GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[reaperexpress]

If there was a times saving, cutting UPE stops would make sense. But really - 2 minutes?

This isn't about speed. This is about trains being so over-crowded at times with commuters, that people travelling to the airport can't get on and have to wait.

The obvious immediate solution is pricing changes, especially for Weston and Bloor to Union trips.

I wonder how severe the crowding has been since the introduction of free transfers, given that it applies to GO trips but not UP Express trips. Trips from Weston to Union would probably benefit a lot from a free transfer to a TTC bus (e.g. at Weston) or subway (e.g. at Union), which may have already shifted some commuter demand from UP onto GO.

And just to clarify when I say that Weston should be removed from the UP Express when Mount Dennis opens, that also means removing the platform edge to allow trains to pass through the station at 120 km/h, rather than the current 16 km/h.

 

[Bojaxs]

And just to clarify when I say that Weston should be removed from the UP Express when Mount Dennis opens, that also means removing the platform edge to allow trains to pass through the station at 120 km/h, rather than the current 16 km/h.

Are you referring to the elevated portion that allows for level boarding with the UP Express? Does any train passing through Weston have to slow down because of these elevated portions?

 

[robmausser]

It’s not, though. It’s only weekday midday and evening. Not weekends, not during peak hours.

....Because its already very frequent during peak hours....

 

[reaperexpress]

Are you referring to the elevated portion that allows for level boarding with the UP Express? Does any train passing through Weston have to slow down because of these elevated portions?

see these posts from the previous two pages of this thread:

UP Express trains have a 10 mph (16 km/h) speed limit while passing UP Express platforms so the express trains will hardly save any time at all. They'd be lucky to save 1 minute per skipped stop, in which case the travel time would be 23 minutes.

GO Trains don't have that speed restriction so GO Kitchener express trains commonly pass through stations at 120 km/h, saving about 2 min per stop skipped.

The elephant in the room here is Mount Dennis station which should open relatively soon. Adding that stop to the local service would produce a travel time of about 27 minutes to Pearson. Personally I'm hoping that they just ditch Weston from UP Express and have a all UP trains serve only Union, Bloor, Mt Dennis and Pearson. Removing Weston from all UP trips would allow them to remove the platform edges from the UP platforms, allowing UP trains to pass through at the full 120 km/h track speed. Ridership from Weston is primarily to/from Union, not Pearson, so the Kitchener local service is much more suitable for serving that demand. Especially since UP Express doesn't have free transfers to/from TTC like GO does.

Dynamic envelope is the stated reason (UP Express trains have a metal step sticking out that gets close to the high-level platforms) but as Dan noted, the validity of that rationale seems dubious. The platform edges already have a tearaway edge so if there ever were to be contact it wouldn't damage the vehicle or platform.

 

[ShonTron]

....Because its already very frequent during peak hours....

Not in the counter peak direction

 

[Bojaxs]

see these posts from the previous two pages of this thread:

Makes me wonder how MX would make express trains work if we achieved "at level" boarding across the entire network. I'm sure there are plenty of other networks around the globe that have "at level" boarding and don't have their trains slow down through stations due to fear of trains making contact with the platforms.

 

[crs1026]

This is the most creative spam bot I've seen yet. Now they just need to learn how to reply to the latest post rather than one from 2007

Just wait until the bots discover horns and cab cars….

- Paul

 

[drum118]

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Boy, have you dug deep for my comment that is from 2007

I need to change my horn, so it isn't a run of the mill sound

 

[dowlingm]

CityNews (Twitter) says Alstom is restricting GO personnel vacation for the remainder of the year

https://twitter.com/x/status/1780042419179794540

 

[generalcanada]

CityNews (Twitter) says Alstom is restricting GO personnel vacation for the remainder of the year

https://twitter.com/x/status/1780042419179794540

View attachment 556867

I know someone speculated in the past about Onxpress telling alstom employees to apply to their positions. but i do wonder how many will be out of work after this.

No way any seniority transfers over to them right?

 

[T3G]

Why is the tweet worded like this expansion came as a surprise to Alstom? They'd have known about it months in advance, surely? This makes it sound like they were caught completely with their pants down.

Also, it would be more accurate to describe it as a GO train service expansion, since the buses seem to be cut back quite significantly.

 

[Northern Light]

I know someone speculated in the past about Onxpress telling alstom employees to apply to their positions. but i do wonder how many will be out of work after this.

No way any seniority transfers over to them right?

There are others here who can speak w/greater insight than I; but I would expect no operator job losses, and indeed more jobs, because considerable service expansion is contemplated.

I can't imagine seniority in respect of wages won't be respected in some fashion, as Alstom had a tough enough time w/VIA and the Class 1s poaching their staff. Pay cuts would surely send others heading for the exits.

 

[Northern Light]

Why is the tweet worded like this expansion came as a surprise to Alstom? They'd have known about it months in advance, surely? This makes it sound like they were caught completely with their pants down.

They had some advance notice, but I wouldn't count on it being a vast number of months, some of the improvements were contingent on completing several works that have been ongoing and were as recently as the last few months; Mx does not have a reputation for delivering projects on time!

Keep in mind when you read the piece , that the Alstom vacation year runs May to April.

Every employee gets 'x' vacation per year. Alstom could not advance the vacation that is normally taken 'this vacation year', after May 1/24 to the period before, which belongs to a previous year.

The contract will shift January 1st, leaving employees 8 months within which to burn off any accrued vacation, and Alstom simply doesn't have enough 'spare' staff to allow everyone to do that,

The issue is the compressed time period. So employees who don't get to take their full vacation entitlement will be paid out for same.

Also, it would be more accurate to describe it as a GO train service expansion, since the buses seem to be cut back quite significantly.

The relevance here is that Alstom doesn't staff the buses. Alstom staffs the trains.

 

[generalcanada]

A few interesting notes from the passenger modelling study by USEP team
- recommends cutting the eastern stub track planned for track 13e
- Draft planned Timetables for 2025, 2032 and 2056 I think are displayed exclusively for tracks 12-15 not for any other tracks. note the 6 car trains on everything except for a few LSW trains. If they do this wouldn't that mean a crazy increase in service then?
- 4 car trains in 2032 WOW

 

[Willybru21]

I know someone speculated in the past about Onxpress telling alstom employees to apply to their positions. but i do wonder how many will be out of work after this.

No way any seniority transfers over to them right?

This was only directed at people who don’t work on the trains. Engineers conductors and CSA’s are getting transferred over, but managers, supervisors, and other office workers aren’t, so they were told to apply for the same positions at OnXpress before they’re taken by other people.