GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[KevinT]

I'd say GO has one of the most iconic names, logos and livery in Canada (I still hate the metrolinx lime green addition though). It's quite well known outside of Toronto. I think it would be crazy to ever rebrand -- everyone would keep saying the "GO Train" or "GO Bus" regardless.

Yep, hate the 'limes and frogs' colour scheme of the new GO Bi-levels...

 

[44 North]

Yeah it doesn't really make sense why they went for such a drastic change. Slightly shifting the shade of green from older highway-sign to something a bit crisper, ok. But completely tossing an iconic style to a linear array - black, phlegm, white, sludge? Doesn't add up. Was around the same time the Libs switched the iconic trillium logo too.

And then Metrolinx ended up changing their green-on-green logo to black/white anyways, so the GO colour change decision makes even less sense.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Phil Verster did a video blog yesterday, here. In it he said they are increasing service by 29% by early 2019, and 55% by 2020. Wonder what these services will be.. That is a pretty significant ramp up.

I imagine we will see the rumored 15 minute service on the Lakeshore lines, as well as the rounding out of the missing service periods for Barrie, Kitchener, and Stouffville (Stouffville getting all day weekend service).

 

[steveintoronto]

Phil Verster did a video blog yesterday, here. In it he said they are increasing service by 29% by early 2019, and 55% by 2020. Wonder what these services will be.. That is a pretty significant ramp up.

I imagine we will see the rumored 15 minute service on the Lakeshore lines, as well as the rounding out of the missing service periods for Barrie, Kitchener, and Stouffville (Stouffville getting all day weekend service).

First off, that's always excellent PR on the part of Verster, and the production of those promos has taken on a much slicker but believable air since Verster arrived.

But I think that particular episode was at least partially aimed at the Ford Admin, to keep the pressure on to *keep* what the plan is for GO. Verster can't do any better than to remind Ontarians what the promise is....or was.

Watch for Ford to blunder about cutting such promos. "They're for the Elites, not the People".

 

[hw621]

Phil Verster did a video blog yesterday, here. In it he said they are increasing service by 29% by early 2019, and 55% by 2020. Wonder what these services will be.. That is a pretty significant ramp up.

I imagine we will see the rumored 15 minute service on the Lakeshore lines, as well as the rounding out of the missing service periods for Barrie, Kitchener, and Stouffville (Stouffville getting all day weekend service).

Before he is fired by DoFo?...LOL

 

[hw621]

First off, that's always excellent PR on the part of Verster, and the production of those promos has taken on a much slicker but believable air since Verster arrived.

But I think that particular episode was at least partially aimed at the Ford Admin, to keep the pressure on to *keep* what the plan is for GO. Verster can't do any better than to remind Ontarians what the promise is....or was.

Watch for Ford to blunder about cutting such promos. "They're for the Elites, not the People".

Verster should tell Ford that they are building Subway, above-ground Subway!

 

[Leo_Chan]

Verster should tell Ford that they are building Subway, above-ground Subway!

I feel like he should have mentioned subways networking with GO instead of just LRTs and BRTs. Even though the Relief Line South is mostly a TTC project, it networks with the GO network. The TYSSE is done, but it has an unprecedented connection at Downsview Park GO. Missed opportunity to get the "subways only" crowd happy.

 

[steveintoronto]

Verster should tell Ford that they are building Subway, above-ground Subway!

Your answer is of course, sarcastic, with good reason, but I just happened to be researching DBFOM, something Verster has been leaning on more than his predecessor, as much out of necessity as choice, and it will shut the idiot Ford up, as the decision to finance will also dictate the best way to build and operate the infrastructure.

Ford has no money, just a big mouth and no brain. No apologies for slaking the moron, or those that willingly voted for it, but the irony is sweet: P3 will establish sanity and progress where the 'label maker' hasn't got a clue.

Here's the international definition of DBFOM (There's an amazing amount of hits when Googling the term, this comes up first)

Glossary
Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain (DBFOM)
A project delivery mechanism government entities often use to structure the construction of public infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and airports. In this structure, the government entity enters into an agreement with a private sector party under which it allocates to that party all of the project's duties. This includes designing, constructing, financing, operating and maintaining the project. In exchange for assuming these obligations, the private sector party is entitled to receive, for a specified period, fees from the end users of the project or payments from the government in the form of availability payments or shadow tolls. At the end of the period, operating control is transferred back to the government entity. This structure is preferred by many governmental entities because:

• It allocates most of the risks of the project to the private sector.
• They are able to construct a project for which they may not have the financial, technical or operational capacity.

For more information on DBFOM and other structures that may used to construct projects in the US, see Practice Notes:

• Public Private Partnerships: Issues and Considerations.
• Negotiating Concession Agreements for Public Infrastructure Projects.

END OF DOCUMENT
RESOURCE ID 1-518-2990
© 2018 THOMSON REUTERS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreut...=(sc.Default)&firstPage=true&comp=pluk&bhcp=1

It remains to be seen who in Ford's Cabinet has real business where-with-all. Mulroney certainly does, and where she doesn't, she has the smarts to know who to get counsel from.

