drum118
Superstar
Anyone who has read my posts in the past knows that I have always been an proponent/advocate of a GO station in Liberty Village.
I know that the more knowledgable folks around here have explained the technological difficulties in making a station fit/work there but if we are going to more frequent, but shorter, trains then I would put it into the "imperative" category.
One of the great successes of the AD2W service on the Lakeshore lines is how well received/used they are for event attendance. Events at Rogers Centre and BMO Field, the Ex and Molson Ampitheatre draw big crowds to the line(s). I know, at least in the west end, not all of those people are folks who live near the line...often people better served by Milton and Kitchener make the drive down to their nearest LSW station and take the train to avoid the traffic, parking, exiting hassles.
The nature of people though (particularly infrequent/occasional users) is that they will consult the schedule and take the last train in that gets them to their event on time and plan on being on the first train home after the event. I know, for example, the train that gets to BMO Field before kickoff is standing room only and the first train departing Exhibition stadium after the match is also standing room only. If those trains were not 12 car units but, now, 6 or 8 car units there would be people left on platforms (making them late for the match or aggravated on the way home) and that is with a 22k stadium....it will only get worse when that stadium is increased to 30k next year. Similar comment regarding shows at amphitheatre.
If we shorten trains, albeit with increased frequency, and the feeling people have is that you can't get on a train then they will revert to driving.
A station at LV (maybe called LV-Ex North) that draws away from the Lakeshore line the people who drive to LSW from other lines' catchment areas will alleviate this problem greatly......and, I think, has now become a crucial technological problem to solve.
As I stated in the past, the only spot for a station for Liberty Village is at King St on the west side that can be use by any type of train, but better suited for short trains. There is no room on the east side for any type of train.