GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[ShonTron]

ShonTron: From my completely anecdotal view, last week I took the GO bus a few times from Bramalea to York. There's still a hefty amount of passenger traffic from Brampton to York via GO, probably from south Brampton. Also, probably because the 501A is starting to become unbearable at current service levels in terms of space.

Also: can the new and the ordered DDs fit in the Downtown Brampton Terminal, and under the rail bridge in DT Brampton?

I wasn't asking about the 46/47 services stopping at Bramalea, that's a perfectly logical service that's useful. I was thinking about the 34 Brampton Local via Airport Road, and the 35 Brampton via Humber College/Highway 27 routes.

As for Zum, my humber suggestion would be to add more 501As, and extend the 505 via Goreway and Highway 407 to York U Monday-Friday to take some of the load from the 501/A.

 

[Allandale25]

#GOTransit announcement in York Region on Monday morning at 9:30AM

Any speculation?

Patrick Searle ‏@Patrick4ONT 2m2 minutes ago
Heads up: @StevenDelDuca and @HelenaJaczek will make a #GOTransit announcement in York Region on Monday morning at 9:30AM. #onpoli

 

[bielawski]

Richmond Hill yard?

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

All day service to Richmond Hill in 2015

 

[APTA-2048]

Just to confirm, 10 cm shorter than the latest DD, or the original?



Me too. If anything, I think the new design needs to look at taking some of those 10 cm away from the lower floor.

The new DD buses are to be 3.9m tall and just under 14m long.
Most, if not all, of the height savings on the current deckers came from the first floor. I imagine this to be the same case for the new decker, especially since there's no seating over the wheels.

 

[drum118]

Was on 2846 coach on Nov 27 with 626 & 660 lash to the train.

 

[nfitz]

Any speculation?

An new VIVAstation opening?

 

[ehlow]

new bus:

View attachment 38128

The buses will apparently be roughly 10 cm shorter than the existing ones, meaning that they will be able to fit into Yorkdale, Hamilton Centre, York Mills, and most importantly, the existing GO bus terminal at Union station. Delivery begins 2016. The order seems to signal the end of GO transits coach buses, this is a pretty big win in terms of accessibility of the vehicles as I know current people with accessibility needs often avoid the MCIs due to the lengthly process of getting on the bus.

Cool, looks like the ones Megabus uses. Love sitting on the 2nd floor near the front of those for the view. Do these have bathrooms? I would think so since it's fairly long distance (ex to Waterloo), but I'm curious.

 

[smallspy]

Any speculation?

Richmond Hill yard?

That's likely the answer. They finally started using it last week, and I think that they've finally got the shovels into the ground for the new Gormley Station.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[salsa]

Cool, looks like the ones Megabus uses. Love sitting on the 2nd floor near the front of those for the view. Do these have bathrooms? I would think so since it's fairly long distance (ex to Waterloo), but I'm curious.

I didn't find any bathrooms when I saw the bus.

 

[ShonTron]

That's likely the answer. They finally started using it last week, and I think that they've finally got the shovels into the ground for the new Gormley Station.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

Though Patrick Searle tweets about important transit announcements and they are often silly things like the expansion of a parking lot, or a re-announcement of previous commitments. Though the Richmond Hill Yard completion makes a lot of sense.

Richmond Hill is at the bottom of the list for all-day service; it doesn't help that GO doesn't own the northern section and it's a winding single track through the Don Valley. My bet is that the first line to get two-way, all-day service will be the lower half of the Barrie Line or Stouffville, corridors now wholly owned by GO, with passing tracks and grade separations with the York Sub, and minimal freight activity. In theory, it is possible to do the same on the Kitchener Line as far as Mount Pleasant when the GTS work is complete, though they'd have to get CN to agree to it west of Bramalea, even though the track capacity now built would allow hourly two-way service.

 

[smallspy]

My bet is that the first line to get two-way, all-day service will be the lower half of the Barrie Line or Stouffville, corridors now wholly owned by GO, with passing tracks and grade separations with the York Sub, and minimal freight activity. In theory, it is possible to do the same on the Kitchener Line as far as Mount Pleasant when the GTS work is complete, though they'd have to get CN to agree to it west of Bramalea, even though the track capacity now built would allow hourly two-way service.

I still can't find out of they've even begun the EA for improving the infrastructure on the Barrie Line, and the EA for doubling the track on the Stouffville Line was just finished with no sign of the funding for the work it allows. As it stands, the tracks that are there are not enough to allow for hourly off-peak service on either of those lines, nevermind the enhanced 2WAD service that they're envisioning.

Realistically, even if someone were to show up at 20 Bay with a dump truck full of dollars on Monday for the improvements for the Stouffville Line - and a cattle prod for the contractors to get the work done really quickly - I can't see how it could be done before the service to Mount Pleasant starts later next year.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[reaperexpress]

Richmond Hill is at the bottom of the list for all-day service; it doesn't help that GO doesn't own the northern section and it's a winding single track through the Don Valley. My bet is that the first line to get two-way, all-day service will be the lower half of the Barrie Line or Stouffville, corridors now wholly owned by GO, with passing tracks and grade separations with the York Sub, and minimal freight activity. In theory, it is possible to do the same on the Kitchener Line as far as Mount Pleasant when the GTS work is complete, though they'd have to get CN to agree to it west of Bramalea, even though the track capacity now built would allow hourly two-way service.

I'm with smallspy on this one. The next all-day service will definitely be the Kitchener line between Union and Bramalea, given that the infrastructure is already there. While it would obviously be preferable to operate all the way to Mount Pleasant, I think that the Union-Bramalea segment is worthwhile, since Bramalea is a major transfer point to GO buses serving destinations such as Guelph (39) and Kitchener (30) and the airport (34).

I'm expecting the following AD2W line to be the southern section of the Barrie Line, given that they issued a notice of commencement for the double-tracking EA last year. I'm not sure why they even need to do an EA though. The line was double-tracked in the past, all they need to do is re-lay it. All the bridges and tunnels already support at least two tracks. Yes, the stations require significant construction, but surely they get their own EAs anyway.

I definitely agree that the Richmond Hill line will be the last to get AD2W service, and I also question whether it's worth ever getting it at all. Unlike the other lines, its problems are so fundamental that it will never be a competitive service. It is very welcome as peak-hour relief for the Yonge subway, but it would be rather difficult to justify operating all day.

 

[robmausser]

I definitely agree that the Richmond Hill line will be the last to get AD2W service, and I also question whether it's worth ever getting it at all. Unlike the other lines, its problems are so fundamental that it will never be a competitive service. It is very welcome as peak-hour relief for the Yonge subway, but it would be rather difficult to justify operating all day.

I disagree. The Richmond Hill line would offer a much more affordable alternative a an all day option than extending the Yonge subway north of Finch.

Having a "smarttrack" type service on the Richmond Hill line to Langstaff station would offer significant relief to the Yonge Line and negate the need to extend the Yonge subway north.

 

[smallspy]

I disagree. The Richmond Hill line would offer a much more affordable alternative a an all day option than extending the Yonge subway north of Finch.

Having a "smarttrack" type service on the Richmond Hill line to Langstaff station would offer significant relief to the Yonge Line and negate the need to extend the Yonge subway north.

So, those people travelling from Langstaff are supposed to take the GO Train to St. Clair, Eglinton and even Finch? Hardly.

The Richmond Hill line certainly has its own merits for 2WAD service, but not as a relief outlet for the Yonge Line. They serve very different markets.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.