GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[TransitBart]

I was thinking of leaving the car at home and taking GO to work. My office is near Hurontario and Lakeshore in Port Credit. I figure I could take my bicycle from Cabbagetown to Union, grab the a train at 7:15am with the bicycle (GO website says bikes on trains are okay in AM westbound from Union and PM eastbound to Union) and then cycle to work from Port Credit station.

Only downside is the cost, over $12 a day with Presto Card. With 250 working days a year, that's over $3,000 a year. Seems a bit much. Still I might try it in the winter when traffic is bad and forgo the bike for a local transit.

I drive too. But add up gas, maintenance on the vehicle, wear and tear on tires, so a new set - say every 36 months - and amortization on the vehicle. Is that not about $250 per month? You'd gain about an hour of work / quiet / personal time per work day too. That is about 250 hours a year.

 

[mdrejhon]

I was thinking of leaving the car at home and taking GO to work. My office is near Hurontario and Lakeshore in Port Credit. I figure I could take my bicycle from Cabbagetown to Union, grab the a train at 7:15am with the bicycle (GO website says bikes on trains are okay in AM westbound from Union and PM eastbound to Union) and then cycle to work from Port Credit station.

Only downside is the cost, over $12 a day with Presto Card. With 250 working days a year, that's over $3,000 a year. Seems a bit much. Still I might try it in the winter when traffic is bad and forgo the bike for a local transit.

I pay more than that in a year in GO Transit, travelling at $24/roundtrip from Hamilton, but I do get to telecommute part of the time, so excluding telecommutes, vacations, and other stuff, it boils down to about $4,500 a year in GO costs.

My home.& Hamilton GO is both within SoBi bikeshare territory, and Toronto Union & work is in Toronto Bikeshare territory. I have annual memberships with both bikeshare systems so I don't need to carry a bike onto the train.

Other times, and especially in winter, I drive to Aldershot because the last Hamilton trains still leave too damn early for me, and buses are slowed down (compared to train) until well after peak period. And I don't always return before the last 630pm interurban. Once Hamilton trains start departing an hour later, I'll probably more consistently bike.

Metrolinx 2041 just proposed all-day 2-way 15-min RER electric extension to Hamilton after 2025. (RER ends at Burlington/Aldershot initially). However, in ten years, I may no longer be working in the downtown Toronto location. Who knows?

 

[nfitz]

I drive too. But add up gas, maintenance on the vehicle, wear and tear on tires, so a new set - say every 36 months - and amortization on the vehicle. Is that not about $250 per month?

Last time I did the calculation for claiming car expenses on my taxes, it was closer to $500 a month - and that was a decade ago. And I buy cheap cars. I guess if you've got an old beater that never needs repairs is might come down.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I drive too. But add up gas, maintenance on the vehicle, wear and tear on tires, so a new set - say every 36 months - and amortization on the vehicle. Is that not about $250 per month? You'd gain about an hour of work / quiet / personal time per work day too. That is about 250 hours a year.

That's been my thinking too. Though I get a $500 a month car allowance, which absolutely would not be looked upon favourably if I used for free transit.

 

[canarob]

In Markham, there are a huge number of riders north of Unionville GO, all the way out to Stouffville, and there was no transfer required for them before, and now there is. If the 30 minute buses were replaced by 60 minute trains on Stouffville, that would be an entirely different situation--yes, reduced frequency and sometimes slight travel time increases, but an insignificant issue compared to also having a bus ride+transfer.

Anyone have a sense of when enough of the new second track will be finished for the current schedule to be extended to at least Mount Joy? The line ups and crowding on the connecting buses are getting pretty intense, especially since all the students are back.

 

[cbrown2009]

Isn't there like a 52 minute layover at Unionville off-peak? That would/should be enough time for trains to run in service to Mount Joy & back on the existing trackage instead of just sitting at Unionville. Similar to the Kitchener Line midday now trains pass each other at Malton and then run single file to Mount Pleasant and back.

Yes. Just checked again to be sure. Trains only take 15 minutes between Unionville and Mount Joy each way. So there would still be a good 20 minute layover at Mount Joy, which is plenty. The turnaround at Mount Pleasant isn't even that long, usually around 10-15 minutes.

Unionville-Stouffville is 24-26 minutes so harder to get that far and back to Unionville without an extra train and more double tracking north of Unionville.

 

[crs1026]

There would have to be a small modification to the signalling to allow routine turnbacks at Mount Joy. Similar signalling has already been installed at Port Credit, Mount Pleasant, and Aurora, to serve the same purpose on those lines. No reason reason why it can't be done on the Stouffville line.

It does seem like a poor decision to terminate the trains at Unionville when this small extension would eliminate many transfers. I wonder however if the ridership data at intermediate bus stops pre-train service left GO figuring that many riders would need a 'last mile' bus ride anyways, and one transfer point was simplest.

