GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[TOareaFan]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ail-electrification-timeline/article20300421/

This is not happening in ten years.

Essentially what Bruce McCuaig has been saying since about 2 weeks after the election.

 

[mpd618]

GO RER presentation from Sept Metrolinx board meeting:
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pd...0140905_BoardMtg_Regional_Express_Rail_EN.pdf

There is zero mention of trying to change Transport Canada regulations that prevent the use of lighter and cheaper European-spec trains, which is unfortunate.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Euro trains generally just look nicer, the service quality will be the same just with ugly trains.

 

[DSC]

The GO/Metrolinx 5-year plan is also coming to their Board this month. See: http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pd...Mtg_Five_Year_Strategic_Plan_2013-2018_EN.pdf

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ail-electrification-timeline/article20300421/

This is not happening in ten years.

Hold up. It is, sorta.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/tra...sible_in_10_years_confirms_metrolinx_ceo.html

Bruce McCuaig, who had previously called the timeline “aggressive” and “constrained,” now says it’s do-able.

But in an interview with the Toronto Star on Tuesday, he cautioned that the provincial agency will honour Premier Kathleen Wynne’s pre-election promise of 15-minute electric service — on GO lines that “we own.”

That doesn’t include the Milton GO line, where the rails are owned by CP, or the CN-CP owned track to Hamilton.

 

[nfitz]

The GO/Metrolinx 5-year plan is also coming to their Board this month. See: http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pd...Mtg_Five_Year_Strategic_Plan_2013-2018_EN.pdf

I'm surprised to read about building parking at Danforth station. Not sure about that - it doesn't have great highway access. I'd have thought they'd be better off spending money at Danforth to improve the connection to the subway.

 

[rbt]

Hold up. It is, sorta.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/tra...sible_in_10_years_confirms_metrolinx_ceo.html

To promise that 3rd parties will cooperate with his deadline would be very foolish. CP could make the Milton line a headache even with a blank cheque.

 

[rbt]

The GO/Metrolinx 5-year plan is also coming to their Board this month. See: http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pd...Mtg_Five_Year_Strategic_Plan_2013-2018_EN.pdf

Exciting stuff on page 14:

3b. Work with municipalities to advance a fare integration plan by 2016 with proposals to make the GTHA fare system more customer friendly and regionally seamless, such as:
• Fare integration between GO Transit and the TTC.
• Fare integration between the TTC and neighbouring local
transit systems.
• Greater consistency in fare policies across various GTHA
transit agencies to reduce complexity for the customer

3c. Evaluate new GO Transit fare structures by 2016, to align with potential regional fare integration, encourage efficient use of existing and new service capacity for midday and weekend travel, and optimize fare revenue.

3d. Continue research, modeling and planning work to lay the foundation to potentially unbundle the cost of parking at GO Transit parking facilities from fares.

 

[TOareaFan]

GO RER presentation from Sept Metrolinx board meeting:
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pd...0140905_BoardMtg_Regional_Express_Rail_EN.pdf

Interesting information about current ridership and capacity utilization contained in that document:

Line | Daily Riders | # of Trains|Avg/train
\Milton| 30,000| 16| 1,875
\Barrie| 17,000| 14| 1,214
\KW| 18,000 | 16| 1,125
\Stouffville |15,000 | 15| 1,000
\LSE| 87,000 | 88 | 989
\Rhill | 10,000 | 11| 909
\LSW |60,000 | 90 | 667
\Total| 237,000 |250 |948


Not, obviously, a full measure of capacity as it does not factor in the length of trains (KW for example is all 10 car trains not sure what the other lines use) .

The other tidbit of knowledge is that the increase to off peak use seems to have plateaued as they are still quoting that the doubling of off peak service on the Lakeshore line(s) has resulted in a 30% increase in off peak train travel (same number they were quoting around the 6 month mark after the service increase).

 

[vegeta_skyline]

Interesting information about current ridership and capacity utilization contained in that document:

Line Daily Riders # of Trains Avg/train
Milton 30,000 16 1,875
Barrie 17,000 14 1,214
KW 18,000 16 1,125
Stouffville 15,000 15 1,000
LSE 87,000 88 989
Rhill 10,000 11 909
LSW 60,000 90 667
Total 237,000 250 948

There's some contradictory information being floated around here...
If you add up those numbers it does indeed amount to 237,000 but according to this;
http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/docs/publications/quickfacts/Quick_Facts_Info_to_GO_EN.pdf The total for the rail system is 197,000; a discrepancy of 40,000. Furthermore, Lakeshore West has always had more riders than Lakeshore East.

 

[nfitz]

Interesting information about current ridership and capacity utilization contained in that document:

Line Daily Riders # of Trains Avg/train
Milton 30,000 16 1,875
Barrie 17,000 14 1,214
KW 18,000 16 1,125
Stouffville 15,000 15 1,000
LSE 87,000 88 989
Rhill 10,000 11 909
LSW 60,000 90 667
Total 237,000 250 948

I'm a little surprised that Lakeshore East is suddenly 45% higher than Lakeshore West, when as far as I know, Lakeshore West has been the highest for years.

Something seems odd here. Also Milton averages 1,875 a train? That's 156 a car - with 80 seats, there's almost 2 people for ever seats. Milton is certainly busy - but I haven't seen it THAT busy.

The total for the rail system is 197,000; a discrepancy of 40,000. Furthermore, Lakeshore West has always had more riders than Lakeshore East.

I wonder if LSE should be 47,000 instead of 87,000. That would make more sense. Though if Milton is wrong too ...

 

[innsertnamehere]

probably includes off peak bus service as well.

 

[TOareaFan]

So, now, we can't believe their numbers?

 

[TOareaFan]

There's some contradictory information being floated around here...
If you add up those numbers it does indeed amount to 237,000 but according to this;
http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/docs/publications/quickfacts/Quick_Facts_Info_to_GO_EN.pdf The total for the rail system is 197,000; a discrepancy of 40,000. Furthermore, Lakeshore West has always had more riders than Lakeshore East.

In that pdf the weekday ridership nearly (250k v 237k)matches what they are showing in the pdf......but they say that 53k of that is via buses and 197k is by train....wonder if there is a way to break out the bus riders by associated rail line to get a more accurate figure of what the average train riders per train trip are per line.

 

[mpd618]

Euro trains generally just look nicer, the service quality will be the same just with ugly trains.

Euro-spec trains are lighter (hence faster to accelerate) and cheaper, I believe. I don't think this Stadler train looks much better, but I'm pretty sure we would get better service using it.