GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[Dan416]

I have no idea why I'm on the media release list, but the Milton line is getting an additional round trip starting June 25.

The new trip will leave Milton a 7:13 am and arrive Union at 8:13, making it the premier train for 8:30 starters. The 6:48 and 7:08 departures will leave 5 minutes earlier. The new return trip will leave Union at 4:00 and arrive at Milton at 4:58. The Milton buses departing union at 3:40 pm will be cancelled.

Baby steps, I know. But it's better than no steps at all.

I'm not super excited about the morning change, as the times covered by the trains is exactly the same (departing Milton from 0623-0808; arriving Union 0720-0907), just with tighter spacing (previously the biggest morning gap was 25 min and the lowest was 15; now the highest is 20 min and the lowest is 10).

As for the afternoon change, I think it's a good thing adding that one homebound trip at 4:00 pm, increasing the service time from 1630-1900 to 1600-1900, so they get to replace buses with a train which is always a good thing.

 

[vegeta_skyline]

Wasn't the Barrie weekend service supposed to start the same day according to some?

Barrie service is starting on the same weekend.

 

[Markster]

I'm not super excited about the morning change, as the times covered by the trains is exactly the same (departing Milton from 0623-0808; arriving Union 0720-0907), just with tighter spacing (previously the biggest morning gap was 25 min and the lowest was 15; now the highest is 20 min and the lowest is 10).

As for the afternoon change, I think it's a good thing adding that one homebound trip at 4:00 pm, increasing the service time from 1630-1900 to 1600-1900, so they get to replace buses with a train which is always a good thing.

Both of those improvements however are good. You can aim for the 7:03 departure knowing that the next train is only 10 minutes later, and not have to worry about missing it if traffic is slow. With maximum 20 minute frequency, missing any train is not quite as terrible as it once would have been.

Of course, this doesn't help if you sleep in. And nor does it help encourage exburb-to-suburb trips (Milton to, say, Cooksville...?) where later departures would be useful.

 

[TOareaFan]

Possibly going after the university crowd. Buses tend to be pretty packed heading to Barrie on Friday night/Saturday morning.

Heck, I might use it. Have a little family in Barrie but I absolutely refuse to go that way on a long weekend due to Highway 400 traffic.

Isn't it a summer service? Aren't there less students moving around in the summer?

 

[rbt]

Isn't it a summer service? Aren't there less students moving around in the summer?

Summer service only? Ugh.

 

[Northern Light]

Barrie weekend service details are out:

Barrie weekend GO Train service pilot

This summer, we're running a pilot weekend train service along the Barrie line.

Every Saturday, Sunday and holiday between June 23 and September 3, we will run:

Six southbound train trips to Union Station. Two trips will depart Allandale Waterfront GO Station at 10:20 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.; four trips will depart East Gwillimbury GO Station at 1:20 p.m., 4:12, 8:00 and 10:55*
Six northbound train trips will make all stops from Union Station. Two trips will arrive at Allandale Waterfront at 5:25 p.m. and 12:10 a.m.; four trips will arrive at East Gwillimbury at 12:10 p.m., 3:01, 6:50 and 9:41*
Four new weekend GO Buses will meet trains at East Gwillimbury GO Station making all stops to and from the Barrie Bus Terminal.

Check back later for detailed schedules.

 

[Northern Light]

Looking at the above, I find the whole stop/transfer at East Gwillimbury kind of odd.

For passengers found for Barrie, it means no direct train till the 5:25pm (arrival in Barrie).

It works a little better the other way, presuming you have a car and don't mind driving the first leg; which is probably practical enough for many in Barrie, still, if you are trying to service people who don't have a car and/or may not be able to get access to one that they can then leave at the GO Stn all day....

For those in the know, is there a practical reason, based on sidings/track alignment for scheduling the service this way?

***

Also curious to me is six trains each day, each way; when compared with Niagara at three.

Still I choose to be grateful for some progress!

 

[smallspy]

I agree with Aleesia. If they extended that weekend service to Wasaga, it could be a pretty big draw. I know I'd rather take the train up there than be stuck on the 400.

No one going to a cottage up in Wasaga or Collingwood in their right minds would take the train. How are they going to bring the family pet? What about the kids? In-laws? Supplies?

