GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[accura407]

I'd thinks so. At the same time a stop at Eglinton would be very useful after the Eglinton line is opened around 2020. I suspect they've simply built the Weston stop because it was simpler than arguing with the community, and will use low ridership to move the stop to Eglinton.

I wonder how much it costs to provide the ARL stop compared to not providing it. It never made sense to have an express business class express train to stop in Weston. People sometimes can be so stupid...

Yeah i hope they do discontinue that stop but i also hope having these raised platforms dont end up being a waste of tax dollars! If metrolinx knows they will discontinue this stop is it not better to make a ramp for the ARL trains and keep the platform the normal GO train standard?

 

[rbt]

I wonder how much it costs to provide the ARL stop compared to not providing it. It never made sense to have an express business class express train to stop in Weston. People sometimes can be so stupid.

The cost will be in with the rounding errors. 0.05% of the budget for this project. Between the choice of spending that amount or having a delay (a 3 month delay adds ~2% to the cost without considering PanAm games promises; 3 years can add 25% due to high rate of inflation for construction industry); then building and demolishing those platforms is the cheaper option.

I agree it is stupid but caving quickly to that demand was the right business decision.

 

[Neil]

As I've argued in this forum before, don't move the Weston GO station down to Eglinton but rather route the Eglinton LRT up to the Weston GO station and then on to the airport via Dixon. Of course, once the Eglinton LRT goes to the airport, an ARL stop at either location becomes very redundant. Airport workers and TO residents won't be using the ARL. This GO-Eglinton connection is more about 905 GO users having a better route to a northern downtown destination.

 

[sixrings]

i actually completely agree with this suggestion.i think mississauga might be upset thoif the had plans to connect eglinton.

 

[Neil]

Miway could still join a Dixon LRT at the Carlingview intersection. Also the Richview expressway lands could be used for BRT to say Jane.

 

[sixrings]

there are deffinately more appartments off of dixon then off eglinton. the density is there. other the being a crosstown route i wonder why this alignment hasnt been discussed at metrolinx. or has it? i had thought about it earlier myself. it deffinately would save lawrence from ever needing a lrt.

 

[DKsan]

From another forum:

The Public Information Centre for Grand River Transit included information on the GO Train extension to Kitchener, effective January 3, 2012.

Trains will be leaving Kitchener Station at 5:55AM and 7:12AM, arriving at Union at 7:53AM and 9:10AM.

The current 3:30PM and 4:45PM trips from Union will be extended to Kitchener.

There will be Train-Bus service operating between Kitchener VIA Station and Bramalea GO Station, via the Kitchener Bus Terminal. They will be timed to connect with the Georgetown trains, or the train buses heading to Union.

 

[Markster]

Care to give a link for that?

 

[mpd618]

Care to give a link for that?

It's from here.

 

[drum118]

It's from here.

According to this email reply, those time and date may change. The email is from Metrolinx in response to a number of question I was asking.

The inaugural rail service to Kitchener-Waterloo beginning this December will have two 10-car trains during the morning peak times and two 10-car trains during the afternoon peak times. We are looking to extend our platforms to accommodate 12-car trains and make the ride more comfortable to our customers.
At this time, specific service details, including information regarding the fares and schedules for rail service to the Kitchener-Waterloo area, are still in the planning stages. GO Transit continues to work toward finalizing the fares and schedules for rail services to the Kitchener-Waterloo area, and we expect have that completed within the next few months.

 

[andrewpmk]

1 hour and 58 minutes each way? Grief, that's a long commute. GO seriously needs to run the trains express, skipping all stations east of Brampton, to make the travel time competitive with VIA, which takes about 1 hour 40 minutes.

In the long term I would like to see track upgrades between Brampton and Kitchener to reduce the commute time between Kitchener and Toronto to about an hour. (Think high speed rail lite, with a top speed of around 160-200km/h in the rural sections).

 

[TOareaFan]

From another forum:

Working backwards from their arrival time at Union....that would appear to be one new train (the one that arrives at Union at 9:10) which would mean (assuming it was stopping at all stops) it would go through Brampton/Bramalea at 8:21/8:29 and one existing train extended out (the one that passes through Brampton/Bramalea at 7:05/7:14).

I like the idea of having a train around 8:30 that gets me to union just after 9!

 

[nfitz]

1 hour and 58 minutes each way? Grief, that's a long commute. GO seriously needs to run the trains express, skipping all stations east of Brampton, to make the travel time competitive with VIA, which takes about 1 hour 40 minutes.

The current VIA train that leaves Kitchener at 6:29 AM is quite well used, and it arrives at Union at 8:20 AM ... 1 hour 51 minutes. 1 hour 58 isn't that much worse ... and presumably stops at other locations than Guelph, Georgetown, and Brampton.

The 5:55 AM departure from Kitchener would leave Georgetown as the existing 6:47 AM departure. That's 52 minutes from Kitchener to Georgetown. VIA's best time for that run is 61 minutes, with only the stop in Guelph. Is GO able to do this?

With the earliest train arriving Union at 7:53 AM, and the last train departing Union at 4:45 pm, that's only 8 hours and 52 minutes between trips. Could make for a pretty tight day for those on an 8:00 to 4:30 schedule. Doesn't work for those on a 40-hour week 8 to 5. I guess there's the 5:40 pm departure from Union on VIA ... but that's more $, and less flexible.

Personally, I'd like to see a train that leaves Union around 7 AM or so, and leaving Kitchener end of the day.

 

[Platform 27]

The ugliest transit map in the world is no more.

 

[Hipster Duck]

^Yay! Now all GO needs is to number their bus routes. While the map is more legible, you have no idea where the buses go.