News   Mar 28, 2024
 514     0 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 404     1 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 744     0 

GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

It would be shortsighted to dismiss the Niagara train based on current ridership. It's a brand new service offering a 2.5 hour ride and only two trains a day

I quite agree that there is huge potential, but when ML offers no concrete and trackable plan to make the service better, and when funding has not been approved or released, there is no reason to applaud. All you see is all you’re gonna get - for a long time. The rest is just wishing and hoping.

- Paul
 
I tried to see what could be possibly done for the Kitchener Line
193593

This weekday eastbound rush just adds a departure at 6:29 from georgetown. I'm not quite sure where else you could fit another train? I also made the 5:45 Kitchener train express from Malton.
193594

Weekday counter rush just makes the current deadheads into super express trains. I don't think its really possible to make a 15 minute all day service without the 4th track in place
193595

Both way 30 minute Midday service is possible, The trains would meet at Malton Go and about halfway between Weston and Bloor stations which at the moment the eastbound train uses the southmost UPX track on the corridor and the westbound train uses the regular go track. At Bramalea there is a 40 minute layover. I think 30 minute to Mount Pleasant may be possible but that would be up to CN. 15 Minute to Bramalea is not possible with the current track layout.
193596


I haven't looked into the westbound rush or counter rush yet.
 
I don't know if Metrolinx can or will want to significantly boost rail service on the Kitchener Line, especially outside of rush hours, until major work like the Torbram underpass and the Highway 401 tunnel are completed. There's probably room to add another rush hour train or two, and maybe some evening and/or weekend trains.

Given Metrolinx's budget cuts,I wonder if most additional trains promised will be simply putting some more deadheads into service, or squeezing another run or two out of an existing consist and crew. That might get another early evening train in on the Kitchener Line, or perhaps turn a deadhead or two into a express trip back downtown.
 
Given Metrolinx's budget cuts,I wonder if most additional trains promised will be simply putting some more deadheads into service, or squeezing another run or two out of an existing consist and crew. That might get another early evening train in on the Kitchener Line, or perhaps turn a deadhead or two into a express trip back downtown.

There isn't much in terms of deadheads to convert, however. A couple outbound in the morning and one inbound in the evening aren't going to make much of a difference to pumping up Metrolinx' metrics.

Dan
 
There isn't much in terms of deadheads to convert, however. A couple outbound in the morning and one inbound in the evening aren't going to make much of a difference to pumping up Metrolinx' metrics.

Dan
Right now there are 4 dead heads in the morning. 2 to mount pleasant and 2 to bramalea. In the afternoon there is the one from bramalea.
 
I don't know if Metrolinx can or will want to significantly boost rail service on the Kitchener Line, especially outside of rush hours, until major work like the Torbram underpass and the Highway 401 tunnel are completed. There's probably room to add another rush hour train or two, and maybe some evening and/or weekend trains.

Given Metrolinx's budget cuts,I wonder if most additional trains promised will be simply putting some more deadheads into service, or squeezing another run or two out of an existing consist and crew. That might get another early evening train in on the Kitchener Line, or perhaps turn a deadhead or two into a express trip back downtown.
I think 30 minute service is plausible to Bramalea as in the current track configuration support that level of service. However counter rush isn't really possible without skipping Etobicoke North. An extra rush hour train to kitchener and Georgetown is possible and maybe the can convert 1/2 of the current kitchener trains into Express trains
 
For some reason I thought the York University Station on the Barrie Line would close when the Downsview Station opened but I noticed today it's still open. What's the plan for this station or has GO not be said yet?
 
It would be shortsighted to dismiss the Niagara train based on current ridership. It's a brand new service offering a 2.5 hour ride and only two trains a day - of course ridership is going to be weak. But we're barely seeing the tip of the iceberg for ridership to Niagara. While it's spread out among several cities, it's a region of almost half a million people with millions of tourists every year. Many of those tourists are from Toronto or have Niagara included part of a Toronto trip. Plus the QEW is one of the most congested highways in the country. If trains were more frequent and faster way more people would take it.

Barrie is a good comparison. There has been substantial ridership growth to Barrie in the dozen years since that line was re-established, both because it takes a few years for ridership to grow and because of service increases. The same will happen with Niagara.

"Millions every year" is not a lot by transit standards. And as you say, not all of those millions are from Toronto.

GO should focus on routine trips. One person riding GO every day is the same as hundreds of people riding once a year.

Difference with Barrie service is for the everyday riders. Encouraging people to change their habits over time, making transit a routine.
 
Does CN even want ML to boost the number on trains on their tracks? They own the trackage west of Bramalea and would control the schedules of the GO trains through there.
 
"Millions every year" is not a lot by transit standards. And as you say, not all of those millions are from Toronto.

GO should focus on routine trips. One person riding GO every day is the same as hundreds of people riding once a year.

Difference with Barrie service is for the everyday riders. Encouraging people to change their habits over time, making transit a routine.
The point is that there's a large amount of demand for travel along that corridor, more than enough to justify a significant investment in rail transit. Yes it's expensive but when it's looked at as an alternative to building the mid-peninsula highway the cost is pretty reasonable.
 
For some reason I thought the York University Station on the Barrie Line would close when the Downsview Station opened but I noticed today it's still open. What's the plan for this station or has GO not be said yet?

GO wants to close it. York University threw a fit. As a compromise, GO stops all older trains at it provided York U continues their shuttle service, and skips the station with any new train service added to the Barrie line; so it's a peak period only station.

It's really hard to argue a business case doesn't exist for York U (130/day, 4 minute stop + fuel for acceleration) while it does exist for Allandale (281/day) or Kitchener (282/day) / Acton (121/day) / Guelph (271/day) which require a train in service for much longer than would otherwise be necessary (crew time, fuel, etc.); not to mention the shenanigans around the math for St. Catharines/Niagara in it's current state.

To be clear, I'm in favour of investing in Niagara but unless track speed can be improved the bus seems a better solution, particularly at 5am/7pm when the roadway to Hamilton is clear.
 
Last edited:
For some reason I thought the York University Station on the Barrie Line would close when the Downsview Station opened but I noticed today it's still open. What's the plan for this station or has GO not be said yet?
I would say this would be an "easy win" for the current government for their cost cutting and efficiencies. I'm surprised that it wasn't closed in the current round of GO cutbacks.
 
I would say this would be an "easy win" for the current government for their cost cutting and efficiencies. I'm surprised that it wasn't closed in the current round of GO cutbacks.
Well, closing a single station doesn’t cause the same amount of backlash as discontinuing an entire bus route. :p
 

Back
Top