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GO Rail Fantasy Maps

T

Twisted Son of Gumby

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I noticed not long ago that there is a TTC subway fantasy map thread, however I don't think there is such a thread on this site for hypothetical GO Rail maps (if there is, maybe this thread can be relocated there).

Since I've been practicing how to use Inkscape for several graphics projects, I decided what the heck and designed a hypothetical "GO 2050" map as practice, as well as to vent some excess imagination insofar as much as I know regarding current and potential interregional transit in the GGHA.

The map itself is in .pdf format, and the link for it can be found here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/34429753/Go-Map.pdf

Hopefully, this thread will get some other members' imaginations going and some alternate fantasy GO maps will be created and posted as well.

- TSoG
 
Well, my friend, that sure is ambitious.I like it. Now, were we in Europe where politicians and other citizens might actually consider rail the superior form of transportation that it is, we might have something here.

Alas, where there's no will, there's no way.

I don't mean to shit on your dream, I'm just trying to temper my own giddiness experienced when reviewing fantasy rail system porn.
 
Twisted Son of Gumby said:
I noticed not long ago that there is a TTC subway fantasy map thread, however I don't think there is such a thread on this site for hypothetical GO Rail maps (if there is, maybe this thread can be relocated there).

Since I've been practicing how to use Inkscape for several graphics projects, I decided what the heck and designed a hypothetical "GO 2050" map as practice, as well as to vent some excess imagination insofar as much as I know regarding current and potential interregional transit in the GGHA.

The map itself is in .pdf format, and the link for it can be found here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/34429753/Go-Map.pdf

Hopefully, this thread will get some other members' imaginations going and some alternate fantasy GO maps will be created and posted as well.

- TSoG
Click to expand...

Very cool. I like it.
 
Twisted Son of Gumby said:
I noticed not long ago that there is a TTC subway fantasy map thread, however I don't think there is such a thread on this site for hypothetical GO Rail maps (if there is, maybe this thread can be relocated there).

Since I've been practicing how to use Inkscape for several graphics projects, I decided what the heck and designed a hypothetical "GO 2050" map as practice, as well as to vent some excess imagination insofar as much as I know regarding current and potential interregional transit in the GGHA.

The map itself is in .pdf format, and the link for it can be found here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/34429753/Go-Map.pdf

Hopefully, this thread will get some other members' imaginations going and some alternate fantasy GO maps will be created and posted as well.

- TSoG
Click to expand...

Is the omission of the CP mainline through Summerhill intentional? My understanding was that there is a medium-term plan to restore service to North Toronto Station.
 
That's why it's called a 'fantasy map' sir :) I do have faith that one day (maybe by the 2050's?) GO Transit or its predecessor will extend into areas of southern Ontario that are far beyond the radar of current planning. We're talking 40 years from now - 40 years ago was 1970, just for comparison.
 
No love for Waterloo? Besides that, I like it. You should get a GO Bus one up soon too :p
 
I've been sitting on this one for a while:


Click for full size Google Map

I've left out stations for clarity. One thing that you may notice is the addition of a rail line between the CP Galt subdivision and the CN York subdivision to allow freight to be bypassed north of the city. This in turn would allow for all-day frequent GO service from Missisauga to Agincourt without much upgrading to the line itself.
 
MTown said:
Well, my friend, that sure is ambitious.I like it. Now, were we in Europe where politicians and other citizens might actually consider rail the superior form of transportation that it is, we might have something here.

Alas, where there's no will, there's no way.

I don't mean to shit on your dream, I'm just trying to temper my own giddiness experienced when reviewing fantasy rail system porn.
Click to expand...

Well you never what can happen in even just a decade. If you were to say in the early 1990's that Toronto would see the level of condo construction in its urban core that it sees today and talk about massive scale projects such as the whole Waterfront revitalization you would have gotten more than a few raised eyebrows.

I don't think it is that people have a bias against rail, just the crappy rail service that exists today. All it would take is for Lakeshore to be electrified and high frequency, fast, regional rail service to be installed on it for peoples attitudes to change about it rather quickly. Get past that one hurdle and GO's network in even 20 years could look much different than from today.

