GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[gweed123]

There were detailed plans for a station at Breslau, potential stations on both sides of Guelph (Watson Parkway was indeed studied) and station and yard on the west side of Kitchener. All of these would include GO's sea of parking.

Acton was also included in those plans, its opening this week is likely the first step towards adding additional stations, especially now that track and signal upgrades were finally given the green light. There's also work around Silver Junction (west of Georgetown) right now.

Glad to see that my planning intuition isn't completely off . Do you happen to know how far along those plans are, and whether they're likely to be implemented?

If that many stations are in fact built, it may make sense for GO to run trains from Ira Needles (assuming that's where the station is likely to be, or perhaps Fischer Hallman) to Watson Parkway, as a supplemental service to the interregional GO service. Perhaps an hourly all-day service? I would think a service like that wouldn't require substantial double tracking.

 

[nfitz]

Kitchener is a bit harder to do because the line just north of Victoria Street is pretty surrounded by development.

What about the two station sites GO has already proposed at Baden and Breslau?

Edit ... oh, shontron has beaten me to it. The Baden location was far west of Ira Needles - nearer to Sandhills. Initially just a storage and fueliing facility, but with capacity to upgrade to a station, and not far from the Parkway.

 

[wolfewood]

There were detailed plans for a station at Breslau, potential stations on both sides of Guelph (Watson Parkway was indeed studied) and station and yard on the west side of Kitchener. All of these would include GO's sea of parking.

Acton was also included in those plans, its opening this week is likely the first step towards adding additional stations, especially now that track and signal upgrades were finally given the green light. There's also work around Silver Junction (west of Georgetown) right now.

This would definitely be the best solution. The only places I can imagine more parking in downtown Guelph would be just to the south-east of the station and maybe the police department parking lot but that's far enough away that I can imagine people wouldn't be inclined to use it. Plus the Watson area is heavily underdeveloped at the moment since the city wants local developers to put more amenities in before building more homes. I wonder if the neighbourhood would be willing to accept a small TOD here in return for a grocery store and other amenities they've been demanding for a while?

 

[ShonTron]

Glad to see that my planning intuition isn't completely off . Do you happen to know how far along those plans are, and whether they're likely to be implemented?

If that many stations are in fact built, it may make sense for GO to run trains from Ira Needles (assuming that's where the station is likely to be, or perhaps Fischer Hallman) to Watson Parkway, as a supplemental service to the interregional GO service. Perhaps an hourly all-day service? I would think a service like that wouldn't require substantial double tracking.

First, how about a regular bus service between Kitchener and Guelph? There are some Greyhound runs, but they're infrequent and inconvenient. Now that the new Fairway Drive bridge over the Grand River is open, there's lots of options, like a half-hourly/hourly Fairview Park Mall to Guelph University route to start, followed by Hespeler to U of G and Stanley Park Mall to U of G. None of the routes would directly duplicate the meagre Greyhound service, especially if they made local stops, downtown would require transfers on both ends.

 

[gweed123]

What about the two station sites GO has already proposed at Baden and Breslau?

Edit ... oh, shontron has beaten me to it. The Baden location was far west of Ira Needles - nearer to Sandhills. Initially just a storage and fueliing facility, but with capacity to upgrade to a station, and not far from the Parkway.

Wow, that's significantly further west. You have to wonder how many west-end residents would actually backtrack that far just to get to the station.

First, how about a regular bus service between Kitchener and Guelph? There are some Greyhound runs, but they're infrequent and inconvenient. Now that the new Fairway Drive bridge over the Grand River is open, there's lots of options, like a half-hourly/hourly Fairview Park Mall to Guelph University route to start, followed by Hespeler to U of G and Stanley Park Mall to U of G. None of the routes would directly duplicate the meagre Greyhound service, especially if they made local stops, downtown would require transfers on both ends.

I'm assuming you mean GO bus? Yup, that would definitely be a good start. Although I still think the train service wouldn't hurt either, haha.

 

[nfitz]

Wow, that's significantly further west. You have to wonder how many west-end residents would actually backtrack that far just to get to the station.

That's probably why it got downgraded to just the fueling facility in the EA. I think they'd looked at options at Ira Needles and also at the Wilmot Line in the EA, but there were problems. It's a shame that an Ira Needles location wasn't safeguarded in the official plan years ago ...

