GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[canarob]

First off, the railroads all operate in miles. TTR used to be a 30mph zone with 15mph over the crossovers, and they are in the process of improving it to a 60mph zone up to Sherbourne and 45mph west of there, with something like 25mph over the crossovers.

I checked the time on my phone, and this morning our Stouffville train started waiting outside of Union 6-7 minutes before scheduled arrival. I know the schedules are padded because of the customer service standards, but it's definitely faster these days. On the way home, we seem to wait at Kennedy for a while before continuing as well. This is why I was hoping the schedules could be adjusted in September. Oh well, maybe next year.

 

[rbt]

I checked the time on my phone, and this morning our Stouffville train started waiting outside of Union 6-7 minutes before scheduled arrival. I know the schedules are padded because of the customer service standards, but it's definitely faster these days. On the way home, we seem to wait at Kennedy for a while before continuing as well. This is why I was hoping the schedules could be adjusted in September. Oh well, maybe next year.

Winter weather often slows things down a little. Just boarding people with bulkier clothing takes a tiny bit longer.

Padding will be removed in spring if it's still ahread of schedule during the Winter.

 

[smallspy]

6th departure then from Union in evening rush-hour. Does one have to be so anal - you know what I'm saying ...

Because a 6th departure is not the same thing as having a 6th trainset allocated to the line. I know the difference, and you may know that too, but others here may not.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[TOareaFan]

Winter weather often slows things down a little. Just boarding people with bulkier clothing takes a tiny bit longer.

Padding will be removed in spring if it's still ahread of schedule during the Winter.

Just wondering....since GO seems to announce new schedules in the fall(ish) and spring(ish) if this factor could not be accounted for by having different travel times/schedules for the different times of the year?

 

[rbt]

Just wondering....since GO seems to announce new schedules in the fall(ish) and spring(ish) if this factor could not be accounted for by having different travel times/schedules for the different times of the year?

One would think so.

It's possible that high wind and heavy rain would also slow them down. Those once in a season events could be expensive enough (due to the pay-back promise) that it's worth padding the schedule all the time.

 

[DavidH]

Just wondering....since GO seems to announce new schedules in the fall(ish) and spring(ish) if this factor could not be accounted for by having different travel times/schedules for the different times of the year?

The problem is that schedule changes (other than the case of adding trips without altering times of existing trips) pose real customer service risks. No matter how hard GO communicates these changes - and they do a pretty good job overall - there are going to be people who did not hear about the schedule change and arrive at their regular time one morning only to find out that they've missed their trip.

At to that the cognitive load on the customers who DO hear about the changes, and who need to determine what the impact of those changes are on them, and it makes sense not to make repetitive seasonal changes like that. Better to keep a consistent schedule and only make changes when adding service (including changing other trips so that the added service fits in).

There's a real cost to making schedule changes, and I suspect GO doesn't feel it's worth it just to avoid a few extra minutes of waiting at the end of the trip during certain times of the year.

 

[nfitz]

The problem is that schedule changes (other than the case of adding trips without altering times of existing trips) pose real customer service risks. No matter how hard GO communicates these changes - and they do a pretty good job overall - there are going to be people who did not hear about the schedule change and arrive at their regular time one morning only to find out that they've missed their trip.

That's a good point. At Danforth, I know that anytime, 7-days a week, except rush-hour and 3:27 pm on a weekday I can catch a train downtown at 27 minutes past the hour. So I only check the schedule for rush-hour.

And unfortunately, because of that exception, I have arrived at the station at 3:20 pm, to discover the exception 3:17 pm train leaving the platform (never understood that one ... especially given those arriving at Union at 3:31 (instead of 3:41) leave on Lakeshore West at 3:47 pm ... not sure if it's the same train, as I have never successfully caught it).

 

[Allandale25]

Here's a picture of the latest construction at the West Toronto Diamond:

http://ow.ly/i/SY28

 

[Hipster Duck]

I am not a civil engineer or a project manager, but why is the West Toronto Diamond taking so freaking long?

What is it about this project that makes it that much more difficult and time-consuming compared to the Hagerman diamond, which also involved trenching a long stretch of the Stoufville line on the southern approach ramp? I can understand that the denser urban environment and the larger number of tracks might have some impact, but that alone can't explain why it's taken years.

 

[Platform 27]

I can understand that the denser urban environment [...] but that alone can't explain why it's taken years.

Yes, yes it can.

Residents took GO to court and forced them to use a construction technique that avoided pile-driving. That slowed the whole project to a crawl. I think I recall reading at some point that it was suggested it added a whole year to the pile installation timeline.

 

[Dan416]

NIMBYs are clearly not Vulcans

 

[royalrivers]

Acton Go Station is coming together. I wish I had photos lol. They have taken the soil away from one driveway all the way to the road/train gates. looks like the train platform will be curved and that the main road gates will have to stay down when the pickup/drop off passengers in 2013.

 

[SGHA504]

NIMBYs are clearly not Vulcans

Haha meaning they are illogical?

 

[BurlOak]

Haha meaning they are illogical?

I would say NIMBY's are logical. It is logical for me to want someone else to keep thing as quiet as possible.

They are not Vulcans since they do not beleive in the saying "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"

 

[ShonTron]

I would say NIMBY's are logical. It is logical for me to want someone else to keep thing as quiet as possible.

They are not Vulcans since they do not beleive in the saying "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"

Which means that they are a bunch of Kirks because "the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many" - Star Trek III (not one of the best films from the franchise)