Durham Region Transit / Pulse

[APTA-2048]

Durham seems to fly under the radar here probably because of the lack of connection to Toronto. This is to change in a few years.

DRT will be launching a Viva-like BRT service along HWY 2 between downtown Oshawa and UTSC in 2013 called DRT Pulse. It will run 7.5 minute peak service in mixed traffic with 26 dedicated buses. In priority areas, it is recomended that Highway 2 be widened to accomodate bus-only lanes and bike lanes.

A cross boundary route along Bayly from Ajax is recomended for launch in September 2012, terminating at UTSC as well. This will provided riders another option to connect with Scarborough.

Coming in the summer, service improvements which include a restructuring of Pickering routes. As part of the restructuring, routes north of Pickering Parkway will terminate at the Town Centre side of the new bridge, while those south will terminate at the GO Station. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I guess I will have to see when my bus drops me off north of the 401 and I'm in a rush to catch the train.

And we got some of those fancy looking buses that Brampton has and the rest of the Metrolinx consortium members are getting. 20 more will be coming later this year with 11 for expansion and nine for replacement.

​

 

[RedRocket191]

One of the questions from the PRESTO thread was "when will they make PRESTO compatible with the DRT-GO fare integration, since right now taking the highway 2 bus always charges the GO fare". The most likely answer is never, since DRT was always planning on taking over that route. This partially confirms that suspicion, but are there any plans for Durham to take over the Oshawa GO - Bowmanville - Newcastle runs? The answer to that will probably hint at what future lies for the Sutton route.

 

[DavidH]

A cross boundary route along Bayly from Ajax is recomended for launch in September 2012, terminating at UTSC as well. This will provided riders another option to connect with Scarborough.
[/CENTER]

Small correction, but based on information being presented to this Wednesday's DRT executive meeting, 923 Bayly will start operation in July.

 

[Mongo]

As part of the restructuring, routes north of Pickering Parkway will terminate at the Town Centre side of the new bridge, while those south will terminate at the GO Station. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I guess I will have to see when my bus drops me off north of the 401 and I'm in a rush to catch the train.

This could definitely be problematic. One thing I have noticed on repeated occasions is that when the GO trains are delayed for any reason, the DRT buses do not wait. I have long ago lost count of how many times I have seen my connecting bus departing on its own schedule, with all of its intended passengers including me watching it leave, after a several-minute train delay has us running to catch it without success.

If it is now to be waiting on the Town Centre side, that's several minutes additional walking time to get to the bus. Will its schedule be altered to allow for the additional time, and if so, what about the passengers heading to the GO station? Will they now be too late to catch the GO train? Basically, there is barely enough time as it is, for both bus-to-train and train-to-bus passengers. This additional walking distance (and hence time) could be very problematic, unless the bus schedules are revamped to allow additional waiting time for the change.

 

[DavidH]

Will its schedule be altered to allow for the additional time, and if so, what about the passengers heading to the GO station? Will they now be too late to catch the GO train?

A very good question, and one I have not seen an answer to in any of the DRT reports on the service changes. We'll have to wait to see, I suppose.

 

[APTA-2048]

Small correction, but based on information being presented to this Wednesday's DRT executive meeting, 923 Bayly will start operation in July.

Even better.

And I took a walk on the new bridge: 5 minutes end to end. Not bad. That's about the same time it takes to ride from the city hall bus terminal to the GO Station.

 

[ShonTron]

Consolidating several threads to create a new general "Durham Region Transit" thread. Pulse will have its western (Toronto) terminus at UofT Scarborough Campus.

The service level for the DRT Pulse, scheduled to start June 29, was posted at CPTDB. [link]

In summary:
Weekdays: every 7.5 minutes peak, every 15 midday, every 30 evening, but every 60 after 11PM
Saturdays: every 30 minutes early morning, every 15 midday, 30 minutes from 6 to 8PM, every 60 after 8PM
Sundays headways: every 30 minutes, every hour after 6PM.

This is to replace GO Route 94 entirely, which runs from Yorkdale to Oshawa GO via STC and Ajax GO, which runs a similar schedule. I imagine that Route 95, which also parallels the 94 closely, will also be cut back. GO is supposed to follow with its changes to its semi-express and express buses on the corridor (Routes 95 and 96).

While weekday peak and midday service is improved, unfortunately DRT Pulse flatlines in the late evenings (early evenings Sundays) with poor service, similar to GO's current schedule, which goes hourly after 8PM Saturdays (from Oshawa) and 7PM Sundays. The exact DRT 900 Pulse schedule has yet to be released, as are GO's revised bus services in Durham.

