denfromoakvillemilton
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No, this probably will not affect the Niagara seasonal which will continue to be a single continuous train trip. Being a seasonal, it is not subject to the GO guarantee (AFAIK).
This is a separate weekday commuter service with independent Toronto-Hamilton and Hamilton-Niagara legs, using Hamilton as GTHA's only other GO train transfer hub.
This seems to make sense because Welland Canal delays will mess up Hamilton-Niagara, but all-day Toronto-Hamilton service is unaffected, preserving the Service Guarantee.
The Hamilton-Toronto service would be mostly freed from freight conflict thanks to the new Hamilton Junction Expansion. This enables Lakeshore West GO service to be extended all the way to Hamilton (via West Harbour and Confederation), as a transfer train for the Hamilton-Niagara train.
They might change things and make the train continuous (no transfer), but as written at www.NiagaraGO.ca and the wording of the Ontario announcement is apparently 100% consistent with this (so far), this is weekday all-day Hamilton-Niagara GO train that doesn't go to Toronto. So that apparently is what stands.
Same. We might not know for years.
It could be a train-to-bus transfer for now (e.g. GO Bus #12). Ugh.
But whatever it is, what was announced was a train that definitely doesn't reach Toronto. Which is a brand new concept for GO Transit.
The tease of electric GO trains to both West Harbour and Stoney Creek now makes a lot more sense, even if unfunded. Electfify the Toronto-Hamilton leg and get high-frequency train service on that. Then have a less frequent Hamilton-Niagara train.
People can then transfer either at West Harbour or Confederation. Service disruptions on Hamilton-Niagara (by Welland) doesn't matter, people just wait for the next all-day 2-way Lakeshore West train.
This is what I think. Or I hope.
Oh wow. This has the potential to be huge. Commuters to Hamilton and Toronto from Niagara region will be helped heavily by this.Here's the service concept from www.NiagaraGO.ca as they've been heavily tweeting today's event, and the announcement text was fully consistent with the NiagaraGO plan.
View attachment 79935
Interesting reading can be had at www.NiagaraGO.ca/business-case/
Being apparently a GO train that doesn't even reach Toronto, it is a new Metrolinx development to decouple any GO train service partially from Toronto.
One can wonder if there are other theoretical service concepts waiting in the wings. (Hamilton-Brantford GO train?)
So when will the Junction be done for all day service to Hamilton?