GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[Nomad_87]

Return of passenger rail service to Peterborough projected for 2030​

Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announces procurement process for intercity high frequency rail service will begin this fall​

From link.

The difference with VIA HFR and a potential GO line is Peterborough in the case of HFR just so happens to be on the way to Ottawa and Montreal. A GO Line would most certainly go no further east than Peterborough.

 

[ARG1]

Return of passenger rail service to Peterborough projected for 2030​

​

Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announces procurement process for intercity high frequency rail service will begin this fall​

From link.

Wait.... 2030? WHAT?

 

[Bordercollie]

Wait.... 2030? WHAT?

Well technically that's only 8 years away, which is not bad. What where you expecting?
Probably get cancelled before it's finished.

 

[Urban Sky]

Wait.... 2030? WHAT?

The article said "With completion of the project forecasted for 2030 ... ", which seems to suggest that service to Peterborough (which we all expect to be in an earlier stage than, say, Montreal-Quebec) could commence before that...

 

[anb]

Agreed, but it's also worth noting that London-Kitchener is slightly shorter (94 km) than Kitchener-Toronto (101 km) and quite a bit shorter than Niagara Falls-Toronto (132 km) - or (since you just mentioned it) Peterborough-Toronto (124 km)...

Funnily enough Belleville is about the same distance as London is to Toronto. I dreamed of a GO line going to maybe Coburg one day which would honestly be reasonable in the future so to see Belleville or even a long stretch, but Kingston in the mix wouldn't be as surprising anymore. Thankfully there is more than enough decent Via service going to those places and that's all we need for now.

 

[Bureaucromancer]

but Kingston in the mix wouldn't be as surprising anymore.

Assuming HFR it might actually make sense IMO. There's a hell of a lot more demand on the Toronto - Kingston corridor than Kingston - Ottawa and Kingston - Montreal. Much as a I keep saying about London, something provincially driven starts to look like a reasonable approach if VIA is focusing on the end to end passengers and on a different corridor at that.

 

[Allandale25]

GO train speeds to more than quadruple through Guelph

Move intended to 'allow for more efficient service and better on time performance,' says spokesperson

www.guelphtoday.com

 

[robmausser]

Wait.... 2030? WHAT?

It will take longer now that we are going to electrify the line. I thought that would be pretty obvious. Electrification is way more work than just laying down new trackbed and tracks.

The Liberals opting to go with Electrification from the outset was actually a bit of a false flag to defer the project to a later date. Its pretty clever. Get all the HSR and Enviro people on board, and instead of building a diesel service that could be done by 2025, and then adding electrification in 2035, they get to push the whole project back 5 more years.

First rule of government projects: never promise to build something in your current political term. "You gotta vote for us next term, or else this project won't get built/finished!"

 

[robmausser]

GO train speeds to more than quadruple through Guelph

Move intended to 'allow for more efficient service and better on time performance,' says spokesperson

www.guelphtoday.com

Only in Canada could you more than quadruple train speeds and end up at 72 km/h hahaha.

This is the biggest problem with using branch lines for passenger rail. You lose the problem of being stuck behind freight trains, but now you are just as slow because of disused, single track worn out rail.

The whole GEXR line from London to Toronto will be a great investment for transit in Ontario, but its exactly that, an investment. Going to take a lot of time and $ to get it up to Class 6 rail standards.

 

[Northern Light]

Only in Canada could you more than quadruple train speeds and end up at 72 km/h hahaha.

Actually, in fairness to us, as terrible as that is; its not uncommon in parts of the U.S., and Australia too.

Countries where freight, rather than passenger rail dominate and investment is based strictly on what pays for itself for a freight carrier.

That's not to excuse our abysmal performance in this regard in the least; only to suggest its not unique.

From showpiece to goat track: the long, dangerous decline of Sydney-to-Melbourne rail travel

Last week’s tragic derailment of an XPT passenger train was the culmination of decades of neglect

www.theguardian.com

This is the biggest problem with using branch lines for passenger rail. You lose the problem of being stuck behind freight trains, but now you are just as slow because of disused, single track worn out rail.

The whole GEXR line from London to Toronto will be a great investment for transit in Ontario, but its exactly that, an investment. Going to take a lot of time and $ to get it up to Class 6 rail standards.

Agreed.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Agreed, but it's also worth noting that London-Kitchener is slightly shorter (94 km) than Kitchener-Toronto (101 km) and quite a bit shorter than Niagara Falls-Toronto (132 km) - or (since you just mentioned it) Peterborough-Toronto (124 km)...

Right, but this service isn't Kitchener-London to be fair. It's London-Toronto, which is where all the (fair skepticism) comes from. If we go to the London Free Press website, people are talking about access to Toronto and not Kitchener. Ancedotal I know, but that's what people are hearing from the market.

 

[anb]

I think they added 30 min train service to Bramalea all day starting on Monday and i’ve seen it on many different transit apps. If this is true, this is definitely the cherry on top for an insane year on the Kitchener line overall, or London line i guess technically now.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

I think they added 30 min train service to Bramalea all day starting on Monday and i’ve seen it on many different transit apps. If this is true, this is definitely the cherry on top for an insane year on the Kitchener line overall, or London line i guess technically now.

Need the other two Brampton stations but thats great. Will change the commute pattern by a lot.

 

[nfitz]

I think they added 30 min train service to Bramalea all day starting on Monday and i’ve seen it on many different transit apps. If this is true, this is definitely the cherry on top for an insane year on the Kitchener line overall, or London line i guess technically now.

That's odd. The GO Trip Planning tool says it's every 30 minutes, but the new PDF schedule (which includes London) says it's every 60 minutes.

Here's both for 11 AM departures (next Tuesday)

 

[Krypto98]

I think they added 30 min train service to Bramalea all day starting on Monday and i’ve seen it on many different transit apps. If this is true, this is definitely the cherry on top for an insane year on the Kitchener line overall, or London line i guess technically now.

The 30 minute counter peak was part of the September updates. I saw quite a few people getting off at bramalea in the morning so I wouldn't be surprised if they made it all day