GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[innsertnamehere]

No they didn't. I don't know where you keep getting this.

It seems like their list of funded projects will be coming in the next few weeks, however.

 

[Jonny5]

Express service:
•In addition to the services outlined above, communities between Oakville and Hamilton on the Lakeshore West line, between Bramalea and Kitchener on the Kitchener line, and between Pickering and Oshawa on the Lakeshore East line would benefit from express services to-and-from Union Station.

Sounds like LW will be split in a manner similar to current rush hour service with a local trip back and forth from Oakville to Union; and a local Hamilton to Oakville then express to Union. That's good as it would be a real slog of a ride from James North to Union.

 

[TOareaFan]

Or the Province can use this to justify paying for the Hurontario LRT. Hey Mississauga, we cant improve GO service on the Milton line for you right now, but we can make it eaiser for you to get to Lakeshore West, or the Kitchener Line, to use the frequent service there instead.

Maybe or maybe not

Del Duca would not say how the government plans to fund other regional projects such as the downtown relief subway and the Hurontario LRT given that the GO expansion is expected to eat up all but about $3 billion of the $16 billion earmarked for transit over the next decade.

Those projects are in various states of readiness, he said.

“Over the next days we will be in a position to say more about how we plan to deal with implementing those projects that are closer in terms .1of readiness and also advancing those that require additional work,” said Del Duca.

 

[Platform 27]

Sounds like LW will be split in a manner similar to current rush hour service with a local trip back and forth from Oakville to Union; and a local Hamilton to Oakville then express to Union. That's good as it would be a real slog of a ride from James North to Union.

Looks like all-day Hamilton service will run out of the existing Hamilton GO Centre (TH&B station on Hunter St.), not James North, and the existing station will continue to be the primary station in terms of peak frequency.

From MTO:

Two-way, 60-minute service or better on weekdays, evenings and weekends for:

• Hamilton on the Lakeshore West line (all day) between the Hamilton GO Centre and Union Station
• Barrie line between Allandale-Waterfront and Union Station
• Stouffville line between Mount Joy and Union Station

Peak period, peak direction service on weekdays every:

• 15 minutes on the Lakeshore West line between Hamilton GO Centre and Union Station
• 30 minutes on the Lakeshore West line between James Street North station and Union Station
• etc...

 

[crs1026]

In my mind it may have started in the EA but evolved to a promise.....it certainly became a promise when they included it in the FAQ section of the GTS page and when they explained the cancellation of the former mid day trains they always framed it as short term pain to get to the promised expanded service.

I went looking for this recently and found they were promising all-way/all day service up to the point where UPX enterred the scene. When they unfolded UPX in 2010, and coupled it to the PanAm Games commitments, UPX slipped ahead of 2WAD in priority and the 29-train format appeared.

I agree that Metrolinx is slowly becoming more transparent and more attuned to a plan-do-demonstrate process, but they have a way to go. Remember that we are seven years into the current 15-year plan, and many of the original plan elements are still more than 8 years away. Considering that the government has not changed parties since 2008, there is every reason why QP should answer why that plan is not progressing as promised. There should be better scorecarding against that original plan. And there should not be as much declaring victory over producing a plan. Let us know when those new trains start rolling, please.

There's no doubt that there is now money on the table. Even Harper seems to be getting his head around that one. Now the problem is - can government control that much spend in so many places without losing control of some of it? That's a nicer problem to have. As is the problem that we are expending the low-hanging fruit, ie without the bigger and more complex new capacity construction, there isn't much room left to add trains to the existing plant.

- Paul

 

[TheTigerMaster]

No they didn't. I don't know where you keep getting this.

It seems like their list of funded projects will be coming in the next few weeks, however.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne laid out the Liberal party's official campaign platform on Sunday. Here are some highlights from the plan:

• Invest $15-billion in transit projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, including the electrification of GO Express Rail and downtown relief line
• All-day regional express rail GO service in Waterloo Region
• Invest $14-billion in transit projects outside GTHA, including $1-billion in Ring of Fire transportation infrastructure
• Two-way, all-day GO Train service in more communities

http://www.cbc.ca/elections/ontariovotes2014/features/view/compare-party-platforms/

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Looks like we might be seeing Stadler KISS ("Komfortabler, Innovativer, Spurtstarker S-Bahn-Zug") in the not too distant future

View attachment 44283

I absolutely love how advertising about RER now features GO Transit EMUs, signalling what is yet to come. Very European. Very futuristic.
View attachment 44279

I wouldn't read too much into the graphic. It was probably based off a Google image search for "RER train"

 

[innsertnamehere]

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne laid out the Liberal party's official campaign platform on Sunday. Here are some highlights from the plan:



http://www.cbc.ca/elections/ontariovotes2014/features/view/compare-party-platforms/

The platform paper itself was worded something like "$14 billion for transportation projects in the GTA which could possibly contribute to things such as the DRL or Waterfront east LRT"

It wasn't a full funding announcement for specific projects, more of an announcement for the transit fund with actual project announcements to come later.

 

[minilude]

How possible do you guys think the Oriole Go station (Richmond Hill line) could be relocated to connect to Sheppard subway (Leslie station)?

