GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[generalcanada]

What's your estimate on the percent of e-bikes in Toronto that are using lithium-ion batteries, which MLX will start banning?

quoting from the article:

While batteries that carry ‘UL’ or ‘CE’ markings on them have received GO Transit security seals, others — such as problematic lithium-ion batteries — are expected to be barred from the network entirely.
Jurij Zurba, the owner of e-bike retailer EP Rider, told Global News the issues are twofold: lack of proper maintenance and cheap, after-market batteries.

Those cheap, after-market batteries are the 5% im talking about. Zoomo, Zygg NCM, et cycle movin. All are UL/CE certified and completely safe to use
90% of all ebikes you see in toronto are from theese vendors. The other 10% are giant/trek/spcialized ebikes

For riders on the KW go train its more like 99%.

So yea go transit is right its going to impact a very small amount of riders, but thats not to say 2nd hand battery mods dont happen. ive seen it myself in a bike shop
guy comes in and the battery is swollen so bad I wanted to take 3 steps back

 

[Allandale25]

Ford repeated his request for the federal government to assist with the Milton Line in a letter posted today.

 

[chrisw]

'It's going to be crazy': Niagara Falls mayor says city preparing for up to 1 million visitors for solar eclipse

The mayor of Niagara Falls says the city expects to attract the biggest crowd in its history on April 8 when upwards of a million visitors show up to watch the full solar eclipse.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

The mayor of Niagara Falls says the city expects to attract the biggest crowd in its history on April 8 when upwards of a million visitors show up to watch the full solar eclipse.

"Take the GO train down,” he said, adding that Metrolinx has promised to add more trains on the day of the eclipse. “But buy your tickets in advance.”

So it's great that Niagara Falls is prepared for upwards of a million visitors. They mentioned GO promising to add extra trains but I'm not sure how many that'll be. Also mentioned buying GO train tickets in advance, not sure how that works.

 

[SubHuman]

... Also mentioned buying GO train tickets in advance, not sure how that works.

It sounds like something said by a mayor who doesn't use GO or any other public transit, and doesn't understand how it works. There isn't reserved seating. I suppose people can buy GO tickets online, but I don't see how that would do anything to guarantee you would get a seat on a particular train or bus, any more than it would for someone tapping on and off with their Presto card.

 

[LNahid2000]

They're probably just talking about the GO + WEGO pass which you can buy in advance and is cheaper than a roundtrip ticket on Presto:

Toronto to Niagara Falls Train - GO Transit & WEGO

Purchase one package and travel roundtrip via train from Toronto to Niagara Falls, including access to the WEGO bus system.

www.niagaraparks.com

 

[ShonTron]

'It's going to be crazy': Niagara Falls mayor says city preparing for up to 1 million visitors for solar eclipse

The mayor of Niagara Falls says the city expects to attract the biggest crowd in its history on April 8 when upwards of a million visitors show up to watch the full solar eclipse.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

So it's great that Niagara Falls is prepared for upwards of a million visitors. They mentioned GO promising to add extra trains but I'm not sure how many that'll be. Also mentioned buying GO train tickets in advance, not sure how that works.

Good luck with getting 1,000,000 people to and from Niagara Falls that day. There’s thousands of hotel rooms, sure, but most people will drive. A GO train, fully loaded, can take up to 2,000.

I’d be impressed if they got 500,000.

 

[rbt]

A GO train, fully loaded, can take up to 2,000.

I've wondered if they'll run additional eclipse service. I'd think they could get decent revenue running 8 trains (every 15 minutes from 10am through noon, then return from 5pm to 7pm).

 

[innsertnamehere]

I've wondered if they'll run additional eclipse service. I'd think they could get decent revenue running 8 trains (every 15 minutes from 10am through noon, then return from 5pm to 7pm).

If CN is willing to give them any extra slots, GO would be smart to run as much service as they can for the day.

The reality is just simply that the QEW is going to be royally f***ed for the day, and GO will be completely rammed to the gills, basically no matter how much service you run.

A lot of people won't go all the way to the Falls either - the total eclipse starts in Burlington, many will only go as far as they need to.

 

[anb]

Good luck with getting 1,000,000 people to and from Niagara Falls that day. There’s thousands of hotel rooms, sure, but most people will drive. A GO train, fully loaded, can take up to 2,000.

I’d be impressed if they got 500,000.

If learning anything from new year’s day is that there will be a lot of people rushing to get out as soon as the eclipse is over except this time there will be no subways or GO trains nearby to at least help with the overload so the QEW will be massively jammed for hours (technically its on the other end of it this time around ).

 

[lenaitch]

I hate crowds. I'd be driving or taking a train to anywhere east of Port Hope. It's not like it's Stonehenge.

 

[micheal_can]

I am wondering how they will stage the trains to do it. Lets assume CN is completely supportive and gives them as many slots as they want, do the trains go back empty to Hamilton area? Is there a local yard they could be stored in?

 

[Diez Mil Cantos]

I am wondering how they will stage the trains to do it. Lets assume CN is completely supportive and gives them as many slots as they want, do the trains go back empty to Hamilton area? Is there a local yard they could be stored in?

I've occasionally seen GO trains parked up in stoney creek, which I think is the last spot they could park them cause its single track from Grimsby to Jordan harbour, and then there's sort of a small yard in Merritton (South East St. Catharines).
All I know is they probably don't have enough space to park them all in the falls

 

[Northern Light]

I am wondering how they will stage the trains to do it. Lets assume CN is completely supportive and gives them as many slots as they want, do the trains go back empty to Hamilton area? Is there a local yard they could be stored in?

Why do you keep asking questions about things the answers have been posted to repeatedly. You're here (UT) almost every day, but somehow you manage to post a lot and read little.

****

The current storage facility for trains beyond West Harbour is Lewis Yard:

As you can see, there are currently 4 storage tracks there.

Storage Capacity for one train is to be built in Niagara Falls in the next couple of years (pre-qualification later this year)

 

[micheal_can]

I've occasionally seen GO trains parked up in stoney creek, which I think is the last spot they could park them cause its single track from Grimsby to Jordan harbour, and then there's sort of a small yard in Merritton (South East St. Catharines).
All I know is they probably don't have enough space to park them all in the falls

I wonder if this will have them consider some sort of staging yard near Niagara Falls for the future. I know this is once in a lifetime thing, but if it shows that GO is a good option to go to the area, it may cause induced demand.

 

[crs1026]

I wonder if this will have them consider some sort of staging yard near Niagara Falls for the future. I know this is once in a lifetime thing, but if it shows that GO is a good option to go to the area, it may cause induced demand.

The penultimate once in a lifetime event will be the Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup victory parade. Happily, ML has at least another MLSE team rebuild before they have to plan that one. (By then, the Leafs' fan base may fit in a peter Witt streetcar).

Seriously - if you are suggesting that we frame our transit investments around such one-time events, well.....you are contributing little to the discussion.

- Paul