GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[nfitz]

They built stations without elevators because they weren't invented yet. It wasn't until the turn of the century when they were first installed en mass. The minute the escalator was perfected they began installing them and took many of the elevators out of service - but escalators are very unreliable outdoors.

There are still well used stations that only use elevators.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea and I'm not saying it's not dooable. I'm just saying it's going to be slow to exit the station if everyone tries to take a half-dozen elevators at once. Just go to any office building at quitting time and watch.

So what's your solution - stop building elevators in buildings?

 

[Dan416]

There are still well used stations that only use elevators.

So what's your solution - stop building elevators in buildings?

It's the 21st Century. Where are our turbolifts goddammit!

 

[RedRocket191]

So what's your solution - stop building elevators in buildings?

Why you gotta take my comments out of context?

I'm not saying it's a bad idea and I'm not saying it's not dooable. I'm just saying it's going to be slow to exit the station if everyone tries to take a half-dozen elevators at once. Just go to any office building at quitting time and watch.

 

[nfitz]

Why you gotta take my comments out of context?

It's not out of context - that's the exact implication of what you said. And frankly, I've never seen that bad of a problem in elevators ... well not since I left my 8-storey high-school ... now that was interesting a couple of minutes before class started.

There's lots of good reasons it wouldn't work ... can you imagine the salt damage to the elevators? You'd have to build quite the indoor structure I would think ...

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

what's all this talk about elevators?

 

[RedRocket191]

It's not out of context - that's the exact implication of what you said. And frankly, I've never seen that bad of a problem in elevators ... well not since I left my 8-storey high-school ... now that was interesting a couple of minutes before class started.

There's lots of good reasons it wouldn't work ... can you imagine the salt damage to the elevators? You'd have to build quite the indoor structure I would think ...

Look:

I'm point out a potential problem with the concept. A problem that has to be overcome. If you interpret that to be a guaranteed deal-breaker then that's your words - not mine. I'm not going to try and convince you otherwise.

@ Prometheus

The subject was about if we could have a station where the only practical means of moving from surface to platform was by elevator.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

@ Prometheus

The subject was about if we could have a station where the only practical means of moving from surface to platform was by elevator.

ah. there would have to be many.

 

[catcher_of_cats]

Georgetown Line Community Meetings

Metrolinx, an agency of the Ontario Government, is conducting a six-month Transit Environmental Assessment. As part of the process, Metrolinx will be holding six Community Engagement Open Houses.

The proposed service expansion will increase rail service on the eastern boundary of the ward and impact many residents in both the West Bend I encourage you all to attend one of the meetings in our ward to find out more information. Below I have highlighted some aspects of the project and noted the consultations dates in West Bend and Parkdale.

For more information, please visit info@metrolinx.com.

GO Rail Georgetown South Corridor Service Expansion project includes:

Adding 3 new tracks from the airport spur to Dundas Street and 4 new tracks to east of Strachan Avenue in the 25 kilometre rail corridor Malton and Union Station

* Widening of 14 bridges and eliminating all level road crossings on the CN line in the Georgetown South Corridor, including new grade separations at Strachan Avenue, Denison Road and Carlingview Drive
* A covered depressed rail corridor through Weston that maintains Church and King streets at their present grade and a pedestrian overpass at John Street
* Relocating the GO Weston Stop from John Street to Lawrence Avenue and the construction of a Weston Station to accommodate GO trains and Union-Pearson rail link trains
* Modifications to the Bloor GO/Dundas TTC station to accommodate GO and Union-Pearson rail link trains
* Consideration for the Gateway Hub proposed in the Metrolinx Regional Transportation at the proposed Eglinton Light Rail Transit crossing line for GO trains
* Designing for a potential future GO/Union-Pearson rail link station at Woodbine

GO Rail Georgetown South Corridor Service Expansion project will provide the following new services:

Two-way, all-day local service between Toronto and Georgetown, and between Toronto and Bradford

* All-day express service between Toronto and Brampton
* New peak period service between Toronto and Bolton and between Toronto and Guelph, and
* Establish a new rail link between Union Station and Pearson International Airport.

Community Engagement Open Houses

Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 11am – 8:30pm

The Lithuanian House, 1573 Bloor St. W, Toronto, ON

Monday, February 9, 2009, 11am – 8:30pm

Direct Energy Centre - Salon 110, 100 Princes’ Blvd, Toronto, ON

Other meeting dates can be found at:

http://www.metrolinx.com/gsse/community/open_house.aspx

 

[lordmandeep]

imo Georgetown line could easily be as busy as the Lakeshore line if it had the same level of service.