 

[nfitz]

How possible do you guys think the Oriole Go station (Richmond Hill line) could be relocated to connect to Sheppard subway (Leslie station)?

I'll go with 100% possible.

I'd say the chances it will happen though are slim.

 

[salsa]

I wouldn't read too much into the graphic. It was probably based off a Google image search for "RER train"

Maybe the graphic was ripped off from one of 44 North's posts .

 

[mdrejhon]

Looks like all-day Hamilton service will run out of the existing Hamilton GO Centre (TH&B station on Hunter St.), not James North, and the existing station will continue to be the primary station in terms of peak frequency.

Quite unexpected, as naturally, it is very constrained through there. But hourly is doable, and easier to interline with a future Hamilton LRT, having just the B-Line without hurrying with an A-Line. Also, they can still add an extra track over the years up to before the tunnel. Then long-term, a major cut-and-cover megaproject could bring GO RER electricification to Hamilton downtown GO.

It will be slightly confusing to have two GO stations near each other in Hamilton, but of the two, I prefer the downtown GO from a public transit perspective. But if I was driving, I would go to JamesNorth instead because there's parking. And if I came home late (late evening Hamilton GO train), I can just walk to the other GO station in 20 minutes to pick up my car. This would probably mean permanent discontinuation of the Hamilton 16 express (except overnight) in order to fill up the hourly Hamilton GO trains better. Not everyone would be happy about that, but they can speed things up by the extra trackage, with Metrolinx dedicated track and hopefully only one level crossing over freight track. That could potentially reduce Hamilton-Aldershot times quite significantly.

They really need to speed up downtown Hamilton trains, if they plan to make it the allday station.

And....15 minute Burlington?! Does that mean Aldershot will get downgraded to hourly service when Hamilton goes hourly? Aw!
They are going to have to install massive parking garages at Burlington, as some of the Aldershotters will now make the drive to Burlington, given the choice between 15-minute and 60-minute plan.

Hopefully the plans are refined as things go along. Perhaps they will include Aldershot somehow (that Burlington-Aldershot corridor is a tricky matter. Even if they get dedicated track to Aldershot, there's the crossover interference with freight trains) to prevent Aldershot service from being downgraded to hourly. On the other hand, for me, hourly Hamilton is quid pro quo for half-hourly Aldershot. I'll be happy to trade an Aldershot downgrade for two upgrades: Giving myself a choice between public transit to downtown GO (choose Hurontario *and* Hamilton LRT, with the remaining funding please, Ontario!!!) or a drive to Burlington for subway-like convenience. But, I would implore Ontario to consider a solution to prevent an Aldershot downgrade.

Interpreted verbatim:
Hamilton: Upgrade to hourly, All-Day 2-Way (AD2W) service, using diesel trains
Aldershot: Downgrade to hourly, AD2W service (uses Hamilton diesel trains trains)
Burlington: Upgrade to 15-minute subway-like convenience, "don't even need to peek timetable".

 

[TOareaFan]

In case anyone still needs it....steve munro has a less fuzzy version of the service increase table/shedule here:

https://swanboatsteve.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/rer-rollout-details.pdf

 

[nfitz]

In case anyone still needs it....steve munro has a less fuzzy version of the service increase table/shedule here:

https://swanboatsteve.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/rer-rollout-details.pdf

Ah, that's an easier read. Here it is as an image:

 

[mdrejhon]

The platform paper itself was worded something like "$14 billion for transportation projects in the GTA which could possibly contribute to things such as the DRL or Waterfront east LRT"

Toronto needs to be gridded more. More fast rail transit loops crossing each other, creating loops, more than just the TTC Subway "U".
I see some opportunities to de-congest and provide *some* relief off TTC:

Hurontario would connect 3 different GO lines.
....Frequent 15-minute Lakeshore RER (allday)
....Frequent 15-minute Mt. Pleasant diesels (peak)
....Frequent 15-minute Milton diesels (peak)
....Possible future (Phase 2) 15-minute Brampton RER (one station west of Bramalea).

I notice Richmond Hill will not receive all day 2-way service under this 10 year plan. Interesting, because there are potential for interconnections down the valley:
...Interconnection to Leslie on Sheppard TTC
...Interconnection to ECLRT
...Interconnection to Castlefrank TTC
A long scenic covered escalator, inclinator, or gondola, down the Don Valley, would be preferable to incoming commuters from the east direction, than taking the crowded Bloor interchange, providing relief, if Richmond Hill had 15-minute RER service. It would be a faster ride to Union. It would be an inexpensive "DRL-lite", when combined with SmartTrack.

The combination of
- Hurontario (grids to several 15-min GO services)
- SmartTrack (grids with ECLRT, GO, TTC, etc)
- Richmond Hill interconnections (Castlefrank, ECLRT, Leslie)
Could all sum-up sufficiently enough to provide noticeable relief to TTC.

Unfortunately, it looks like Richmond Hill potential will be neglected. But the new RER plan at least makes Hurontario much more irresistible to those near it! What was thought as primarily a north-south route (with GO considered afterthoughts to Mississauga population) now suddenly provides Mississauga much better east-west convenience. I think Hurontario will be one of the winners.