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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

crs1026 said:
The idea of a Guelph-Galt-Brantford tra


The line needs new rail - a point the business case overlooked. (They talked about the need for Class 3 or better track, but didn’t assess what an upgrade to that level would require).(It won’t be cheap).
The difference between upgrading for vanilla GO equipment versus a lighter vehicle probably isn’t that significant, so I would argue for upgrading to GO standard so that all options are open.
When that cost is tabled, the plan may not look so attractive.

- Paul
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Well, how much better were the track conditions on the Trillium Line pre O-Train compare to what exists on Cambridge-Guelph, and how much of the $21M involved track upgrades? I can't imagine the all but abandoned O-Train tracks were in that much of a better shape.
 
Bordercollie said:
It would require an exemption to run non FRA standard equipment on a heavy rail line and would require any switching moves by CN to be done after hours. That might be a problem.

Also cannot be used by Go to move equipment between the two lines while the LRT is running.
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Keep in mind, the spur is currently R105 territory with basically 10-15 speeds
 
tmlittle said:
Looking at Kitchener and Guelph as a strong city pairing, you have two whole yards in Kitchener that could at least theoretically accommodate some smaller trains, that in theory could take the 100% Metrolinx owned track back and forth, and in the future expand more into a regional network centred around Kitchener. Not all of this would need to happen at once, but establishing these kinds of small networks would help make GO more polycentric and less rigidly Toronto oriented and eliminate a lot of the vestigial problems created by the downtown Toronto 9-5 commuter model. If this was done across board with Metrolinx getting a big order of, say, bimode EMU/DMUs or something, you could use them both on the "inner network" and also spread them out to be based in some more outer yards to connect strong city pairings. Kitchener-Guelph can't be the only one.
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I've actually looked into this further, Kitchener-Guelph are approx. 22 km away from each other. it takes 17 minutes to get from one to the other. and you need a loop in the middle - there's conveniently located GO owned grain elevator tracks. If you construct a switch from the mainline to the branch, and a track from the the 2nd grain track to the mainline so that it would still have access, you would have 15 minute service between Kitchener and Guelph. @ARG1 the business case says a total cost of $150 million inc. for track upgrade and speed increases, but a lot of the work needed is already being done in projects like the Guelph south Platform and the ION. The true cost is probably lower. The BCR even in low growth hourly frequency scenarios is positive.
 
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kalis0490 said:
I've actually looked into this further, Kitchener-Guelph are approx. 22 km away from each other. it takes 17 minutes to get from one to the other. and you need a loop in the middle - there's conveniently located GO owned grain elevator tracks. If you construct a switch from the mainline to the branch, and a track from the the 2nd grain track to the mainline so that it would still have access, you would have 15 minute service between Kitchener and Guelph. @ARG1 the business case says a total cost of $150 million inc. for track upgrade and speed increases, but a lot of the work needed is already being done in projects like the Guelph south Platform and the ION. The true cost is probably lower. The BCR even in low growth hourly frequency scenarios is positive.
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That addition of that passing track is already in the works.

Keep in mind, though, that GO intends to run hourly to Toronto. And VIA will require some track capacity. And the question remains, what can be done with better bus service in the Region while the need for higher order transit grows..

As for the O train, in its original form it was fundamentally a demonstration project that had very low capacity and used tracks that seen regular freight and passenger use until not that long before it started. The G&G is not in anywhere near that shape. There are even operating restrictions that limit operations to night time hours in hot weather due to the age and pedigree of the track. Getting to today took a lot of incremental investment, and patience.

I am solidly behind the concept of higher order transit linking various points in the Grand River area…. linking Guelph, K-W, Cambridge, and even Brantford-Paris and Stratford. But that needs to be planned much more rigourously than just looking at where existing rail lines are - or were - and assuming that’s where we should build. We are facing a whole intensification of the Region. Much safer to add new corridors - even if that takes 20-30 years - than loading every possible form of transit on to the old routes.

- Paul
 
smallspy said:
It isn't. There aren't enough crews for the service today, nevermind with any potential increases in service.

Dan
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Why is there short staffing? Are conductors and engineers quiting? CSAs realizing it's not a 9-5 or a combination of other reasons?
 
There is lost hope for September service. Brampton and MiWay already secretly updated their schedules up until October and for the most part it’s actually terrible and nothing new or not restored yet is here, aside from the returning Zum service to York University. Doubt that GO would be any better, especially with the shortages that they have going on. Definitely beyond disappointed with the current state of the overall transit in the GTA, especially as we’re technically running less service compared to what the past 2 years had in September.
 
anb said:
There is lost hope for September service. Brampton and MiWay already secretly updated their schedules up until October and for the most part it’s actually terrible and nothing new or not restored yet is here, aside from the returning Zum service to York University. Doubt that GO would be any better, especially with the shortages that they have going on. Definitely beyond disappointed with the current state of the overall transit in the GTA, especially as we’re technically running less service compared to what the past 2 years had in September.
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Damn. Brampton exceeded 2019 ridership for the first time in June 2022, and I expect July to be similar. I’m glad to see that Züm to York U is back, but several corridors – especially Chinguacousy Road and Steeles – really need full service returning. There’s also new growth in the northwest corner of the city that needs addressing.
 
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