GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[ShonTron]

I wasn't expecting much, but I was really hoping for proper weekend service on bus route 17 between Waterloo, Guelph, Aldershot, and Hamilton. That's disappointing.

I'd also love to see a seven-day/week express route between Bramalea and Guelph.

 

[canarob]

It’s nice to see Metrolinx immediately adding service after bringing the second track online between Agincourt and Kennedy in early July.

I've criticized them a ton here, but this is nice and hopefully a sign of things to come.

 

[Sauga89]

Go fall service changes effective August 30th is out and upsettingly many of these changes show small improvements outside post secondary increases considering those return to office mandates by many companies and employers in Toronto and Ontario public servants that’s announced today: https://www.gotransit.com/en/travelling-on-go/service-changes-will-begin-on-aug-30

Brantford is getting a third GO bus stop at Erie Ave and Ninth Ave. I hope that means the 15 bus extension is going well.

 

[crs1026]

It’s nice to see Metrolinx immediately adding service after bringing the second track online between Agincourt and Kennedy in early July.

It's nice, but.... In the new schedule, I see only two Oakworth-Highland meets per day 1550/1559 vs 1552/1601, and 1748/1757 vs 1750/1759.

Still plenty of gaps in the service pattern, and one-way peak service still prevails.

I would call this a very timid toe-in-the-water implementation, and no big advance on a line that continues to represent a huge stranded investment by virtue of failure to complete the Highland - Underwood double tracking.

Show me 30 minute headways, unbroken during peak periods, and I might be celebrating.

- Paul

 

[Northern Light]

@smallspy may or may not have some insight he can share on near-term service plans..........but I have to say, with the return to office mandates, both public sector and private, and crowding already an issue.

I think think the government will get an earful if this is the best effort in the near term.

****

Over on Reddit, someone else (among many) emailed to complain about the lack of LSE express service, and got a response. The response was non-committal pablum............but FWIW:

From:

https://www.reddit.com/r/gotransit/comments/1mqgous/lakeshore_east_express

 

[reaperexpress]

@smallspy may or may not have some insight he can share on near-term service plans..........but I have to say, with the return to office mandates, both public sector and private, and crowding already an issue.

I think think the government will get an earful if this is the best effort in the near term.

****

Over on Reddit, someone else (among many) emailed to complain about the lack of LSE express service, and got a response. The response was non-committal pablum............but FWIW:

View attachment 673600

From:

https://www.reddit.com/r/gotransit/comments/1mqgous/lakeshore_east_express

Frustrating that Metrolinx keeps claiming that they need the third track in service between Danforth and Union to run any express trains on LSE. Which is an obvious lie given that there are already express trains running through that segment (Stouffville Line and Via).

 

[crs1026]

I'm just enough of a conspiracy theorist to wonder whether the original GO Expansion plans for LSE and Stouffville were quietly rewritten when Ford launched the Ontario Line idea.... and maybe again when Ottawa began to look (marginally) sincere about Alto.

As I watch the Ontario Line construction zoom along, it sure looks like restoring that third track can't happen until the OL work is close to completion. Too much physical encroachment to do otherwise.

Similarly, if some form of passenger rail along the CP Belleville Sub emerges, there may need to be new designs for the CP overpass in Agincourt, with or without a connection of the trackages, and whether or not Alto goes up the Don or via Scarborough Jct. So maybe the Stouffville line, which was an early-start project originally, is now in wait-and-see mode.

That change in priorities may be a very rational and wise decision from cost and construction logistical perspectives...but if true it's a confession that ML may be sidestepping.

- Paul

 

[reaperexpress]

I'm just enough of a conspiracy theorist to wonder whether the original GO Expansion plans for LSE and Stouffville were quietly rewritten when Ford launched the Ontario Line idea.... and maybe again when Ottawa began to look (marginally) sincere about Alto.

As I watch the Ontario Line construction zoom along, it sure looks like restoring that third track can't happen until the OL work is close to completion. Too much physical encroachment to do otherwise.

Similarly, if some form of passenger rail along the CP Belleville Sub emerges, there may need to be new designs for the CP overpass in Agincourt, with or without a connection of the trackages, and whether or not Alto goes up the Don or via Scarborough Jct. So maybe the Stouffville line, which was an early-start project originally, is now in wait-and-see mode.

That change in priorities may be a very rational and wise decision from cost and construction logistical perspectives...but if true it's a confession that ML may be sidestepping.

Restoring peak period express service on LSE has no effect on OL construction nor Alto plans. The overtakes would occur east of Danforth, fully outside of the OL construction area (as is already the case for Via trains). The total number of trains through the construction zone doesn't need to change because some existing local trips could be switched to run express. But even if GO does add more trains, it wouldn't affect construction because there are already 8 trains per hour in the peak direction, which makes the two operating tracks a total no-go-zone for construction during those periods.

Alto plans are quite distant, so there's no reason that they should affect the services we run today on the tracks we already have.

 

[stevensontransit]

Restoring peak period express service on LSE has no effect on OL construction nor Alto plans. The overtakes would occur east of Danforth, fully outside of the OL construction area (as it already does for Via trains). The total number of trains doesn't need to change (could switch some existing local trips to express trips), but even if it did add more trains, it wouldn't affect construction because there are already trains every few minutes during the peaks, which makes the two operating tracks a total no-go-zone for construction during those periods.

Alto plans are quite distant, so there's no reason that they should affect the services we run today on the tracks we already have.

Agreed with you.

 

[nfitz]

The total number of trains through the construction zone doesn't need to change because some existing local trips could be switched to run express.

Not without cutting the every 15-minute peak-direction service to most stations, that has been in place for many years now. I'd think replacing half the current peak-direction trains with express trains would inconvenience more than it would help.

 

[reaperexpress]

Not without cutting the every 15-minute peak-direction service to most stations, that has been in place for many years now. I'd think replacing half the current peak-direction trains with express trains would inconvenience more than it would help.

Literally on the previous page:

 

[nfitz]

Literally on the previous page:

I hadn't realized they were only looking for one additional AM express train that arrive at Union at 8:35 AM rather than 25 express trains (in both directions) they had previously. But if so, that could work!

 

[crs1026]

There's no doubt that ML could squeeze more out of those two tracks than they are attempting.

Do or do not, etc.....

- Paul

 

[reaperexpress]

I hadn't realized they were only looking for one additional AM express train that arrive at Union at 8:35 AM rather than 25 express trains (in both directions) they had previously. But if so, that could work!

Well Metrolinx is apparently not looking for any! That's the problem!

My point is just that even if they claim that it's impossible to add any more trains (which is dubious), it's still technically possible to add some bare-bones express service with the current number of trains. But like you said, the better solution is to add more trains, to add capacity during the peaks while maintaining 15-minute local service:

 

[APTA-2048]

So it just so happened GO had a pop up info desk at Pickering GO Station. Got the same explanation about express trains as above (as expected). But something else was a bit discouraging. When I asked if 15 minute service during midday weekday will come back once construction was done, they were a bit non-committal. They said they capacity to do so was there, but changing travel patterns meant it might not happen immediately.