Not that I disagree with you about fantasy transit porn. Map making is fun and everyone likes to dream but it doesn't mean much if the idea is being conceived of by someone sitting behind a computer showing it around the internet and not in a board room.
 
dunkalunk said:
I've been sitting on this one for a while:


Click for full size Google Map

I've left out stations for clarity. One thing that you may notice is the addition of a rail line between the CP Galt subdivision and the CN York subdivision to allow freight to be bypassed north of the city. This in turn would allow for all-day frequent GO service from Missisauga to Agincourt without much upgrading to the line itself.
Click to expand...

Are you me? :) I've proposed every idea on your map at one point or another. What's new to me is the orange line, which I think is quite clever and would be useful.
 
AnarchoSocialist said:
Well you never what can happen in even just a decade. If you were to say in the early 1990's that Toronto would see the level of condo construction in its urban core that it sees today and talk about massive scale projects such as the whole Waterfront revitalization you would have gotten more than a few raised eyebrows.

I don't think it is that people have a bias against rail, just the crappy rail service that exists today. All it would take is for Lakeshore to be electrified and high frequency, fast, regional rail service to be installed on it for peoples attitudes to change about it rather quickly. Get past that one hurdle and GO's network in even 20 years could look much different than from today.

Not that I disagree with you about fantasy transit porn. Map making is fun and everyone likes to dream but it doesn't mean much if the idea is being conceived of by someone sitting behind a computer showing it around the internet and not in a board room.
Click to expand...
I'll agree with this mostly. We can all see that regional rail service is needed on a lot, if not all, of the Go lines. All that's needed is action. Unfortunately, judging by Canada's and Ontario's previous track record with things like this, we're going to knock off these improvements for 1% lower tax or something.

That map looks really good to me. However, I think that I'd change it up a bit. Go should really stay as/evolve into a regional urban transit system similar to the RER in Paris. Outside of the GTA/GGH urban area, I'd like to see a new service provider that acts as an interurban/local rural service throughout all of Southern Ontario, maybe the entire Quebec-Windsor corridor. That kind of service is warranted in the corridor, and would take a form similar to regional systems of Europe. There are numerous existing rail routes that could easily warrant frequent regional rail service, many of them branching off from the extensions that're in your map, mr. Twisted Son of Gumby. I just wouldn't put them under the jurisdiction of GO transit because they would serve a radically different function from the Metro-like service that all Go transit routes should be evolving into.
 
leopetr said:
Is the omission of the CP mainline through Summerhill intentional? My understanding was that there is a medium-term plan to restore service to North Toronto Station.
Click to expand...

In hindsight I should include it, as I initially left it out because I figured on one hand, North Toronto/Summerhill might be somewhat of a choke point for peak passengers on the Yonge subway, due to additional commuters from the Seaton and Peterborough lines. However on the other hand, one scenario for dividing ridership between Union and North Toronto could be a) having smaller and more frequent trainsets (DMUs?) serve the two lines, and b) perhaps every third train terminate at North Toronto, depending on demand for reverse peak service.
 
Second_in_pie said:
We can all see that regional rail service is needed on a lot, if not all, of the Go lines. All that's needed is action.
Click to expand...

Union Station is the primary constraint for GO capacity expansion and it is being actively worked on. Of course, the $750M plan currently in progress only gives us capacity until 2031 with modest expansion.

If the DRL doesn't run under Wellington, I would place bets that the LakeShore Line will within 30 years.
 
Its hardly fantasy to imagine more GO lines, electrified, with vast increases in service levels, to areas that are outside the GTHA. The big question is where does all that service end up? Does Union get another massive overhaul in 20 years to add another level of platforms? Does the DRL intercept enough passengers before they get to the core to reduce the strain on Union to a manageable level? Do we need a new regional train station? Should it be near Union, or elsewhere? Can Summerhill ever relieve significant pressure from Union, and if so can the Yonge Subway handle it? All important questions I think.
 
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