nfitz
Superstar
Though I was on the Lakeshore East line today and since I last took it 10 days ago it looks as though there has actually been usage of the new rails!
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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)
- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
unimaginative2
Senior Member
Automated systems have been capable of 90 second headways for years. The Scarborough RT could handle it, if it weren't for the single-track turnaround at Kennedy and the union requirement for drivers. This means that a two-car train could achieve the same capacity as a six-car train operating every 4.5 minutes, which is a pretty standard subway headway. The biggest cost saving on the Canada Line came from cut-and-cover tunnel construction, an approach that the TTC refuses to consider, even when it's tunnelling under empty, government-owned fields.
The cut-and-cover construction had significant impacts on the Cambie Street businesses, but that wouldn't be a problem on wide Toronto suburban arterials.
The cut-and-cover construction had significant impacts on the Cambie Street businesses, but that wouldn't be a problem on wide Toronto suburban arterials.
waterloowarrior
Senior Member
http://www.city.waterloo.on.ca/Port...utes_2008/20080714_Packet_Council_Meeting.pdf
p. 434.. GO Transit proposing extension to Kitchener with stops in Guelph and Kitchener... consider various spots for stations including existing VIA Stations.
Longterm Goal is 20 min peak period service, 1 hour off peak including weekends
Completion goal for EA and preliminary design report is March 09
p. 434.. GO Transit proposing extension to Kitchener with stops in Guelph and Kitchener... consider various spots for stations including existing VIA Stations.
Longterm Goal is 20 min peak period service, 1 hour off peak including weekends
Completion goal for EA and preliminary design report is March 09
urbanfan89
Active Member
^^ I really don't think GO should be looking at trains to Kitchener when service within its area is so problematic (even though it would be easy for me). We need a provincial level rail operator to improve regional-level service.
RedRocket191
Senior Member
I think GO should be looking at trains to waterloo. I'm not saying that GO doesn't need to be improved in the GTHA, but we are way beyond the point where we can afford to look inwards instead of outwards.
If we don't look at expansion, congestion is only going to get worse in the GTA West Corridor. If we're looking at connecting KW to Toronto, GO is best suited to do the job. If we're looking at building commuter rail in other markets, then we might want to look at other divisions of the provincial railway service.
If we don't look at expansion, congestion is only going to get worse in the GTA West Corridor. If we're looking at connecting KW to Toronto, GO is best suited to do the job. If we're looking at building commuter rail in other markets, then we might want to look at other divisions of the provincial railway service.
waterloowarrior
Senior Member
GO Transit = Government of Ontario Transit 
Metrolinx/GTTA is supposed to make extensions and do these studies as part of its mandate, and can operate GO outside its current service area
by the way... Metrolinx is meeting with Niagara, Waterloo Region, VIA Rail, etc about intercity passenger rail and coordination
Metrolinx/GTTA is supposed to make extensions and do these studies as part of its mandate, and can operate GO outside its current service areaby the way... Metrolinx is meeting with Niagara, Waterloo Region, VIA Rail, etc about intercity passenger rail and coordination
Dan416
Senior Member
Yeah I'm not sure where this idea of GO only serving Toronto and Hamilton comes from.
borgo100
Active Member
Rising fuel prices driving riders to transit, GO says
Nick Kyonka
Staff Reporter
The Toronto Star
An estimated $10 million budget shortfall caused by rising fuel prices won't affect the cost of riding the GO Transit or curtail its train schedules, transit officials said yesterday.
The reasons: revenue gains from a 6.5 per cent boost in ridership over the last 12 months, and a provincial bailout to cover the rest.
"There has been no pressure whatsoever on fare increases or cuts in service," said the company's chair, Peter Smith, following a monthly board meeting yesterday.
The cost of operating GO's fleet of 38 trains and 343 buses has ballooned in recent months as the price of diesel fuel doubled. At the same time, however, rising pump prices encouraged more people to park their cars and take GO instead.
On average, GO sold an extra 13,000 train and bus rides each day this May – a 7.2 increase over the same month last year.
The biggest gains were on the expanded Bradford rail line – which now runs to Barrie – and the Highway 407 bus route. Both saw ridership grow by 21.5 per cent.
Ridership over the last 12 months is up by nearly 3.2 million people – or 6.5 per cent – on all bus and train lines compared to the 12 months prior.
"We all recognize that we're in an environment now where gas and diesel fuel prices have gone up," said Smith. This year's extra riders are expected to earn the company about $6 million in extra revenue, he noted.
The province has pledged to cover any remaining GO shortfall caused by rising fuel prices, Smith said yesterday, though a Ministry of Transportation spokesperson said the ministry could not confirm this until reviewing the transcript of yesterday's meeting.
Fares collected from riders cover approximately 85 per cent of GO's total operating costs, with the province subsidizing the rest.
