GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[scrappyTO]

In light of today's news release from Metrolinx regarding rail safety, on April 28 I reported the incident below to the Go Transit safety line while it was happening. I was kept on hold briefly, and after gathering details the agent said "I'll try to get someone out there". I assumed they'd hold train service - this was at 5:45 pm. I had mentioned I knew it was an active track at that time of day. About 10 minutes later, my heart stopped when I saw the outbound train approaching. Metrolinx hadn't stopped the train, despite being advised of the location and with adequate lead time. The trespassers survived. But it feels like today's Metrolinx warnings need more action from the agency itself. Perhaps the train operator was warned, but the trespassers were just a few feet from the passing train. As recently as this past weekend I saw another trespasser going through the insecure fencing.

 

[Northern Light]

In light of today's news release from Metrolinx regarding rail safety, on April 28 I reported the incident below to the Go Transit safety line while it was happening. I was kept on hold briefly, and after gathering details the agent said "I'll try to get someone out there". I assumed they'd hold train service - this was at 5:45 pm. I had mentioned I knew it was an active track at that time of day. About 10 minutes later, my heart stopped when I saw the outbound train approaching. Metrolinx hadn't stopped the train, despite being advised of the location and with adequate lead time. The trespassers survived. But it feels like today's Metrolinx warnings need more action from the agency itself. Perhaps the train operator was warned, but the trespassers were just a few feet from the passing train. As recently as this past weekend I saw another trespasser going through the insecure fencing.

View attachment 403637

Good on you for doing your best in the circumstances; the angry face is for Mx who blew it on their end!

May I suggest you tweet this to GO/Mx or AMA. It might not make a difference, but once and a while some public embarrassment serves a useful purpose.

 

[reaperexpress]

In light of today's news release from Metrolinx regarding rail safety, on April 28 I reported the incident below to the Go Transit safety line while it was happening. I was kept on hold briefly, and after gathering details the agent said "I'll try to get someone out there". I assumed they'd hold train service - this was at 5:45 pm. I had mentioned I knew it was an active track at that time of day. About 10 minutes later, my heart stopped when I saw the outbound train approaching. Metrolinx hadn't stopped the train, despite being advised of the location and with adequate lead time. The trespassers survived. But it feels like today's Metrolinx warnings need more action from the agency itself. Perhaps the train operator was warned, but the trespassers were just a few feet from the passing train. As recently as this past weekend I saw another trespasser going through the insecure fencing.

The location in your photo is the Richmond Hill line at Queen Street. The speed limit there is 35 mph (56 km/h), but it is immediately adjacent to the 25 mph (40 km/h) Permanent Slow Order around the sharp curve at Corktown Common park, so trains would be going less than 40 km/h.

I recently encountered some teenagers playing football on the tracks in Rijswijk station - an underground station where intercity trains pass through at 140 km/h, six times per hour in each direction (plus four local trains per hour which stop). These teenagers were well aware of the risk of approaching trains, as every few minutes when a train whizzed through, they climbed up to the platform and held their ball tight. Standing on the platform in an underground station while a double-decker train whizzes by at 140 km/h is already a heart-pumping experience, which certainly makes one well aware of the danger of being on the wrong side of the platform edge line.

The reason they were playing there, rather than the park directly above the station, is likely because of the deadly danger every few minutes - they think that defying the rules about staying off the tracks makes them seem tough to their friends.

Given that the people in your picture are likely fully aware of the danger of trains, I don't think it would be essential to stop the evening Richmond Hill line service. Slowing to a crawl and applying the horn seems like it would be perfectly adequate in this situation.

If the customer service rep with whom you spoke also didn't feel that it was an urgent life-and-death situation, then they might not have immediately called the emergency number for train dispatch (the one posted at every level crossing), and it may have taken more than 10 minutes for the message to reach the applicable train crew.

 

[scrappyTO]

The location in your photo is the Richmond Hill line at Queen Street. The speed limit there is 35 mph (56 km/h), but it is immediately adjacent to the 25 mph (40 km/h) Permanent Slow Order around the sharp curve at Corktown Common park, so trains would be going less than 40 km/h.

I recently encountered some teenagers playing football on the tracks in Rijswijk station - an underground station where intercity trains pass through at 140 km/h, six times per hour in each direction (plus four local trains per hour which stop). These teenagers were well aware of the risk of approaching trains, as every few minutes when a train whizzed through, they climbed up to the platform and held their ball tight. Standing on the platform in an underground station while a double-decker train whizzes by at 140 km/h is already a heart-pumping experience, which certainly makes one well aware of the danger of being on the wrong side of the platform edge line.

The reason they were playing there, rather than the park directly above the station, is likely because of the deadly danger every few minutes - they think that defying the rules about staying off the tracks makes them seem tough to their friends.

