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GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

crs1026 said:
Do you mean the Guelph Sub? It doesn’t see double stacks routinely, but that option is always there for CN. ML likely would face objections from CN if it impaired this option, even if it is not used that often. CN may need that capability some day.

If you mean the Halton Sub, it sees double stacks daily, with traffic expected to grow.

- Paul
Click to expand...

But CN sold the Guelph Sub, it has no intention to divert double stacks off of its southern line. Evidently it is also interested in selling the Kitchener-London section too, and VIA has been a rumoured buyer. Between Silver and Kitchener, Metrolinx can do as it pleases in terms of electrification.
 
alexanderglista said:
But CN sold the Guelph Sub, it has no intention to divert double stacks off of its southern line. Evidently it is also interested in selling the Kitchener-London section too, and VIA has been a rumoured buyer. Between Silver and Kitchener, Metrolinx can do as it pleases in terms of electrification.
Click to expand...

CN has on many occasions used the Guelph Sub for diversions when the main route - the Halton to the Dundas Sub - has been blocked due to major work or a derailment.

Dan
 
alexanderglista said:
But CN sold the Guelph Sub, it has no intention to divert double stacks off of its southern line. Evidently it is also interested in selling the Kitchener-London section too, and VIA has been a rumoured buyer. Between Silver and Kitchener, Metrolinx can do as it pleases in terms of electrification.
Click to expand...

As is the case with other lines sold to ML, CN retains contractual rights to use the Guelph Sub for freight. A sale to VIA would likely have similar provisions. Don’t count CN out on this line.

- Paul
 
tmlittle said:
What would be the best way to go about doing this?
Click to expand...

Probably email. That gives you a written record of what you said and who you said it to.

You could easily sent it to a general account for GO/Metrolinx. But I'd be inclined to sent it to the CEO, its unlikely Phil Verster will address it personally, but if he delegates it to someone to answer, you'll probably get some attention.

His email is here: CEO@metrolinx.com
 
alexanderglista said:
But CN sold the Guelph Sub, it has no intention to divert double stacks off of its southern line. Evidently it is also interested in selling the Kitchener-London section too, and VIA has been a rumoured buyer. Between Silver and Kitchener, Metrolinx can do as it pleases in terms of electrification.
Click to expand...

Interesting, hope VIA does pick it up, that would be a solid 'get' for them; and in conjunction with GO's upgrades to the guelph sub should allow for shorter travel times, and more frequent service.
 
crs1026 said:
As is the case with other lines sold to ML, CN retains contractual rights to use the Guelph Sub for freight. A sale to VIA would likely have similar provisions. Don’t count CN out on this line.

- Paul
Click to expand...

I'm sure that CN will continue to operate freight regularly along the line - there is a solid business there, and they still interchange with the GEXR in Stratford. I just don't think that a provision to run double stacks along the line will be maintained. It is too prohibitive, and Metrolinx is doing the electrification song and dance now so I assume that CN has okayed it.
 
alexanderglista said:
But CN sold the Guelph Sub, it has no intention to divert double stacks off of its southern line. Evidently it is also interested in selling the Kitchener-London section too, and VIA has been a rumoured buyer. Between Silver and Kitchener, Metrolinx can do as it pleases in terms of electrification.
Click to expand...
If CN really didn't want it, why did they pick it up from GEXR?
 
Streety McCarface said:
If CN really didn't want it, why did they pick it up from GEXR?
Click to expand...

CN has always owned the line, not GEXR, they just operated it. GEXR only owns the Stratford-Goderich line. CN chose to not renew the lease with GEXR a while back, and it ended in November 2018. In that same month, Metrolinx finally officially acquired the line from Silver to Kitchener. Getting GEXR off of it was key in CN’s sale to Metrolinx.
 
Northern Light said:
Interesting, hope VIA does pick it up, that would be a solid 'get' for them; and in conjunction with GO's upgrades to the guelph sub should allow for shorter travel times, and more frequent service.
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It would allow for basically HFR to London.

While Metrolinx owns the majority of the rest of the GEXR and Georgetown, they are much more accommodating towards passenger service, being passenger service themselves.
 