As fuel prices continue to rise, GO will look for more ways to expand its services and boost ridership, said customer service director Bill Jenkins yesterday.
"We see a direct correlation between putting capacity out and increasing ridership," Jenkins said.
That includes bringing 26 new locomotives on stream. Some are already operating on the Milton line.
Nick Kyonka
Staff Reporter
The Toronto Star
An estimated $10 million budget shortfall caused by rising fuel prices won't affect the cost of riding the GO Transit or curtail its train schedules, transit officials said yesterday.
The reasons: revenue gains from a 6.5 per cent boost in ridership over the last 12 months, and a provincial bailout to cover the rest.
"There has been no pressure whatsoever on fare increases or cuts in service," said the company's chair, Peter Smith, following a monthly board meeting yesterday.
The cost of operating GO's fleet of 38 trains and 343 buses has ballooned in recent months as the price of diesel fuel doubled. At the same time, however, rising pump prices encouraged more people to park their cars and take GO instead.
On average, GO sold an extra 13,000 train and bus rides each day this May – a 7.2 increase over the same month last year.
The biggest gains were on the expanded Bradford rail line – which now runs to Barrie – and the Highway 407 bus route. Both saw ridership grow by 21.5 per cent.
Ridership over the last 12 months is up by nearly 3.2 million people – or 6.5 per cent – on all bus and train lines compared to the 12 months prior.
"We all recognize that we're in an environment now where gas and diesel fuel prices have gone up," said Smith. This year's extra riders are expected to earn the company about $6 million in extra revenue, he noted.
The province has pledged to cover any remaining GO shortfall caused by rising fuel prices, Smith said yesterday, though a Ministry of Transportation spokesperson said the ministry could not confirm this until reviewing the transcript of yesterday's meeting.
Fares collected from riders cover approximately 85 per cent of GO's total operating costs, with the province subsidizing the rest.
As fuel prices continue to rise, GO will look for more ways to expand its services and boost ridership, said customer service director Bill Jenkins yesterday.
"We see a direct correlation between putting capacity out and increasing ridership," Jenkins said.
That includes bringing 26 new locomotives on stream. Some are already operating on the Milton line.
Dan416
Senior Member
I think that proves that new service is good for ridership. Although of course I'm more of a rail kinda guy. So expansions to every GO line would be ideal. I don't want any current GO line to retain it's current name (save Lakeshore, and Barrie is as far as that line needs to go).
allabootmatt
Senior Member
...if by Barrie you mean downtown Barrie, then I agree completely.
Dan416
Senior Member
Yes I mean downtown Barrie. I anticipate they'll rename "Barrie South" to "Mapleview" once the downtown Barrie station is built, and it'll be known simply as "Barrie" station.
borgo100
Active Member
are they re-building the station in Barrie's downtown?
CDL.TO
Moderator
I don't think anyone is seriously considering taking the line past Allandale, is about 2km south of downtown Barrie.
But yeah... it will be nice when they get that station built.
But yeah... it will be nice when they get that station built.
adma
Superstar
So, using the mountain vs Muhammad corollary, might Barrie be considering "downtowning" (i.e. urban-densifying) itself t/w Allandale? A lot of the downtown/Allandale interstice already seems an incipient zone for Barrie's hypothetical answer to Cityplace...
dowlingm
Senior Member
I don't think GO should be involved in service to Kitchener, or Niagara for that matter. Here's what I would like to see though:
"Ontario Southland" (although the name is already taken), an Ontario Northland-like entity to run regional rail services (i.e. >100km route length and yes that might mean Barrie too), some new and some currently run by VIA, using medium range DMU equipment starting with:
Even on the corridor some London-Kingston services could be run as infill to eliminate some headways of up to 4hrs and to allow VIA to discontinue small stops and increase average journey speeds, if a reservation/codeshare could be worked out between the Ontario railway and VIA so that a traveller from Ingersoll could get a regional service to Brantford and pick up the VIA express to Toronto from there.
"Ontario Southland" (although the name is already taken), an Ontario Northland-like entity to run regional rail services (i.e. >100km route length and yes that might mean Barrie too), some new and some currently run by VIA, using medium range DMU equipment starting with:
- Toronto-Niagara: replace all current stopping VIA service and add some commuter focused ones (or just run shuttles to Aldershot GO).
- Toronto-Woodbine-Kitchener-London/Kitchener-Stratford-Sarnia: frequent service to try and put Air Canada out of business on the Toronto-London route, although at first a simple thing like a train from Toronto to Kitchener which arrived before 12.33 in the afternoon so someone could actually get a day's work done in Kitchener would be awesome.
Even on the corridor some London-Kingston services could be run as infill to eliminate some headways of up to 4hrs and to allow VIA to discontinue small stops and increase average journey speeds, if a reservation/codeshare could be worked out between the Ontario railway and VIA so that a traveller from Ingersoll could get a regional service to Brantford and pick up the VIA express to Toronto from there.