wait an hour for a GO train, when there is almost no journey to or from Union to another point along the GO train network that wouldn't take a similar or lesser amount of time by car? Of course the numbers will never bear out the justification for a service increase, when almost everyone is going to utilize alternatives. And that's just wait time, and doesn't take into account the travel time.

Wait 3 hours for a Barrie train at Allandale Waterfront that then takes almost 2 hours to get to Union? Or drive 1 h 8 minutes? Wait 3 hours at Kitchener for a train that also takes 2 hours to get to Union, or drive 1 h 12 minutes? Decisions, decisions...

 

[bpbpbpbp]

It boils down to ridership numbers with the Lakeshore being #1. If the numbers are not there to justify 30 minutes, then it has to be hourly regardless you want more.

Service should start earlier on all lines as there are things going on on the weekend that you may miss something with service starting later, especially if you are taking part in it.

Until there are shorter trains for weekend with good ridership, it is the cost of the crews as well the equipment to put more service on line for a small number of riders.

We have to ask the question, why is Lakeshore #1. Certainly helps that it gets by far the most service along the network, with 50+ years to develop that ridership.

If we were to take LSW service levels and put it on every line along the system, I don't see how Kitchener doesn't get far and away the most ridership. The destinations along the line, including KW with WLU and UW, Guelph having a major university as well, ALL OF BRAMPTON, the West Toronto stations, it could really justify 15 minute service, at least to Mount Pleasant service all day, everyday, starting today.

Anyone who has gotten on a train at Mount Pleasant, Brampton Innovation District, Bramalea knows. Speaking of Bramalea, the way people move through the station during peak times is a marvel. The bus connections at that station are next level. Massive throughfare. How about all that discourse about those packed 30 and 30As skipping everything along the line from Bramalea except Kitchener, where 4 buses an hour are sometimes not enough.

Anyways, the point is, for the Kitchener Line, and likely other lines, the reason there is lower ridership is due to the level of service, the lower ridership should not justify lesser service. Corridor ownership, costs and staffing aside. If we wait for the "until" when the shorter trains for the weekend come, we may have to wait forever, ridership won't come unless service comes with it.

Anyways it is clear that I am passionate about the Kitchener Line and it's absolutely monumental potential. If deployed correctly, it could solve so many issues on the 401, and may someday in the far future host high speed rail. Though I'm not holding my breath for that.

 

[anb]

I think the issue with removing Aldershot from the route is that the busiest portions of the route are McMaster - Aldershot and Guelph - Aldershot (from what I've observed riding the 17). Lots of latent demand for travel between Guelph and Halton and McMaster to Burlington/Oakville that this route unintentionally partially fulfilled. The only way they could get away with removing Aldershot from 17 is boosting 15A service or making 17B run year-round.

If Aldershot-McMaster needs a boost in service while cutting the connection on the 17, they could easily make the 41/47 stop there and call it a day. These routes have express branches anyway during weekdays so it wouldn’t be that much of a hassle and it would be a lot more frequent between the two points.

It helps that the 41/47 passes Aldershot along the way unlike the 17 which has to detour there in both directions and it eats up time.

 

[ShonTron]

The problem with Route 17 is that it is forced to do too much on a single, limited service route. It’s three bus routes in one. There’s.a need for regular KW-Guelph service, which the 17 doesn’t do well. There’s a need for direct Hamilton-KW service, which the 17 doesn’t go well either.

There’s also a need for direct Guelph-Hamilton service, which it actually does okay.