I hope this will happen since southwestern Ontario gets kind of screwed on rail, and the distances involved make bus travel really uncomfortable. People don't realize how far away Windsor and Sarnia really are. Worst comes to worst London could get increased Via service and then people can take connecting buses, as I understand some regional governments in the area are trying to start up small bus operations, like Perth County, along the Simcoe LINX model.

One of the unfortunate realities of the current situation is that GO undercuts Via to an extent, which is fine for GO-served areas because they get a cheaper alternative, but it makes things a bit tougher for areas just outside of the GO service area, especially when there's no feeder buses operating around Kitchener aside from regional GRT service. The Via pricing model also makes it prohibitively expensive to travel one or two stations - if I take Via to Guelph, it would cost me $21-23, but if I took it to Union it would cost me... $25, which is fairly competitive with GO. I understand they want to keep seats free for longer distance travellers, but something needs to exist for medium distances, and I don't think it's the responsibility of municipal and regional governments when it crosses well out of their jurisdictions. If HFR introduced some kind of split pricing scheme and perhaps served more stations along the line, I think it would get ridership.
 
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tmlittle said:
One of the unfortunate realities of the current situation is that GO undercuts Via to an extent, which is fine for GO-served areas because they get a cheaper alternative, but it makes things a bit tougher for areas just outside of the GO service area, especially when there's no feeder buses operating around Kitchener aside from regional GRT service. The Via pricing model also makes it prohibitively expensive to travel one or two stations - if I take Via to Guelph, it would cost me $21-23, but if I took it to Union it would cost me... $25, which is fairly competitive with GO. I understand they want to keep seats free for longer distance travellers, but something needs to exist for medium distances, and I don't think it's the responsibility of municipal and regional governments when it crosses well out of their jurisdictions. If HFR introduced some kind of split pricing scheme and perhaps served more stations along the line, I think it would get ridership.
Click to expand...

In my mind the Kitchener line has two markets, with two price points. One is semi express service and the other is basic GO. There is only so much time that GO can chop from a stopping service through better track, etc. Adding a couple semi express runs to Windsor via Kitchener (while retaining the current Brantford runs) would be marketable, and VIA could sell the seats if the Toronto London time is close to the Brantford line....which it could be with the right improvements. Instead of coordinating connections at London, there would be through trains with no need to change.

The issue is that VIA would have to bring money.... eventually ML will start asking why they should underwrite VIA’s capacity on its lines. And further VIA on top of the ML service on the CN owned Halton segment will be a whole new negotiation. That this is so far down Ottawa’s spending priorities is hugely disappointing.

- Paul
 
tmlittle said:
I hope this will happen since southwestern Ontario gets kind of screwed on rail, and the distances involved make bus travel really uncomfortable. People don't realize how far away Windsor and Sarnia really are. Worst comes to worst London could get increased Via service and then people can take connecting buses, as I understand some regional governments in the area are trying to start up small bus operations, like Perth County, along the Simcoe LINX model.

One of the unfortunate realities of the current situation is that GO undercuts Via to an extent, which is fine for GO-served areas because they get a cheaper alternative, but it makes things a bit tougher for areas just outside of the GO service area, especially when there's no feeder buses operating around Kitchener aside from regional GRT service. The Via pricing model also makes it prohibitively expensive to travel one or two stations - if I take Via to Guelph, it would cost me $21-23, but if I took it to Union it would cost me... $25, which is fairly competitive with GO. I understand they want to keep seats free for longer distance travellers, but something needs to exist for medium distances, and I don't think it's the responsibility of municipal and regional governments when it crosses well out of their jurisdictions. If HFR introduced some kind of split pricing scheme and perhaps served more stations along the line, I think it would get ridership.
Click to expand...

The Perth transit pilot is really interesting to me for the kinds of reasons you discuss. Stratford and Kitchener are poorly connected by transit considering how integrated economically they are. That's true in turn for Stratford and London. From KW, someone in Perth could have excellent options to connect to the GTA...but getting to Kitchener on Via is the first leg, and quite expensive.
 
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