GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[dowlingm]

Just this once, the restriction paid off.

- Paul

also whoever at GO decided not to sell all the F59s

 

[Garuda]

I'll be long dead before passenger service is ever resurrected to Goderich, but boy would I love this. Ride the G2G trail from Guelph to Goderich, stopping for lunch at Cowbell in Blyth, and then hopping on the train back to Guelph.

I’m riding the route this fall from guelph to Goderich! Staying overnight and back again. GO Transit special route 37X with Specialized Rockhopper. Only one seat and no bathrooms.

 

[jamincan]

I’m riding the route this fall from guelph to Goderich! Staying overnight and back again. GO Transit special route 37X with Specialized Rockhopper. Only one seat and no bathrooms.

You have a second on the handlebars in a pinch.

I assumed he meant passenger service on the existing Goderich Exeter RR, not one abandoned 35 years ago.

That's what I was talking about. Ride my bike to Goderich on the rail trail through Blyth, and then take the train back to Guelph on the not-abandoned route through Stratford.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Not sure if the weight restriction makes sense. Saw this comment in the video. CN runs some pretty big freights through there:

 

[Towered]

Wanted to take a train to Niagara Falls on Thursday from Union:

GO Transit: "That service is only offered on weekends during summer"

VIA Rail: "Errr, sorry, we don't have such a service. Please use GO Transit"

Pathetic.

 

[vic]

Wanted to take a train to Niagara Falls on Thursday from Union:

GO Transit: "That service is only offered on weekends during summer"

VIA Rail: "Errr, sorry, we don't have such a service. Please use GO Transit"

Pathetic.

Yeah. I went there a few weeks ago on a Thursday. Had to transfer to bus in Burlington, then got a bit of a milk-run tour of the Niagara area.

 

[reaperexpress]

Wanted to take a train to Niagara Falls on Thursday from Union:

GO Transit: "That service is only offered on weekends during summer"

VIA Rail: "Errr, sorry, we don't have such a service. Please use GO Transit"

Pathetic.

Even if you search on a weekend, when GO is currently running more train service than VIA did, the VIA website just says "sorry", because the Niagara GO trains aren't in VIA's trip planner.

For the same reason, it also gives you stupid trip options on other routes:

If you're planning a trip from Aldershot to Union, why would you take the local train at 16:25 when there's an express train at 16:30 which gets to Union earlier?

 

[SaugeenJunction]

More GO tests to London today. What is interesting is that these test trains seem to be an extension of the revenue GO train that arrives in Kitchener at 17:28. It departs at 17:33 for London. Seems to be a very “real” test of service. Tests will run all week.

 

[reaperexpress]

More GO tests to London today. What is interesting is that these test trains seem to be an extension of the revenue GO train that arrives in Kitchener at 17:28. It departs at 17:33 for London. Seems to be a very “real” test of service. Tests will run all week.

I have a nasty feeling that we are about to discover how long it takes to get from Toronto to London via the north mainline while making every single stop along the way...

A more optimistic scenario is that they introduce a new express trip departing about 20 minutes later than the current local run (getting to Kitchener about 5 minutes later than the current trip) and cut the current run back to Bramalea or Georgetown or something. They do in any case need to update the Kitchener-Toronto schedules to reflect the improved track speeds through Guelph.

 

[Bordercollie]

I have a nasty feeling that we are about to discover how long it takes to get from Toronto to London via the north mainline while making every single stop aling the way...

A more optimistic scenario is that they introduce a new express trip departing about 20 minutes later than the current local run (getting to Kitchener about 5 minutes later than the current trip) and cut the current run back to Bramalea or Georgetown or something. They do in any case need to update the Kitchener-Toronto schedules to reflect the improved track speeds through Guelph.

If you are commuting from Toronto or Guelph or Kitchener it would make more sense to use VIA. The GO train would be more for London to St Mary's or Stratford or to Kitchener.

 

[EnviroTO]

When the Liberals were looking at this along with the high speed rail option it was through the lens of purchasing the track and getting the greatest return on that investment. I'm hoping any announcement of service to London includes owning the track so that it translates to infrastructure improvements over time that increase speed, otherwise this will be the painfully slow route to London.

 

[robmausser]

When the Liberals were looking at this along with the high speed rail option it was through the lens of purchasing the track and getting the greatest return on that investment. I'm hoping any announcement of service to London includes owning the track so that it translates to infrastructure improvements over time that increase speed, otherwise this will be the painfully slow route to London.

Its my opinion that they shouldnt even attempt it until they upgrade the track. Bad publicity.

 

[Bordercollie]

Its my opinion that they shouldnt even attempt it until they upgrade the track. Bad publicity.

Maybe there is planned trackwork, you just dont know about it.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

When the Liberals were looking at this along with the high speed rail option it was through the lens of purchasing the track and getting the greatest return on that investment. I'm hoping any announcement of service to London includes owning the track so that it translates to infrastructure improvements over time that increase speed, otherwise this will be the painfully slow route to London.

In an old VIA annual report, they contemplated purchasing the Kitchener-London section of the Guelph sub and stated that CN would be open to selling. I assume that CN would be happy to sell it to Metrolinx, get free track upgrades, and still be able to continue to operate their infrequent freights on the corridor.

The Stratford-London track is the real issue, where VIA tops out at 60 km/h. The good news is that CTC is already installed on the entire corridor, and if the tracks are upgraded the straight corridor means you could move GO trains pretty quick.

Also, here’s something fun. VIA’s website for London Station already lists GO Rail as a service operating from the station.

 

[rbt]

Its my opinion that they shouldnt even attempt it until they upgrade the track. Bad publicity.

I'm thinking this is a reactive measure to Greyhound bailing, with little to no planning involved. If there is ridership, even just 100 people per day, improvements will likely appear 5 years from now.