Bureaucromancer
Active Member
Anyone have a prediction as to when VIA will pull off the NML officially?
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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)
- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
Garuda
Active Member
My guess is April. Ridership will drop off a cliff except for weekends. Unless GO starts weekend trips and VIAs ridership will be non existent.
That said, VIA running an express service from London with stops at Stratford, Kitchener , Guelph, Brampton and finally Weston would be popular for air travellers post pandemic. I would pick VIA over GO if I had luggage and the train stopped at Weston.
denfromoakvillemilton
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How can people justify this with the track being in such awful shape?
denfromoakvillemilton
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The latter. Most people in SW drive.
leftfieldto
Active Member
Why is this not a good idea? I know a lot of people from the London area who would disagree with you.
Towered
Superstar
It's baby steps. The track upgrades to allow a quicker journey will come. At least something is happening.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
yup. GO is aiming for 1.5 hour kitchener service in the next few years, no reason the remaining track can't be upgraded to get 1-1.25 hour travel times from London to Kitchener resulting in a 2:30-2:45 travel time overall. That's fine for a commuter service, with upgrades for VIA focusing on the southern corridor through Brantford to improve those travel times for regional travel. A sub 2-hour trip on VIA and 2:45 trip on GO through Kitchener is pretty acceptable to me.
tsm1072
Active Member
They also will want to buy the ROW before upgrading the tracks so they can pay their own price and not CN's for track work. I wonder if this service is a preliminary deal while they negotiate a deal to buy the full ROW.
Nomad_87
Active Member
I'm wondering with this, assuming the pilot works out and upgrades are done would the Baden station/Yard still be necessary, or could they maybe construct a yard in say Stratford.
E•MO•TION
New Member
It's political.
ARG1
Senior Member
Lads, don't forget that the real reason this extension is being built is so that GO can charge you more for forgetting to tap off if you start your trip at Union 
Haydenpoon
Active Member
Technically they can't because you can only use an e-ticket to travel to London.Lads, don't forget that the real reason this extension is being built is so that GO can charge you more for forgetting to tap off if you start your trip at Union
gabe
Senior Member
I couldn't imagine sitting in those GO seats for that long. Those seats are so uncomfortable, plus if you have two taller people sitting in-front of you, there goes your leg room! As you pointed out the seats are not designed for long hauls, it's commuter rail.
When i was staying in Guelph a few years back. I took VIA rail to Toronto, the leg room and comfy seats, plus coffee service, made it worth the extra 10 to 20 bucks depending what day i took the train.
ARG1
Senior Member
Is this confirmed? I assume they're going to install Presto machines at the new stations...