 

[TOareaFan]

One of the downfalls about the service is the length of the trip. Compared to the Greyhound, the train loses or is matched (on some schedules) on the length of time from Kitchener to Toronto direct and Guelph to Toronto direct. That is the next battle, the get people off the Greyhound and over to the trains, however, to do that, they need to make 1 train an 'express', that is running it simply running the normal train from Kitchener but go express from Bramalea to Toronto. The numbers tend to drop off closer to Toronto and there are enough trains doing local service there already. Right off the bat you drop 30 minutes off the schedule and make it reasonable from Kitchener and really fast from Guelph.

The one express train in the morning takes 31 minutes from Bramalea to Union. The next departure (which makes all stops to Union) takes 41 minutes. Your plan shaves 10 minutes off of the scheduled trip time...not 30

 

[gweed123]

That's probably why it got downgraded to just the fueling facility in the EA. I think they'd looked at options at Ira Needles and also at the Wilmot Line in the EA, but there were problems. It's a shame that an Ira Needles location wasn't safeguarded in the official plan years ago ...

Yeah, it seems like a natural location for a station. But from the look of the Google Earth imagery, development is encroaching on the corridor in that area, meaning it's unlikely it's not already approved for some kind of subdivision.

 

[royalrivers]

The one express train in the morning takes 31 minutes from Bramalea to Union. The next departure (which makes all stops to Union) takes 41 minutes. Your plan shaves 10 minutes off of the scheduled trip time...not 30

BY "faster" I mean it saves 30 minutes by NOT STOPPING AFTER BRAMALEA ie. no stops after Bramalea until TORONTO

 

[royalrivers]

Wow, that's significantly further west. You have to wonder how many west-end residents would actually backtrack that far just to get to the station.



I'm assuming you mean GO bus? Yup, that would definitely be a good start. Although I still think the train service wouldn't hurt either, haha.

Guelph Transit and GRT have this on the radar this year. There are complications (i.e. Greyhound and the OHTB). GO Transit COULD technically set up a local service, but were are the funds for operation and buses? Still needs a lot of work.

 

[royalrivers]

There is a parking lot across from the station off of Neeve/Farquar Streets in D.T. Guelph that the GO planning documents stated this is where they want(ed) to place a parking garage. As for the lot off off Fountain St across from Police HQ, they are looking into setting aside some parking, but again, nothing official and the Greyhound terminal is stealing much of the space anyways.

 

[royalrivers]

GEXR - VIA Rail: In June 2012 VIA, in cooperation with Goderich-Exeter Railway (GEXR), released a tender for major safety improvements and signal work on the Guelph Subdivision between Georgetown and London, Ontario. The work package includes Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) of approximately 90 miles (144 Km) of track as well as significant level crossing upgrades. Tenders have now closed and it is planned that the construction work will get underway this fall and will continue into 2013.

This allows for additional trains (plus the two slots VIA cut that GO COULD pickup)

http://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-...ly-reports/2012-second-quarter/transformation

 

[royalrivers]

I agree with Transit, all we have is a underused Guelph Transit from 5:45am-6:00am shuttle bus, http://guelph.ca/living.cfm?itemid=80563&smocid=2156 and nothing in the PM hours (something I will bring up, yet again, while on the Transit Advisory Committee)

 

[royalrivers]

Watson is on the radar but not till 2015-2020....which sucks because I think parking is the real issue and the city and GO seem to not care (like 1993 all over again)

 

[EnviroTO]

BY "faster" I mean it saves 30 minutes by NOT STOPPING AFTER BRAMALEA

You mean by ending service at Bramalea the train service is reduced by 30-40 minutes? Yes, but nobody wants to go to Bramalea in the morning. If the express train was the one extended to Kitchener that might make sense if there is space on that train or if they had enough to create another. If the 8:01am arrival at Union started in K-W that would be a 6:10am departure that is 13 minutes shorter which is a bit better. If the full improvements to the corridor outlined in the EA including double tracking and signaling, the ARL improvements, and eventually electrification then the improvements might be noticable enough to drastically change things. If you look at a bus driving the same route as the train the train is faster. The advantage Greyhound has is no stops and never getting off the freeway.