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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

Krypto98 said:
The one that leaves Union at 1634 is based out of Toronto?
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How would that work though? The morning crew drives a car from Kitchener to London. If the evening crew drives that car back from London to Toronto, then there's no car in Kitchener to take the morning crew to London on the next day.
 
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Krypto98 said:
That's the morning crew(s) no? The one that leaves Union at 1634 is based out of Toronto?
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The afternoon train uses two crews. They change off in Kitchener. The crew out of Toronto is a Toronto-based crew IIRC, but the second crew - they get on at Kitchener and take the train the rest of the way - are based in Kitchener.

Dan
 
reaperexpress said:
How would that work though? The morning crew drives a car from Kitchener to London. If the evening crew drives that car back from London to Toronto, then there's no car in Kitchener to take the morning crew to London on the next day.
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From what i've observed was

Afternoon crew deadheads train from Willowbrook, Runs train to london. They take a van to Toronto. (i know the engineer on this trip and have gone to stratford and observed no crew change at kitchener in the evenining but in the morning)

Morning crew 1 takes van from Kitchener to London, they trade off with evening crew, evening crew takes that van to toronto...
Morning crew 2 takes a different van from kitchener layover to kitchener station, they trade off with morning crew 2... morning crew 1 takes van to the kitchener layover
 
Krypto98 said:
From what i've observed was

Afternoon crew deadheads train from Willowbrook, Runs train to london. They take a van to Toronto. (i know the engineer on this trip and have gone to stratford and observed no crew change at kitchener in the evenining but in the morning)

Morning crew 1 takes van from Kitchener to London, they trade off with evening crew, evening crew takes that van to toronto...
Morning crew 2 takes a different van from kitchener layover to kitchener station, they trade off with morning crew 2... morning crew 1 takes van to the kitchener layover
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Would it be so hard to put that dead heading train in service? What time does it happen?
 
AlxOptimism said:
Seems there was a last minute update to Milton line service to go into effect Monday morning... See here
They've restored the 7:31 and 5:25 departures from Milton and Union respectively. May be more (bus changes) but its too late for me to comb through the schedule.
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That’s a good trip to add back in.

Although overall that puts Milton back to 6 trains in and out. Versus I think a high of 8 or 10 trains in/out before the pandemic.
 
Coruscanti Cognoscente said:
That’s a good trip to add back in.

Although overall that puts Milton back to 6 trains in and out. Versus I think a high of 8 or 10 trains in/out before the pandemic.
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Indeed, it restores 15-minute headways for the busiest half hour of the day.

Your memory is correct. Immediately prior to the pandemic, there were 10 round trips per day, with trains running every 11 minutes during the busiest periods.

Milton Line Timetable January 2020, from my GO schedule archive
Capture1.JPG

Capture2.JPG


As we know, service was slashed in March 2020. But in September 2021, all 10 trips were restored, though the trains were now spread out due to lower peak-period surges. In the AM service operated a regular 15-minute pattern, while in the PM it service was every 15 minutes during the peak and every 30 minutes during the shoulder peak.

Milton Line timetable October 2021
Capture3.JPG

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Around December 2021 the operator shortage began and in January 2021 service was cut in half to just 5 round trips per day, generally at 30-minute intervals.
 
reaperexpress said:
Indeed, it restores 15-minute headways for the busiest half hour of the day.

Your memory is correct. Immediately prior to the pandemic, there were 10 round trips per day, with trains running every 11 minutes during the busiest periods.

Milton Line Timetable January 2020, from my GO schedule archive
View attachment 432774
View attachment 432773

As we know, service was slashed in March 2020. But in September 2021, all 10 trips were restored, though the trains were now spread out due to lower peak-period surges. In the AM service operated a regular 15-minute pattern, while in the PM it service was every 15 minutes during the peak and every 30 minutes during the shoulder peak.

Milton Line timetable October 2021
View attachment 432772
View attachment 432771

Around December 2021 the operator shortage began and in January 2021 service was cut in half to just 5 round trips per day, generally at 30-minute intervals.
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Any chance they will implement reverse commuting runs in the future?
 