However major problem is that the main stations (Bramalea and Brampton) are already full. Malton station and Mt. Pleasent could grow though..

 

[RedRocket191]

Part of the solution, in my opinion, is to run shuttle buses from neighbourhoods to the train stations to reduce the demand on parking. They won't do much for the people who have to run 18 different errands after they get off the train, but they could be popular with people who go straight home.

 

[DavidH]

Part of the solution, in my opinion, is to run shuttle buses from neighbourhoods to the train stations to reduce the demand on parking. They won't do much for the people who have to run 18 different errands after they get off the train, but they could be popular with people who go straight home.

And yet, there will still be many who choose not to use shuttle services. In Ajax, for example, shuttle service is fairly pervasive throughout the town (to the extent that DRT is all-but-useless for anything else) and - while ridership is good - it doesn't stop the parking lot from being so full that people doublepark any damn place at all.

In a few years, Ajax GO will have a parking structure which will relieve a lot of the pressure, but the larger issue will be to start charging for parking. GO is intending to start doing this over the next few years, with higher costs at stations where there are local alternatives to driving.

 

[TOareaFan]

imo Georgetown line could easily be as busy as the Lakeshore line if it had the same level of service.

However major problem is that the main stations (Bramalea and Brampton) are already full. Malton station and Mt. Pleasent could grow though..

Brampton is a "downtown/urban" station (really) which can continue to get ridership growth from further integration of the routes/fairs of the many BT and GO bus routes that connect to the station.

In addition, there are many municipal lots that charge reasonable daily/monthly rates very close to the station....all that is full in Brampton is the free parking.

The Bramalea lots are never full.....yes, the main/original "north" parking lot fills up every day but the very large ancillary "south" lot has never been totally (AFAIK) full since it was built.

I think one of the things that will help fund/finance GO expansion is increased parking revenues. I don't, even, think they need to charge for each spot but as service increases and people on flex hours realize that the only way to ensure a place to park is to reserve a spot they will collect more of those already existing parking fees. I only use the GO about 10% of the time (due to the lousy service levels on the NW line) but I reserve a nifty little parking spot for myself so that I can pull up, park and hop on at my convenience....I think that will be a growing trend as service increases beyond the capacity of more parking lots!

 

[lordmandeep]

I never park in the South lot, its a nightmare to get out if a Train comes.


However with more frequent trains, I think the situation could easily change.

It did when they added those trains during the day.

yes, the main/original "north" parking lot fills up every day but the very large ancillary "south" lot has never been totally

well it did get full during the start of the school year, however York went on Strike and the Bramalea station lot has not gone over capacity since the strike started.

Anyways I take the Malton station these days. It has the same trains and it is less busy.

Even still how many parking spots can we have. I think one Lake shore station has close to 3000 spots.

 

[nfitz]

imo Georgetown line could easily be as busy as the Lakeshore line if it had the same level of service.

Full? From the airphoto, it looks like there is a lot of place for more platforms. And more frequent trains would empty the platforms faster. And there certainly looks to be place around the train stations for densification.

 

[TOareaFan]

I never park in the South lot, its a nightmare to get out if a Train comes.

I have never found that and can't see how the lot would be affected by trains. Regardless, it is fine to say you never use it because it is inconvenient for you but it is flat out wrong to declare that station "full" when it is not.

However with more frequent trains, I think the situation could easily change.

It did when they added those trains during the day.

I think the situation at Bramalea is a bit skewed. I know several/many people who live closer to Brampton or Mt. Pleasant who drive to Bramalea because of the extra service/flexibility that gives them. The first part of the expansion is to extend the extra "Bramalea only" trains to Brampton and Mt. Pleasant.....if I am correct, I think you will actually see a bit of easing at Bramalea when that happens (at least until they increase the total service).

well it did get full during the start of the school year, however York went on Strike and the Bramalea station lot has not gone over capacity since the strike started.

Anyways I take the Malton station these days. It has the same trains and it is less busy.

Even still how many parking spots can we have. I think one Lake shore station has close to 3000 spots.

I know the Oakville station has something like 2,700 and I thought that was the biggest parking situation....Bramalea already has something like 2,150 spots.....I would imagine that if they found they needed more they would re-think the whole idea of using that northeast corner for bus storage and the could quickly/easily add a few hundred spots.