Given that the people in your picture are likely fully aware of the danger of trains, I don't think it would be essential to stop the evening Richmond Hill line service. Slowing to a crawl and applying the horn seems like it would be perfectly adequate in this situation.

If the customer service rep with whom you spoke also didn't feel that it was an urgent life-and-death situation, then they might not have immediately called the emergency number for train dispatch (the one posted at every level crossing), and it may have taken more than 10 minutes for the message to reach the applicable train crew.

I understand your points. I had actually called the Go Transit Safety line itself - not just Metrolinx customer service. And when the train passed about 10 minutes later, with people still on the tracks, it appeared to me to be going at the normal speed for this time/area, with no horns blaring, and certainly not at a crawl. I figured the Go Transit Safety line was the most direct route. Weeks later they've done nothing to secure the perimeter, having seen someone slip through the fence this past weekend. I've avoided getting a Twitter account, so I did email a follow-up to Metrolinx customer service today contrasting their news release with their own inaction.

 

[Krypto98]

In light of today's news release from Metrolinx regarding rail safety, on April 28 I reported the incident below to the Go Transit safety line while it was happening. I was kept on hold briefly, and after gathering details the agent said "I'll try to get someone out there". I assumed they'd hold train service - this was at 5:45 pm. I had mentioned I knew it was an active track at that time of day. About 10 minutes later, my heart stopped when I saw the outbound train approaching. Metrolinx hadn't stopped the train, despite being advised of the location and with adequate lead time. The trespassers survived. But it feels like today's Metrolinx warnings need more action from the agency itself. Perhaps the train operator was warned, but the trespassers were just a few feet from the passing train. As recently as this past weekend I saw another trespasser going through the insecure fencing.

View attachment 403637

When I called CN police a few months ago for tresspassers they shut everything down within 90 seconds (I had a scanner on me and heard rtc asking trains to stop), not sure why metrolinx couldn't do things as quickly

 

[Allandale25]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1531338430579359745

 

[nfitz]

In light of today's news release from Metrolinx regarding rail safety, on April 28 I reported the incident below to the Go Transit safety line while it was happening ...

Not a surprise. The media folks are keen about the trespassing issue, but many of those in the field, don't give a shit. The endless Metrolinx lectures about trespassing and safety fall flat, when you point out to them that the fences that keep telling you not to cross vanished years to decades ago, before CN sold the tracks to Metrolinx - and they've clearly not once ever checked. Let alone fixed the big holes in the fences you can clearly see from the tracks - which CN used to maintain.

Hopefully they've hired some good contractors to build the new systems - because their competence managing what they already have is beyond pathetic.

 

[crs1026]

^I won’t pretend they are perfect, but to be fair - ML has in fact erected a fair amount of fencing (and sound walls) such that in many locations it is a puzzle where a trespasser entered. We may see even more with electrification and as the various track projects are completed. CP and CN much less so (that video is on CP rather than ML’s own property).
I don’t imagine we will ever see a perfectly sealed railway system, nor would we want to….. just imagine how Sunnyside would look with sound walls along the tracks next to the Gardiner.
Our society has little patience with “petty” rules and ordinances - even those that have relevance to saving lives and human safety. Add in youthful urges for adventure, and disregard of risk. ML is doing the right thing by keeping the risks in the public eye. It is only partly altruistic… ML can’t afford bad publicity, may not want to endure high profile litigation, and they stand to lose the most when trains are delayed by incidents. Sadly, I doubt their safety campaigns will ever be 100% effective.

- Paul

 

[Krypto98]

I understand your points. I had actually called the Go Transit Safety line itself - not just Metrolinx customer service. And when the train passed about 10 minutes later, with people still on the tracks, it appeared to me to be going at the normal speed for this time/area, with no horns blaring, and certainly not at a crawl. I figured the Go Transit Safety line was the most direct route. Weeks later they've done nothing to secure the perimeter, having seen someone slip through the fence this past weekend. I've avoided getting a Twitter account, so I did email a follow-up to Metrolinx customer service today contrasting their news release with their own inaction.

I believe that metrolinx policy regarding tresspassers on track is for trains to reduce speed to 25 mph and be prepared to stop. If this was on the Bala sub near union that would be close to track speed anyways...

 

[Allandale25]

Ontario election features big promises on public transit. What’s on offer for Peterborough-Kawartha?​

Better GO Transit service to Peterborough, cheaper fares, more money for cities to run public transit – the major political parties all have something different to offer voters in the region on public transit.

Big promises on transit in Ontario election

How are the major parties proposing to improve transit? And what do local bus riders think of the plans?

peterboroughcurrents.ca

 

[ssiguy2]

I've never understood why GO expansion always seems to avoid Brantford.