It's not the Loyal Opposition that's going to hold Ford to account. It's Reality. And he's going to end-up looking evermore the fool.

 

[steveintoronto]

I feel like he should have mentioned subways networking with GO instead of just LRTs and BRTs. Even though the Relief Line South is mostly a TTC project, it networks with the GO network. The TYSSE is done, but it has an unprecedented connection at Downsview Park GO. Missed opportunity to get the "subways only" crowd happy.

With what financing? No investors are going to do a deal with Ford. They wouldn't even buy labels from him.

Ontario is effectively broke if one believes the harangues of the reactionary Cons. P3 will invest in GO rail, and other services, however. That's going to be a touchy sell to the public, however. Ontarians are used to not having to deal with that sort of reality.

Case in point: Ask a European (depending on the nation/society) who owns their mortgaged house, the reply is "The bank".

Cdns reply "I do". Much the same applies with collective debt. Make no mistake, I'm a strident centrist, but I'm also realistic enough to realize almost all major infrastructure work happening in the world right now is via Private Investment in some form or other.

The trick is to marshall that in the best way for taxpayers, who must also participate. All of that is completely beyond the buffoon known as Ford.

Subways! Subways! Subways!

Btw: The City hasn't the money to do much of anything.

 

[ShonTron]

I think that GO Transit is relatively safe. One of the very few things that the Harris-Eves government reversed itself on was the downloading of GO to the municipalities. It's just too important to the suburban swing voters to mess around with.

Mississauga doesn't want "subways, subways, subways" - it's been pushing for and building its own projects, like the Transitway, the LRT and lobbying hard for GO improvements. Only York Region is drumming that beat.

 

[steveintoronto]

I think that GO Transit is relatively safe. One of the very few things that the Harris-Eves government reversed itself on was the downloading of GO to the municipalities. It's just too important to the suburban swing voters to mess around with.

Mississauga doesn't want "subways, subways, subways" - it's been pushing for and building its own projects, like the Transitway, the LRT and lobbying hard for GO improvements. Only York Region is drumming that beat.

At some point, Ford is going to have to face Reality. In a way, I hope he keeps the charade going. It will guarantee a palace coup, and PC HQ are especially adept at them.

Verster looked and sounded really good in that vid. We need to hear similar from mayors of the 905 region, and Crombie would be an excellent voice beyond what's been said already.

 

[TOareaFan]

Phil Verster did a video blog yesterday, here. In it he said they are increasing service by 29% by early 2019, and 55% by 2020. Wonder what these services will be.. That is a pretty significant ramp up.

I imagine we will see the rumored 15 minute service on the Lakeshore lines, as well as the rounding out of the missing service periods for Barrie, Kitchener, and Stouffville (Stouffville getting all day weekend service).

you know what is an intersting co-incidence in numbers.....if you took lines that only operate M-F (regardless of service levels) and replicated their M-F service on weekends...that would be a 29% increase on those lines.

Increasing the off peak service on Lakeshore lines to 15 minutes is a doubling of off peak service on those lines so probably (and I don't want to break out the spreadsheets on this) more than a 29% increase system wide.

That said, waaaaaaayyyy back when Lakeshore lines got 30 minute service I posted that I thought they would get 15 minute service before the Kitchener line ever got evenings and weekends....people at the time mocked me and said I was being bitter/petty.

 

[innsertnamehere]

15 minute service for somewhat limited hours - say, 7am to 8pm, would add about 104 trips a day, or 728 trips a week. a 29% increase would be 522 additional trips. So yea, not likely.

If you count a cross lakeshore trip (train that goes from Aldershot to Oshawa) as a single trip, it's only 52 trips a day, or 364 additional trips. Then it would definitely be possible.

It may end up as a mix of service increases. Kitchener and Stouffville get evenings and weekends, Lakeshore gets 15 minute service on weekdays mid day. Or something like that.

Adding hourly weekend service to Kitchener would only be ~60 new trips - if we are looking at 522 new trips in the next year.. we are going to be seeing some major service increases.

 

[TOareaFan]

^29% just seemed like such a randomly specific number....then I remembered that 2 was 29% of 7 and thought it was a co-incidence worth noting....then realize that my mind had allowed me to make the most basic of errors and if (for example) you added Saturday and Sunday service on the KW line that was exactly the same as the M-F service that would actually be a 40% increase not a 29% increase....then I realized I was at work and getting paid to run some other numbers on some other things and I stopped.

 

[drum118]

Kids 12 & under ride free on the Barrie line.
Getting there is half the fun!

Looking for some budget-friendly family fun this long weekend? We've got you covered because kids 12 and under ride for free on the Barrie line until October 31st. There's so much to see and do in and around Barrie, so get closer to the fun. Check out Promenade Days which runs from June 30 - July 2, or beat the heat at Barrie's waterfront. Plan your trip today at gotransit.com/barrie.