GO Transit Fleet Equipment and other

[APTA-2048]

The information on the screens is pretty poor anyway. They’re not very informative. They just display the station name or the destination. Would be better if they differentiated between what is the next stop and what is the train’s final destination. It’s been a while, but I recall the screen displaying Oshawa while we were at Scarborough which I thought was confusing.

 

[WB62]

I wasn't aware that the accessibility coach had screens. Even on the upper level?

Yep! Not sure when these were first installed but I know some coaches have had them for decades. There are 8 screens per coach:

 

[T3G]

The information on the screens is pretty poor anyway. They’re not very informative.

That's a company wide problem.

I haven't noticed if they've gotten better recently, but a few years ago I was on a bus that had taken a turn I had never seen it go down before on the highway, and the interior screen, instead of helpfully confirming whether I had, in fact, gotten on the correct bus, repeated for about 10 minutes continuously the fact of upcoming service changes and the fact that the next stop, also not named, had been requested. And then there is of course their horrendously poor stop announcements.

 

[Metroscapes]

Yep! Not sure when these were first installed but I know some coaches have had them for decades. There are 8 screens per coach:

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I think the colour temperatures captured by your camera are throwing me off, does the lighting seem different then normal?

 

[WB62]

I think the colour temperatures captured by your camera are throwing me off, does the lighting seem different then normal?

I didn’t focus my phone properly so everything out the windows is way too bright and everything inside is too dark, it looked normal in real life

 

[SaugeenJunction]

121 GO coaches being upgraded in North Bay at ONTC. The F59s from Metrolink rebuild also announced.

Ontario Northland is also refurbishing several F59 locomotives that the province recently purchased from Metrolink, Southern California’s Regional Rail Authority. These 13 additional locomotives will be used to provide GO Transit with operational support and spare parts.

Ontario Upgrading GO Transit Rail Coaches​

 

[WB62]

121 GO coaches being upgraded in North Bay at ONTC. The F59s from Metrolink rebuild also announced.

Ontario Upgrading GO Transit Rail Coaches​

Some additional info:

This contract is likely going to involve refurbishing the series 4 and 5 coaches, which would be upgrading 106 coaches and 17 cab cars.

In total, combined with the announcement from 2 weeks ago this will push the fleet to 893 coaches refurbished (or brand new like the series 10 cars), out of 979 in total. That is 91% of the entire fleet and just leaves 86 more cars left to be refurbished.

 

[generalcanada]

So at some point onexpress needs to do their changes to the coaches too dont they?

 

[T3G]

That is 91% of the entire fleet and just leaves 86 more cars left to be refurbished.

Which coaches are those? There's 70 left in Series I and 158 in Series VIII that are less than 20 years old. The former won't be getting done for a long time, and I haven't caught wind of any Series VIIIs going for refurb at all. The last batch (2815-2857 and 2555-2560) from 2014 alone make 48, those would be a waste to refurb anytime soon either.

 

[WB62]

There's 70 left in Series I and 158 in Series VIII that are less than 20 years old.

All series 1 coaches were refurbished in 2016 it was literally the first series to get a complete overhaul. All the series 8 coaches are going into refurbishment in the next 2 years this was announced 2 weeks ago and discussed here.

 

[T3G]

All series 1 coaches were refurbished in 2016 lol.

I assumed with your comment you were referring to the next round of refurbishing - i.e. the one that would need to be done for the Series Is in 2036. Now I'm really lost. Which 86 cars are the ones that are left to be refurbished?

All the series 8 coaches are going into refurbishment in the next 2 years this was announced 2 weeks ago and discussed here.

I must have misread the discussion, I thought it was the Series 7s that were going in with the announcements from two weeks ago.

In any case, the fact that we are discussing refurbishing 11 year old coaches is insane. Who do we have to petition to take away Metrolinx's bank account access? Is there really nothing more important that that money could buy?

So at some point onexpress needs to do their changes to the coaches too dont they?

What does ONExpress need to do them?

Assuming, of course, they're still in the picture lol

 

[WB62]

Which 86 cars are the ones that are left to be refurbished?

Series 1, 2, 4-8, and 10 are now fully refurbished or slated to go under refurbishment within the next few years, series 3 is the last series.

the one that would need to be done for the Series Is in 2036

2036 isn’t even on the radar right now, they need to focus on finishing refurbishing the entire fleet before starting over again, and at this rate that will be accomplished by around the mid 2030’s.

I must have misread the discussion, I thought it was the Series 7s that were going in with the announcements from two weeks ago.

Series 7 refurbishments began over 2 years ago, the first car is already back in service right now (the one being posted about yesterday with the usb-c ports).

the fact that we are discussing refurbishing 11 year old coaches is insane.

Most series 8 coaches are approaching 17 years old, 17 years has been the exact amount of time between the series 1, 2, and 6 coaches first and second rebuilds (for series 6 this would instead be between new build and first rebuild), the second rebuild being the most recent done. This has been standard for a while now.

 

[Voltz]

What does ONExpress need to do them?

If anything, start modifying the coaches to work with level platforms, something that seems to keep be pushed off and forgotten about, and the longer it takes the more station platforms will have to be modified after being built or rebuilt. Is this is something that has actually been designated as the responsibility of ONExpress I wouldn't know.

 

[T3G]

Most series 8 coaches are approaching 17 years old, 17 years has been the exact amount of time between the series 1, 2, and 6 coaches first and second rebuilds (for series 6 this would instead be between new build and first rebuild), the second rebuild being the most recent done. This has been standard for a while now.

Sure, but there's also also a decent chunk of the Series 8 cars that are still only 11 years old. Difficult to imagine how they justify refurbishing cars from 2014 while the series 3s, which were done in 2005-2011, aren't on the radar for refurbishment as yet. There doesn't appear to be any kind of logical strategy that I can see.

If anything, start modifying the coaches to work with level platforms, something that seems to keep be pushed off and forgotten about, and the longer it takes the more station platforms will have to be modified after being built or rebuilt. Is this is something that has actually been designated as the responsibility of ONExpress I wouldn't know.

How do you modify the coaches to work with level platforms when there are currently no level platforms in the network? Once you make the switch it will be impossible to get from a low level platform into a high level coach, so it doesn't surprise me that there's been no moves on that front. Quite frankly I think they've dug themselves into a hole with this one, Metrolinx are not competent enough to manage this kind of switchover.

 

[crs1026]

How do you modify the coaches to work with level platforms when there are currently no level platforms in the network? Once you make the switch it will be impossible to get from a low level platform into a high level coach, so it doesn't surprise me that there's been no moves on that front. Quite frankly I think they've dug themselves into a hole with this one, Metrolinx are not competent enough to manage this kind of switchover.

I can't imagine either ML or Onxpress even writing a plan for level boarding right now. Staffing up, construction, electrification.... they have enough irons in the fire. Maybe once the system has transitioned and is operating stably under the new regime, maybe.

- Paul