 

[gweed123]

Consolidating several threads to create a new general "Durham Region Transit" thread. Pulse will have its western (Toronto) terminus at UofT Scarborough Campus.

The service level for the DRT Pulse, scheduled to start June 29, was posted at CPTDB. [link]

In summary:
Weekdays: every 7.5 minutes peak, every 15 midday, every 30 evening, but every 60 after 11PM
Saturdays: every 30 minutes early morning, every 15 midday, 30 minutes from 6 to 8PM, every 60 after 8PM
Sundays headways: every 30 minutes, every hour after 6PM.

This is to replace GO Route 94 entirely, which runs from Yorkdale to Oshawa GO via STC and Ajax GO, which runs a similar schedule. I imagine that Route 95, which also parallels the 94 closely, will also be cut back. GO is supposed to follow with its changes to its semi-express and express buses on the corridor (Routes 95 and 96).

While weekday peak and midday service is improved, unfortunately DRT Pulse flatlines in the late evenings (early evenings Sundays) with poor service, similar to GO's current schedule, which goes hourly after 8PM Saturdays (from Oshawa) and 7PM Sundays. The exact DRT 900 Pulse schedule has yet to be released, as are GO's revised bus services in Durham.

Wow, kind of sad that at certain parts of the day the Lakeshore East GO line will actually have more frequent service than DRT Pulse...

 

[nfitz]

Wow, kind of sad that at certain parts of the day the Lakeshore East GO line will actually have more frequent service than DRT Pulse...

At certain times of the day, the Lakeshore East GO line already has more frequent service than the TTC subway!

 

[DavidH]

This is to replace GO Route 94 entirely, which runs from Yorkdale to Oshawa GO via STC and Ajax GO, which runs a similar schedule. I imagine that Route 95, which also parallels the 94 closely, will also be cut back. GO is supposed to follow with its changes to its semi-express and express buses on the corridor (Routes 95 and 96).

To clarify the GO changes, we know the following from comments made in DRT's 2013 service plan:

• 95 will be replaced with a new route 92 that will run to Yorkdale rather than Finch but will otherwise provide the same service along highway 2.
• 94 will be replaced by a new route 98, running from Finch, STC, and along highway 2 to Liverpool, and then down to Pickering GO.

Note that the service plan is now three months old, so it is possible GO may have changed the service approach somewhat since then. Also, we don't know whether service levels will change (will 92 run weekends and evenings, for example).

In addition, I've heard some speculation about improved service levels for 96 (which I would love, as it is my primary commuting route) but nothing concrete yet. GO has not made any public announcement yet.

 

[DavidH]

Here's the Pulse (route 900) map:

The full PDF version of it is here.

 

[gweed123]

At certain times of the day, the Lakeshore East GO line already has more frequent service than the TTC subway!

Does the 1st Lakeshore train start its run something like 15 minutes before the subway opens? Haha.

 

[nfitz]

Does the 1st Lakeshore train start its run something like 15 minutes before the subway opens? Haha.

Subway opens at 9 AM on Sundays. GO Service start at 7 AM on Sundays (first departure from Union to Aldershot is 6:43). The first 3 trains of the day leaving Union in either direction aren't reachable by subway. (well, might be able to catch the 9:13 if you run, as the first trains arriving with passengers on the subway arrive at about 9:10 from both King and St. Andrew).

Early Sunday morning service is far better on GO than it is on the subway!

 

[TOareaFan]

Subway opens at 9 AM on Sundays. GO Service start at 7 AM on Sundays (first departure from Union to Aldershot is 6:43). The first 3 trains of the day leaving Union in either direction aren't reachable by subway. (well, might be able to catch the 9:13 if you run, as the first trains arriving with passengers on the subway arrive at about 9:10 from both King and St. Andrew).

Early Sunday morning service is far better on GO than it is on the subway!

I guess that number will double in June?

 

[nfitz]

I guess that number will double in June?

I don't expect any extra trips before 9 AM on Sundays.

As they are adding 12 more departures in each direction from Union on Saturdays (24 more trips on each line), and only 7-8 departures in each direction from Union on Sundays (15 new trips on each line) ... and there's currently 18 departures eastbound from Union (35 trips currently on the line) and 19 departures westbound from Union (37 trips currently on the line), I'd guess that there won't be any additional early Sunday departures.

It's a shame they don't actually add some later trains, with the last departures from Union currently at 12:13 AM and 12:43 AM.