Bordercollie said:
Any chance they will implement reverse commuting runs in the future?
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I'm honestly surprised they haven't ever done it already. Even in the tight-headway 2019 timetable, the first eastbound train arrived at Union at 07:00, which gives it plenty of time to return westbound to Milton in time to start the 08:27 eastbound departure. Once peak service returns to pre-pandemic level, running one or two counter-peak trains could be a good way to help some Route 21 passengers avoid traffic congestion while also using train equipment more efficiently. At the moment it's not really an issue, since there's still equipment to spare.

Notes:
- In practice the counter-peak trains aren't necessarily the same physical trains as the peak direction trains. The peak direction trains may actually run through to another line while the counter-peak Milton trains arrive run from another line.
- Currently only Kipling, Erindale and Streetsville have more than one platform, so counter-peak trains would only be able to stop there, plus Milton. But that still seems fairly useful. Currently the triple-track segment ends about 400m west of Cooksville station. Extending it eastward through the station would be a nice way to add that station to counter-peak services while also reducing its impacts on CP.
- All of the stations have room for additional tracks, as I illustrated in an earlierpost in this thread.
 
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reaperexpress said:
I'm honestly surprised they haven't ever done it yet. Even in the tight-headway 2019 timetable, the first eastbound train arrived at Union at 07:00, which gives it plenty of time to return westbound to Milton in time to start the 08:27 eastbound departure. Once peak service returns to pre-pandemic level, running one or two counter-peak trains could be a good way to help some Route 21 passengers avoid traffic congestion while also using train equipment more efficiently. At the moment it's not really an issue, since there's still equipment to spare.

Notes:
- In practice the counter-peak trains aren't necessarily the same physical trains as the peak direction trains. The peak direction trains may actually run through to another line while the counter-peak Milton trains arrive run from another line.
- Currently only Kipling, Erindale and Streetsville have more than one platform, so counter-peak trains would only be able to stop there, plus Milton. But that still seems fairly useful. Currently the triple-track segment ends about 400m west of Cooksville station. Extending it eastward through the station would be a nice way to add that station to counter-peak services while also reducing its impacts on CP.
- All of the stations have room for additional tracks, as I illustrated in an earlierpost in this thread.
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Does CP have the capacity?
 
reaperexpress said:
I'm honestly surprised they haven't ever done it yet. Even in the tight-headway 2019 timetable, the first eastbound train arrived at Union at 07:00, which gives it plenty of time to return westbound to Milton in time to start the 08:27 eastbound departure. Once peak service returns to pre-pandemic level, running one or two counter-peak trains could be a good way to help some Route 21 passengers avoid traffic congestion while also using train equipment more efficiently. At the moment it's not really an issue, since there's still equipment to spare.
Click to expand...

Even with equipment to spare, Running the service with 8 trainsets instead of ten frees up a lot of long term capital investment, sufficient to pay for whatever track enhancements CP requires, and lowers operating costs. I’m surprised that hasn’t happened - even just deadheading empty trains back for a second trip would save money. I wonder if the new operator will have more luck getting CP on board.

- Paul

Ps - don’t overlook the need for more track from Dupont down to Union.
 
crs1026 said:
Even with equipment to spare, Running the service with 8 trainsets instead of ten frees up a lot of long term capital investment, sufficient to pay for whatever track enhancements CP requires, and lowers operating costs. I’m surprised that hasn’t happened - even just deadheading empty trains back for a second trip would save money. I wonder if the new operator will have more luck getting CP on board.

- Paul

Ps - don’t overlook the need for more track from Dupont down to Union.
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I thought CP has essentially given GO a free hand within the existing operating hours.
 
Bordercollie said:
Does CP have the capacity?
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They claim they don't, but I'm skeptical. I live within walking distance of the Galt subdivision, there are only a few scheduled trains on it every day and long periods of time without any movement at all. There is nothing so quintessentially North American as a corporation not making full use of infrastructure they own refusing to let someone else make use of it, either.
 
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