GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[reaperexpress]

Again, "NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO GO TO/FROM UNION". Not stopping At Bloor and Mount Dennis let alone Liberty Village is forcing users to/from the airport to either spend more travelling using transit, driving and parking there, using 3rd party or having someone close to them to drive/pickup x that keeps more vehicles on the road than take them off.

At this time, UPX is a Go train based on the quality of service along the line since GO only run hourly service today.

Once Crosstown opens, it offer users to/from the airport a faster way than what they have today as well not going out of their way

Not every place in the world offer no stops between the airport and the city centre as they know riders will use a station close to them than to backtrack getting to/from the city centre stop. Every city I have visited that had rail service to the airport had stops between the city centre and the airport not only for local service, but also intercity/long distance trains.

The world doesn't revolved around Union Station, but it been forcing users that they "MUST" have to travel to Union to get to/from where they want to go/from.

If users allow the extra stopping time to their travel time, it will be a dent in the time they have to spent at the airport.

Not every major city has rail to the airport for various reason that you need to use local transit or 3rd party to get to/from the airport. Had to used buses to get to/from airports in my travel a number of time both by local transit or 3rd party bus service.

Who said that everyone wants to go to/from Union?

 

[drum118]

Who said that everyone wants to go to/from Union?

NO stopping at Bloor, Mount Dennis and Weston is saying Union and speed is important from my take

 

[ShonTron]

Yeah, the track realignment is awaiting demolition of Etobicoke North station and that is awaiting construction of Woodbine station. I wonder if the increasing number of GO trains skipping Etobicoke North is part of a strategy to divert ridership and enable the station to be demolished before Woodbine opens.

I think it’s just a matter of train operations convenience. Etobicoke North is almost useless except as a park & ride, especially after the GO Nobleton-Bolton bus was cut. With only one available track, it’s easier to not serve.

 

[Richard White]

NO stopping at Bloor, Mount Dennis and Weston is saying Union and speed is important from my take

Right but service operating at a crawl because it has subway stop spacing doesn't help.

Less stops means getting from a to b faster.

If you want a local service fine, just don't do it on the UPX

 

[Willybru21]

If you are all still referring to the map I made, the UP Express still has a 25 minute travel time with those additional stops and electric locomotive trains with 4 Bi-Level coaches, however; stopping at every station on one service pattern would be too way long. Splitting the stations equally between two service patterns is the best way to serve as many stations/people as possible, while maintaining the competitive speed advantage that the service offers.

 

[T3G]

Right but service operating at a crawl because it has subway stop spacing doesn't help.

Less stops means getting from a to b faster.

If you want a local service fine, just don't do it on the UPX

I think it's more than slightly melodramatic and disingenuous to suggest a service would crawl because it services intermediate stops.

 

[Richard White]

I think it's more than slightly melodramatic to suggest a service would crawl because it services intermediate stops.

Not entirely. Accelerating and declarating all the time will increase travel times.

 

[crs1026]

I think it's more than slightly melodramatic and disingenuous to suggest a service would crawl because it services intermediate stops.

Agree. I see no evidence that the current stops are impairing demand.... riders barely notice them.

There is a tipping point, however. Add too many stops and the trip gets tedious, which is subjective beyond just whatever time is required. I do think an all-stops UPE with all current stops plus Woodbine, St Clair, and Liberty added would be pushing the envelope.

I'm not confident however that even with GTS, we have the track to emulate a Heathrow Express (110 mph top speed) or Oslo's Flyget. Or that business travellers will pay an increment for an express UPE given our trip fairly short even with some stops.

@Willybru21 offered a sensible plan - split the stops between alternating trains. Personally I would just allow some winners and losers to the plan. Add Liberty but drop Weston. Add Mount Dennis but not St Clair. Etobicoke North and Woodbine can be served by local transit, not much revenue potential from such a short ride.

Above all, get on with Kitchener 2WAD so that UPE no longer acts as a substitute GO service.

- Paul

 

[urbancog]

North and Woodbine can be served by local transit

A stop at Woodbine is important to provide the connection for customers originating in K-W, Guelph, Halton Hills, and Brampton. Especially if you're advocating for Weston to be removed (the, somewhat impractical, connection point currently provided).

 

[tmustudent9]

Not sure if it's been posted here, but a couple of service changes are coming in the next few weeks. (Source from Reddit)

1. Starting Nov 13th, two additional trips on the Richmond Hill line. One leaving Bloomington at 7:32 and one leaving Union at 17:15
2. Also on Nov 13th, two-weekday trips are added to the Stouffville line. One departs Old Elm at 7:49 and one departs Union at 17:42
3. On Oct 30th, the 16:05 trip leaving Union on the Lakeshore East line is coming back (finally)

There are a lot of minor schedule changes across all lines starting Nov 11. Many weekend trips on the Kitchener line are now six cars long, and Saturday evening Niagara Falls train trips now depart at the same time as Sunday ones.

Schedules are up here.

 

[anb]

6 cars is the LAST thing that the Kitchener line needs right now don't understand why they don't get that this line suffers the most on weekends at all times of the day.

However if it does mean that all other times where it isn't noted that they're running 6 cars, and instead running longer trains its at least a start I guess.

 

[canarob]

Not sure if it's been posted here, but a couple of service changes are coming in the next few weeks. (Source from Reddit)

1. Starting Nov 13th, two additional trips on the Richmond Hill line. One leaving Bloomington at 7:32 and one leaving Union at 17:15
2. Also on Nov 13th, two-weekday trips are added to the Stouffville line. One departs Old Elm at 7:49 and one departs Union at 17:42
3. On Oct 30th, the 16:05 trip leaving Union on the Lakeshore East line is coming back (finally)

There are a lot of minor schedule changes across all lines starting Nov 11. Many weekend trips on the Kitchener line are now six cars long, and Saturday evening Niagara Falls train trips now depart at the same time as Sunday ones.

Schedules are up here.

It's nice to see Stouffville filling in some of the rush hour gaps as the trains are getting really packed.

 

[Dan416]

Zero changes for Milton.

I’ve been commuting downtown since June and zero added trains since then.

 

[RS3488]

Zero changes for Milton.

I’ve been commuting downtown since June and zero added trains since then.

Since GO has to deal with CP and their hostility towards passenger agencies regarding the Milton Line, I feel it would instead be better for them to find a way to have the original 21 service back. The “have riders change onto LW trains to go to Union” strategy doesn’t seem to be that effective.

 

[T3G]

Since GO has to deal with CP and their hostility towards passenger agencies regarding the Milton Line, I feel it would instead be better for them to find a way to have the original 21 service back. The “have riders change onto LW trains to go to Union” strategy doesn’t seem to be that effective.

Changing onto LW trains has been fine from my experience - unless the bus is significantly late, the transfers always pan out and it beats sitting in traffic on the Gardiner.

In the opposite direction it is much worse. It is not at all irregular to step off a LW train at Oakville and have to wait 30-40 minutes for the next 21, which is going to get considerably less pleasant in the coming months as the weather cools. The service hours are also an atrocity - the fact that the service doesn't run during rush hours is an absolute farce (apparently students at Sheridan don't need to get anywhere during rush hour?), and it shows how in touch Metrolinx is with reality.

The loss of through service along Derry Road is also a problem. What I would like to see done is the current 21 service should run at all times, not just off peak, be better coordinated with the LW trains, and the 27 should run to Milton at all times.