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Star: GO Transit may go beyond GTA

This is about time. Waterloo Region is a huge market (half a million people) filled with both commuters and occasional travellers to the GTA. While the drive to Downtown Toronto from Kitchener is barely over an hour without traffic, it can take over three hours during rush hour. With the exception of the Kitchener expressway, almost all the congestion is found east of Milton. If a GO train could allow people to bypass the roads out to Milton and then transfer to the bus, it could be very popular. This is going to capture a lot of Greyhound riders at rush hour.
 
Here's an absolutely crazy idea. Add a Guelph Junction station for GO along the Guelph Junction Railway that leads north to the 401. Build a partial interchange with the 401 to allow buses and cars to exit there and build a bus terminal along the track next to the platform. Instant connection. Plus the buses wouldn't have to wind their way through Milton to get to the GO station there.

Though if implemented, I would probably immediately sieze upon it as an example of GO not being a real transit system but a parking lot shuttle. Though in some cases, maybe it makes sense. (Really I don't mind parking at GO stations, as long as car drivers are not favoured over pedestrians and transit users, as they typically are with GO).
 
I completely agree. One of the big deterrents to people from west of the GTA taking the GO train is the trek through Milton to the station. The Milton line itself actually winds pretty close to the 401 west of Milton.
 
I don't think you can compare the Rochester vs GO ferries -- Rochester is a car ferry -- a GO ferry would be just people. I believe that they have ferry service like that in Dartmouth/Halifax (I know I have been on one before -- just guessing here).

I don't know, sounds interesting -- even though I am not likely to use it. Hop on, get a coffee at the coffee bar -- and relax while coming across the water to work :p
 
Yes, Halifax and Translink operate ferries as part of their regular transit systems. Halifax has a Tim Horton's in the ferry terminals, but no services on board. I think that's the same in Vancouver.

Halifax's ferry is only a 10 minute ride. Toronto-Port Dalhousie (I'm guessing a terminal would go here) would be a longer run of 45-60 minutes. The Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway (became part of CN) did operate a ferry to Toronto as part of its interurban railway operations.
 
Any ferry service for a Lake Ontario service, in my opinion, must be a fast ferry- hydrofoil, catamaran or hovercraft. Conventional ferries don't have the speed to compete with buses on the QEW, so unless GO wants to run a cruise ship line, fast ferry appears to be the only way to go.
 
Hovercraft are notoriously uncomfortable. They're not used on the English Channel any more.

There have been a number of ferry companies making the run through the years, and all have failed. Any service would really have to compete on both price and accessibility in Niagara. Where would you locate Niagara terminal to be accessible to both commuters and tourists?

Interchange, any idea how many different companies have tried?
 
Go should just stick to the GTA. Let VIA and Greyhound/etc. increase service to more distant points in the TO cummuter shed.
 
I think it's a good idea to consolidate the commutershed of Toronto. I used to have to commute 90 minutes from Ryerson to Steeles and Kennedy in Scarborough!
 
Go should just stick to the GTA. Let VIA and Greyhound/etc. increase service to more distant points in the TO cummuter shed.
Click to expand...

That's ridiculous. GO is the regional transit system of Toronto and it should be servicing its entire commuter shed. VIA and GO are not for daily commuting.
 
No it isn't. In the case of NYC, very distant areas ppl commute to outside of the metropolitain area, such as Albany, are served by Amtrak.
 
In NYC the longest Commuter Rail line served by the Metro North railway goes to Waterbury, Conn, 132km away. If that is applied, then the longest distance GO can go is to Cobourg, London, and St. Catharines. Albany is more comparable to Kingston (very, very far away)

The reason I thought of ferries in the first place was because St. Catharines is geographically closer to Toronto than Hamilton is.
 
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