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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

This is fantastic news. I honestly didn't expect a pilot train to London to be running so soon. The 4hr commute time up to Toronto is tough to chew on, but as mentioned by other posters, starting with basic service now is just a baby step. I can't imagine that Kitchener or Barrie had fantastic service to start with great travel times when they were first introduced.

I suspect that this will mostly be used for London-Kitchener commuting for now until corridor improvements are made to decrease travel time into the GTA. This will also be a massive boon to the communities of St. Marys and Stratford, who are still relatively isolated and aren't even connected to the major highways yet.

I'm mostly just excited that a major piece of SW Ontario is hooked up to the GO network now. It's been a long time coming and it'll hopefully foster a change in transit culture down here. Maybe it'll even convince the City of London (with a CMA approaching 600,000 people) to finally get it together regarding rapid transit.
Barrie's original extension in 1990 it was the same as London, a whopping 1 round trip per day. With the return in 2007 having 4 round trips
 
I know this is a bit off topic, but a few weeks ago YRT started a survey on transit expansion plans by 2025, and they released this updated an updated service map:
View attachment 349191
Now ignoring how... optimistic this map is, something I noticed that is a bit peculiar is this bit here:

View attachment 349192
So uh, York Region now wants to extend the Richmond Hill line to Aurora Road, and have that served by a 15 minute bus service to downtown Aurora? Ye... sure.
might as well go to Washago or Orillia while we're at it. (jk obv... unless...)
 
I'm seeing $42 with tax for tomorrow from Union to London. GO will likely be $10 cheaper for twice the time.

Also, ONEX Bus will get you there in 3 hours for $30.

There have been times in my life, even when fully employed, that an extra $10 in my pocket has outweighed the opportunity cost of extra time.
That opportunity cost has also declined with technology too, with portable entertainment available on any trip via a phone, laptop, tablet, etc..

There is also something to be said for the ability to get up and move somewhere else on a train car, or even to a different train car as you can on GO, rather than be trapped on a bus seat near some obnoxious person who starts eating their takeout fish curry beside you 5 seconds after leaving the station, followed by a 90 minute phone conversation where they talk as loud as possible, because "I'm on the bus so I have to yell in the phone so you are able to hear me."
 
It would provide faster trip times to Sarnia using the Dundas sub and just let GO run the Northern line.

Possibly just have VIA run express and only stop at Stratford, Kitchener and Guelph.

You would need to schedule it to allow for transfers at London.
Or have frequent GO service to London in the future.
 
just kill VIA service entirely on the north line and run all VIA trains through Brantford. Run semi-frequent GO service on the north line with upgraded infrastructure.

VIA would do it in about 2 hours, GO in 2:45 or so with upgraded tracks probably. Pick whether you want the premium service with speed or the slower local.
 
I know this is a bit off topic, but a few weeks ago YRT started a survey on transit expansion plans by 2025, and they released this updated an updated service map:
View attachment 349191
Now ignoring how... optimistic this map is, something I noticed that is a bit peculiar is this bit here:

View attachment 349192
So uh, York Region now wants to extend the Richmond Hill line to Aurora Road, and have that served by a 15 minute bus service to downtown Aurora? Ye... sure.
The Richmond Hill Line is maligned by everyone. It gets decent ridership and this would help.
 
just kill VIA service entirely on the north line and run all VIA trains through Brantford. Run semi-frequent GO service on the north line with upgraded infrastructure.

That would make a Windsor-Kitchener trip impossible without a transfer at London.

I don't think it make sense to eliminate that possibility.

I want there to be connections from as many places as practical, to as many others as practical, and certainly between larger urban centres in SW Ontario in this case.
 
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I know this is a bit off topic, but a few weeks ago YRT started a survey on transit expansion plans by 2025, and they released this updated an updated service map:
View attachment 349191
Now ignoring how... optimistic this map is, something I noticed that is a bit peculiar is this bit here:

View attachment 349192
So uh, York Region now wants to extend the Richmond Hill line to Aurora Road, and have that served by a 15 minute bus service to downtown Aurora? Ye... sure.
Not just YRT.....

This has been GO's ultimate goal for a long time now. They consider it a better way to pick up those people from the south end of Newmarket than the (now) Barrie Line.

Dan
 
Not just YRT.....

This has been GO's ultimate goal for a long time now. They consider it a better way to pick up those people from the south end of Newmarket than the (now) Barrie Line.

Dan
So will they get going on Mulock or is that in development hell too?
~~~~~
I guess Kingston and Peterborough are next up. Kingston is a direct shot from Oshawa and the Stouffville line will be extended from Uxbridge.
 
So will they get going on Mulock or is that in development hell too?
~~~~~

Mulock is on the EAs, and in all of the future plans. But there are no current plans to build it.

(Which seems short-sighted, I agree.)

I guess Kingston and Peterborough are next up. Kingston is a direct shot from Oshawa and the Stouffville line will be extended from Uxbridge.

Kingston is on a different set of tracks from Oshawa. And Uxbridge is also still held in the long-term plans, but not likely to be built for a long time.

That said, Brantford is still calling.....

Dan
 

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