- Paul

 

[TransitBart]

Why can't some noble empowered person at Metrolinx stand on the platform at Unionville for about a week and decide that the wrong decision was made and then go back to her manager and explain that Mount Joy would be better, and then they make a *effin* decision and in 60 days the train goes three stops farther. Is all the study, BS and delay creating value and improving the lives of the GO customers - ah, er - tax payers and shareholders?

 

[cbrown2009]

There would have to be a small modification to the signalling to allow routine turnbacks at Mount Joy. Similar signalling has already been installed at Port Credit, Mount Pleasant, and Aurora, to serve the same purpose on those lines. No reason reason why it can't be done on the Stouffville line.

It does seem like a poor decision to terminate the trains at Unionville when this small extension would eliminate many transfers. I wonder however if the ridership data at intermediate bus stops pre-train service left GO figuring that many riders would need a 'last mile' bus ride anyways, and one transfer point was simplest.

- Paul

I again reference the Kitchener Line as I throw this out there. Malton, Bramalea, Brampton and Mount Pleasant all feature different sets of bus connections to various final destinations ranging from Bolton through Brampton, including the 407 corridor, to Georgetown, Guelph and Kitchener throughout the midday service...

If it's a minor signalling issue, I would submit that that work should be done pronto and trains extended asap.

 

[ShonTron]

There would have to be a small modification to the signalling to allow routine turnbacks at Mount Joy. Similar signalling has already been installed at Port Credit, Mount Pleasant, and Aurora, to serve the same purpose on those lines. No reason reason why it can't be done on the Stouffville line.

It does seem like a poor decision to terminate the trains at Unionville when this small extension would eliminate many transfers. I wonder however if the ridership data at intermediate bus stops pre-train service left GO figuring that many riders would need a 'last mile' bus ride anyways, and one transfer point was simplest.

- Paul

Mount Joy is the right place to turn back midday service on the Stouffville Corridor, just as Mount Pleasant is on the Kitchener Corridor. Both turn-backs avoid mid-suburban congestion, several turns at busy intersections, and minimize transfers. Beyond both those stops is more exurban leaf-frog communities like Georgetown and Stouffville. Both stations are on the main route to those communities beyond as well.

The mid-2000s Bramalea turn-back forced long bus rides for many passengers from central, west and, northwest Brampton, and a longer travel time than a direct bus to Union Station, just as the Unionville turn-back does now.

 

[smallspy]

There would have to be a small modification to the signalling to allow routine turnbacks at Mount Joy. Similar signalling has already been installed at Port Credit, Mount Pleasant, and Aurora, to serve the same purpose on those lines. No reason reason why it can't be done on the Stouffville line.

It does seem like a poor decision to terminate the trains at Unionville when this small extension would eliminate many transfers. I wonder however if the ridership data at intermediate bus stops pre-train service left GO figuring that many riders would need a 'last mile' bus ride anyways, and one transfer point was simplest.

- Paul

In fairness, there is no absolute need to modify the signalling to allow for an extension of service to Mount Joy. They can easy do it with the rules already in place.

I suspect that, much like on the Barrie Line, than the current schedule being used for the off-peak Stouffville service is an interim one. That may be why they've held back on extending the service to Mount Joy.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[crs1026]

In fairness, there is no absolute need to modify the signalling to allow for an extension of service to Mount Joy. They can easy do it with the rules already in place.

It's not a showstopper, true, and in the short term quite doable. But more radio chatter, more work for RTC, etc. The investment is a prudent one. The fewer workarounds, the better.

- Paul

 

[smallspy]

It's not a showstopper, true, and in the short term quite doable. But more radio chatter, more work for RTC, etc. The investment is a prudent one. The fewer workarounds, the better.

- Paul

Oh, no doubt.

But they did it for years without the extra control points, too. Hell, they did it at Appleby all weekend for the short-turns. They're perfectly capable of doing it on a regular basis if necessary.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[cbrown2009]

Oh, no doubt.

But they did it for years without the extra control points, too. Hell, they did it at Appleby all weekend for the short-turns. They're perfectly capable of doing it on a regular basis if necessary.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

So my question is: Why has this seemingly easy adjustment not yet been made? And why was it not instituted that way from the start?

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

In fairness, there is no absolute need to modify the signalling to allow for an extension of service to Mount Joy. They can easy do it with the rules already in place.

I suspect that, much like on the Barrie Line, than the current schedule being used for the off-peak Stouffville service is an interim one. That may be why they've held back on extending the service to Mount Joy.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

Is there not extra track work that needs to be done, which is why the Stouffville service hasn't gone to Mt joy yet? Ridiculous, but this is metrolinx.