Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited

I don't know if I agree with the contention that "We spent all this money to not get a commuter service....". The project paid for a lot of track and signal improvements which were installed all the way up to Bramalea, and just because GO didn't start running bi-directional service right away wasn't due to the fixed plant not being ready - it was. For whatever reason, they were not. That shouldn't be on the project. That should be something that Metrolinx should have to answer for.
Dan

True enough, to a point - what was built could have handled many more trains, and it's inexcusable that so little was run - but some of what was left for later did make 2WAD harder. In particular, configuring Etobicoke North as a temporary station with an awkward platform placement, and leaving Bramalea in its old configuration until a later date.

I would love to know exactly how the scope changed over the course of GTS, sure seemed like they jettisoned things, or maybe they really didn't plan for 2WAD at all until GO-RER arrived.

- Paul
 
It's remarkable (and great) how many folks living at Bloor and Weston use it to commute into the core. I rode it earlier in the summer from Bloor to Pearson in the late afternoon / evening rush hour and it was jammed. In-city GO Stations (St. Clair, Mt. Dennis, Lansdowne, Liberty Village, etc.) can't come quick enough! While we're at it, why can't the Milton Line stop at Bloor or the Stouffville Line stop at Danforth and Scarborough again? Low hanging fruit here people.
God no, please no. I don't want my Milton train slowing down to stop at Bloor also. It already stops on line 2 at Kipling. Really no need for it to stop again. It's a slow train ride as it is, and the train is late almost every single day. There's no improvements coming for Milton, what we don't need is the train to be even slower than it is now.
 
There is very little value to having outbound Stouffville or Milton trains stopping at Danforth or Bloor, but I would suggest that inbound trains stopping there would have certain utility in reducing the backtracking one has to do, especially considering how slow the entrance into Union station tends be.

What is the reason for those long waits outside the station, anyway?
 
There is very little value to having outbound Stouffville or Milton trains stopping at Danforth or Bloor, but I would suggest that inbound trains stopping there would have certain utility in reducing the backtracking one has to do, especially considering how slow the entrance into Union station tends be.

What is the reason for those long waits outside the station, anyway?
The Milton train already stops at Kipling. What does stopping again on the same line accomplish?
 
The Milton train already stops at Kipling. What does stopping again on the same line accomplish?
If you are connecting from the Milton line to the Kitchener line, or your destination is in the immediate area around Dundas West; both trips would be done quicker by a GO train stopping at Bloor instead of transferring at Kipling.
 
If you are connecting from the Milton line to the Kitchener line, or your destination is in the immediate area around Dundas West; both trips would be done quicker by a GO train stopping at Bloor instead of transferring at Kipling.
I think the amount of people who would benefit from that is so small versus the number of people who would be inconvenienced by such a stop make it of little use unless CPKC suddenly goes bankrupt and the Milton line opens up to RER service with electric trains. Until that time, no thanks. Thank God there's no space on that platform.
 
I tend to agree with those who are worried about adding too many stops.

There is a theory (as yet unproven) that if GO transitions to wires and new equipment, trains can stop more often but keep up the same pace. I'm not so sure that the rider experience is the same. Stops are tedious.

We hear a lot of comments that the spacing of our streetcar and LRt stops may be too close - let's hope that we don't repeat that error with the GO expansion.

As to Bloor, I would think it will be well served once the Kitchener line is built out. I would be more concerned about Milton trains not stopping at Liberty than at Bloor. And btw, with the latest version of that station, Milton will have only one track through Liberty...

- Paul
 
There is very little value to having outbound Stouffville or Milton trains stopping at Danforth or Bloor, but I would suggest that inbound trains stopping there would have certain utility in reducing the backtracking one has to do, especially considering how slow the entrance into Union station tends be.
Why would reducing backtracking only work in one direction? People usually travel in both directions.

I would argue that the potential utility in improving connections between lines - and thus having people more able to use the "appropriate" line, and thus improving the convenience of transit to more people - by having additional stations would greatly outweigh the potential increase in time that it would take the passengers that don't use the connections.

Dan
 
Why would reducing backtracking only work in one direction? People usually travel in both directions.

I would argue that the potential utility in improving connections between lines - and thus having people more able to use the "appropriate" line, and thus improving the convenience of transit to more people - by having additional stations would greatly outweigh the potential increase in time that it would take the passengers that don't use the connections.

Dan
You're right - I failed to think of the return journey at all when I wrote that, I was only thinking in terms of the journey there.
 
If you are connecting from the Milton line to the Kitchener line, or your destination is in the immediate area around Dundas West; both trips would be done quicker by a GO train stopping at Bloor instead of transferring at Kipling.
20-30 minutes from Kipling to Bloor by Line 2 allowing for walking time to/from TTC stations depending person walking pace as well which end of the train they go off. Once the new Bloor connection to TTC is bult, it will be 5 minute faster.

As noted, how many riders will do this transfer in the first place going one way??? If the Milton line was all day service 7 days a week, there could be more riders doing the Bloor transfer for both direction, but could it justify having the Milton Train making 2 stops for line 2 in place of one???
 
20-30 minutes from Kipling to Bloor by Line 2 allowing for walking time to/from TTC stations depending person walking pace as well which end of the train they go off. Once the new Bloor connection to TTC is bult, it will be 5 minute faster.

As noted, how many riders will do this transfer in the first place going one way??? If the Milton line was all day service 7 days a week, there could be more riders doing the Bloor transfer for both direction, but could it justify having the Milton Train making 2 stops for line 2 in place of one???
What's stopping them now from having weekend service?
 
GO found the same when it was looking into Smartish Track. Many of the stations would have had a net negative effect on ridership at the cost of hundreds of millions.

It was a flawed study that didn't consider changing from the current fleet to EMU's. It looked at the effect of said stations without changing the type of equipment which is really bone headed.
 
It was a flawed study that didn't consider changing from the current fleet to EMU's. It looked at the effect of said stations without changing the type of equipment which is really bone headed.
But is it that flawed? The BiLevels aren't going anywhere, any time soon.

The question we should be asking ourselves is: what electric locos are out there that can tip the balance?
 

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