There are a lot of commuters between Brantford & Hamilton and a stop at Dundas would serve McMaster.

 

[DirectionNorth]

I've never understood why GO expansion always seems to avoid Brantford.

There are a lot of commuters between Brantford & Hamilton and a stop at Dundas would serve McMaster.

The track between Brantford and Hamilton is owned by CN, which uses it as its SW Ontario mainline, and would crowd Hamilton and Niagara slots on the CN portion of the Oakville Sub.

Theoretically, we could have a shuttle service between Brantford and Hamilton, but I don't know whether there is room for a stop in Hamilton, Dundas, or Brantford.

Besides, there are (sigh) more seats to be won in London. If anything is set up, it will probably have the very low utility.

 

[Towered]

I've never understood why GO expansion always seems to avoid Brantford.

There are a lot of commuters between Brantford & Hamilton and a stop at Dundas would serve McMaster.

Brantford could certainly use the investment. It's a startlingly shabby city with obvious signs of decay and poverty, but it's the next stop for the middle class priced out of the insane GTA real estate market.

 

[reaperexpress]

I've never understood why GO expansion always seems to avoid Brantford.

There are a lot of commuters between Brantford & Hamilton and a stop at Dundas would serve McMaster.

Really? Never?

Three weeks ago you posted in this thread:

I'm curious..........when it comes to GO expansion why is Brantford never considered? It has a rail line going right to it's downtown and Paris. It has 150,000 people and such a service would also get Brantford to Hamilton commuters and a stop at Dundas would also serve McMaster. It would be money way better spent than on the useless London route.

And these were the responses:

CN has entered the chat.

Would it? It's about the same distance from the old Dundas station to McMaster than it is from West Harbour.

Though with the long term plans to terminate some trains in Aldershot, it may well make sense to extend an hourly train to Brantford with a stop in Dundas.

Traditionally the answer has been that Brantford already has a commuter rail service to Toronto, which is is the one operated by VIA Rail. See the 2018 timetable below, with commuter-oriented trips highlighted in green.
View attachment 399370
View attachment 399371

However, given VIA's recent reluctance to reinstate the commuter services from Kingston (e.g. train 651, shown in green below), it is possible that VIA is now interested in transferring their commuter services to GO.
View attachment 399369

In principle it seems outside VIA's national mandate to be providing commuter service within a particular urban area of a particular province, but it's possible that pre-pandemic it didn't matter since those services were profitable anyway. But if VIA is now doubting that they will continue to be profitable, it may be looking to download those services onto the Province, in which case VIA trains 82 and 83 might be replaced by GO trains in the future.

Reaper's answer is a good one, and the mention of CN by others is also apt.

That said, I would add:

Brantford has lobbied for GO service; and that resulted in the 13 bus trips it now gets on weekdays.

I'm not sure what the ridership volume is on those buses, but I imagine that would factor in to considering whether a train is appropriate.

The service, currently is no more frequent than hourly, which seems a bit light for train replacement.

That said, we all know trains will lure additional riders.

****

One thing I'm not sure has been addressed (it may have been) was that Brantford Transit was actually abysmal a few years ago, and the quality of that last-mile connection is an issue when developing
a plan to lure more into transit-based commuting.

 

[ssiguy2]

There is a VERY interesting development at Metra that Metrolinx should keep an eye on.

Metra is the Chicago areas commuter & suburban rail system. It has roughly twice the trackage of GO and nearly quadruple the amount of stations. It carries {2019} roughly 25% more passengers per day than GO rail and offers both all day each way lines as well as just one way limited service weekday lines like GO. Metra, like all commuter/suburban systems, has been hit particularly hard by COVID as it, like GO, tends to be used overwhelmingly by people getting to their downtown white collar jobs which often could be done at home unlike blue collar ones.

Starting next month, Metra will be running a 3 month pilot program, offering unlimited travel on all lines regardless of the distance for just $100/month and $70 for students/disabled/seniors. The July/Aug/Sept pilot will allow Metra to see how it effects ridership on summer travel but also Sept when students are back at class and summer vacations for workers are over. Like GO, Metra serves areas well beyond it's immediate urban area to outlying cities.

They are doing this to entice riders back as well as seeing how it effects ridership on each line, when people travel, and how much {if anything}" it will cost the system if it is made permanent. Metra has the advantage of having most of it's lines electrified so it doesn't suffer from GO's huge operational expense of diesel but conversely it's rider revenue per mile travelled is much lower than GO's.

It could end up actually costing the agency very little money or even increase revenues as the much lower fares are overridden by the much higher ridership. Toronto saw this with the UPX when it dropped it's fares by 70% but due to so many more people using the service, revenues actually went up.