The advent of the car brought the cottage culture to the masses, and should the car die so will the phenomenon of the weekend at the cottage.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[RandomBusGuy]

I doubt many people will drive from Barrie to East Gwillimbury to catch a train. By the time you can drive there you could be at King Road on the 400. I would definitely drive to Yorkdale and take the subway if I can't get a direct train from Barrie.

Also I'm surprised the schedule is for taking people down to Toronto, instead of up to Barrie (and by extension Wasaga/Collingwood). I'm not sure where I got the idea the trains would be scheduled that way. In fact, it's too bad they can't service both people going north as well as south.

Still, progress!(and I really shouldn't be complaining about the nature of the service and instead be happy there's weekend service on another Go line)

 

[Markster]

I'm astonished! Weekend trips into Toronto?!

As a Kitchener resident, I am hella jealous.

This may be related to the fact that I'm doing a day trip this weekend, and I have to do VIA in, then Greyhound out. The best of both worlds... More expensive, then less comfortable. Also, I get to learn how to catch the bus at University/Wellington... which I don't have much confidence in.

When GO service started here, pretty much the first question everyone asked was when do we get this kind of service.

 

[ShonTron]

No one going to a cottage up in Wasaga or Collingwood in their right minds would take the train. How are they going to bring the family pet? What about the kids? In-laws? Supplies?

The advent of the car brought the cottage culture to the masses, and should the car die so will the phenomenon of the weekend at the cottage.

I would not expect people to use the train to make trips to the cottage with supplies, kids and pets in tow, but it could be a good way to pick up a family member or friend headed up for the weekend, or catch a ride to/from Collingwood or Wasaga.

I was interested in bringing my bike up on Saturday morning and return Saturday evening. Sure it can be done with the transfer to GO buses (as long as no more than one other person has the same idea as me as there's only two spots for bikes on buses). I would have thought that weekend trains to Barrie would have had an AM arrival in Barrie itself. I've done a bike day trip on the Niagara train and found it to work really well.

 

[nfitz]

Seems like a great idea. But I'm surprised there isn't a Friday evening train or two from Barrie to Toronto.

And really ... does this have to be summer only? It would be nice to see this kind of service on ALL GO lines, year-round.

 

[Markster]

A "Summer Only" service can be considered another name for a "Trial" service. This lets them end it if ridership is not there, or "extend" the service if it is wildly popular.

I doubt many people will drive from Barrie to East Gwillimbury to catch a train. By the time you can drive there you could be at King Road on the 400. I would definitely drive to Yorkdale and take the subway if I can't get a direct train from Barrie.

This is obviously servicing more than just Barrie. Newmarket and Aurora now have significant weekend connection to Toronto.

 

[TOareaFan]

I'm astonished! Weekend trips into Toronto?!

As a Kitchener resident, I am hella jealous.

This may be related to the fact that I'm doing a day trip this weekend, and I have to do VIA in, then Greyhound out. The best of both worlds... More expensive, then less comfortable. Also, I get to learn how to catch the bus at University/Wellington... which I don't have much confidence in.

When GO service started here, pretty much the first question everyone asked was when do we get this kind of service.

And, hopefully, you were answered by the "join the line of all the other non-Lakeshore lines that have been wondering that for years/decades".

I have no idea what the fascination with serving Barrie is over other places but, certainly, they have grown from no trains to what they have now much faster (it seems) than any other line/community.

The only part that "angers" me about this is that I asked a few years ago why, even if we could not get "back and forth" all day service like Lakeshore, why GO does not just experiment by making the uni-directional weekday service 7 days a week. Try it out...see if people will use it for day trips to the city. I was replied to by a very condescending/derisive "no one would want that service on weekends. If we can't provide full bi-directional rail service we will stick with buses"....yet, it seems, Barrie might be interested in this type of service.

Good for Barrie (and points in between) commuters....they now have rail service 7 days a week. The question is, however, why them? Why no one else?

 

[rbt]

The question is, however, why them? Why no one else?

Track costs and construction are likely significant considerations.

They own the entire Barrie Line corridor, so there are no funds going to CN or CP to run the weekend service. Most of the Barrie Line is not under construction aside from Strachan.

Thankfully, with every track purchase and completed construction project (grade separation, etc.) the equation tips in favour of running additional service because the operations break-even point moves.


If they fall behind on Strachan construction, expect this service to be cancelled to allow for fewer interruptions to the weekend construction crews.