GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[vegeta_skyline]

As a Monty Python fan who has 'always look on bright side of life" bouncing around in my head...I actually see how this can be turned into a positive .....not sure what an engineer on the GO trains makes but surely a recruiting drive that said "Good job good wages at "$X" and after a few years work for VIA at $61/hr"....could lead to a perpetual training cycle but, hey, at least that could attract some young folk to the career.

Very true indeed, we might actually be able to starting luring over some more disgruntled CP & CN employee's again. Who'll only stay until they get qualified and then jump ship, but hey at least they did their part and kept the training dept. busy for a few years I guess.

 

[crs1026]

I'm afraid that the Python sketch I would pick on this topic is 'cheese shop'.

"Workforce planning" is a pretty well understood human resources function. Businesses that have workforces with rigid certification requirements and long lead time training challenges know how to manage this. There are models out there that forecast with accuracy even in dynamic and competitive situations.

The ML-Bombardier accountabilities for building the workforce may complicate matters - can't help but wonder how well that interface is working at the moment, too - but this is something that GO needs to have nailed down.

FWIW I use Mimico GO a lot, and many of the crews I see changing off seem to have trainees, but that may just be offsetting retirements and attrition. I wonder how robust GO's growth strategy is.

- Paul

 

[TOareaFan]

I'm afraid that the Python sketch I would pick on this topic is 'cheese shop'.

"Workforce planning" is a pretty well understood human resources function. Businesses that have workforces with rigid certification requirements and long lead time training challenges know how to manage this. There are models out there that forecast with accuracy even in dynamic and competitive situations.

The ML-Bombardier accountabilities for building the workforce may complicate matters - can't help but wonder how well that interface is working at the moment, too - but this is something that GO needs to have nailed down.

FWIW I use Mimico GO a lot, and many of the crews I see changing off seem to have trainees, but that may just be offsetting retirements and attrition. I wonder how robust GO's growth strategy is.

- Paul

Without knowing the ins and outs of the whole situation it is hard to know where to direct criticism.....but, yes, in a world where we hear daily about how hard it is for young people to find career path jobs with good pay and job security on which they can build/plan their future....it seems bizarrely incongruous that a good recruiting strategy could not attract people to this profession....something has gone terribly wrong, I fear, but only those on the "inside" could possibly know what it is.

 

[TOareaFan]

My local MPP opened up a strange line of communication today:

So, I responded;

 

[crs1026]

^SuperLike

- Paul

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Okay, made another trip between Guelph and Union, so time again to gripe about the dwell time.

I took the 7:34 train from Guelph (the last one). The CSA announced times at each station, so I was able to count:

• 3 minutes at Georgetown
• 1 minute at Mt Pleasant
• 1 at Brampton
• 2 at Bramalea
• 1 at Bloor.

Slowdowns: only a TSO between Silver and Georgetown GO (more about that in the construction thread), creeping through the curve into Georgetown GO, and a red light north of King. So not as bad as last time.

Dwell time at stations is still costing about 5 minutes conservatively, and slowdowns probably another 5.

 

[steveintoronto]

Okay, made another trip between Guelph and Union, so time again to gripe about the dwell time.

That trip is brutal, was doing it every day last year before moving back to Toronto (I miss Guelph in ways, I certainly don't miss the grueling ride there and back daily). I met people on the train doing K/W every day....for *years*. There's some gorgeous countryside, especially coming down the Escarpment, but I couldn't face doing that again. The real horror is that it could be so much faster, and would be in many nations. It *must* be improved still, dramatically. The Greyhound bus does it in far less time, albeit that's a horror of its own, and pricey.

 

[TOareaFan]

Okay, made another trip between Guelph and Union, so time again to gripe about the dwell time.

I took the 7:34 train from Guelph (the last one). The CSA announced times at each station, so I was able to count:

• 3 minutes at Georgetown
• 1 minute at Mt Pleasant
• 1 at Brampton
• 2 at Bramalea
• 1 at Bloor.

Slowdowns: only a TSO between Silver and Georgetown GO (more about that in the construction thread), creeping through the curve into Georgetown GO, and a red light north of King. So not as bad as last time.

Dwell time at stations is still costing about 5 minutes conservatively, and slowdowns probably another 5.

A couple of years ago (if I recall correctly) GO "rationalized" their schedules....I think some might call this "padding" but, really, what business would react any differently if their political masters imposed on them this ridiculous notion that if the train was 15 minutes or more late then you had to offer refunds.

"padding"/"rationalizing" is a perfectly reasonable reaction to a silly service guarantee.....an unintended consequence of a politically motivated promise.

 

[Fritter]

their political masters imposed on them this ridiculous notion that if the train was 15 minutes or more late then you had to offer refunds.

I've always thought the money spent on the service guarantee would be better spent on fixing whaterever signal/equipment problem that caused the delay in the first place!

 

[TOareaFan]

Apparantly, negotiators for Metrolinx and CN meet every single day to negotiate access on the part of the KW line that GO does not currently have.....I would think that if you are negotiating over a protracted timeline every single day......you are not actually going to get an agreement.

 

[Allandale25]

Apparantly, negotiators for Metrolinx and CN meet every single day to negotiate access on the part of the KW line that GO does not currently have.....I would think that if you are negotiating over a protracted timeline every single day......you are not actually going to get an agreement.

Interesting to learn. I wonder what the nature of the discussions is? Local switching for the industries? My experience is that GO has been using the south side platform for several years now so I'm surprised (but by no means an expert or in the industry) that they have to talk each day. Would it be at a CN Rail Traffic Control to GO Rail Traffic Control level as opposed to between the higher ups at CN and Metrolinx? Just curious. Also, I wonder if this is the case for the Milton Line and the portion of Lakeshore West where there are freight movements and local switching.

 

[TOareaFan]

^

 

[Allandale25]

Thanks. I guess there are a couple of ways that could be read/interpreted. The negotiations could be at an operational level and deal with switching, which tracks to use, etc (just speculating because I have zero insight/industry knowledge), or it could be about the off-peak request and the Agreement in Principle for the Bypass. Maybe some of the insiders who comment here would have a perspective on either the operational negotiations or larger negotiations.

 

[TOareaFan]

Thanks. I guess there are a couple of ways that could be read/interpreted. The negotiations could be at an operational level and deal with switching, which tracks to use, etc (just speculating because I have zero insight/industry knowledge), or it could be about the off-peak request and the Agreement in Principle for the Bypass. Maybe some of the insiders who comment here would have a perspective on either the operational negotiations or larger negotiations.

it was about the off peak request.....it was the last tweet in a conversation about that subject.

 

[Allandale25]

it was about the off peak request.....it was the last tweet in a conversation about that subject.

Thanks for the context.