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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

WillTo said:
Exactly. There would a 5:13 train and a 5:15 train. Not two different 5:15 trains leaving you to wait for the (..... scroll..... scroll.....scroll)

Also there used to be a handy Union departures screen on the website which matched the physical screens in the station. It appears to be gone and it's replacement is less effective :-(
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Ha!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1083051753929654273
 
It does give me hope that they are framing this as an induced demand issue. Bullshit yes, but the kind of bullshit spouted by a minister looking to keep expansion going in the face of a cabinet that generally couldn't care less about transit.
 
I never knew there was so much chaos on the GoTrains. When I take the 7:15am from Union to Port Credit there's perhaps 200 people on the whole train, and on the way home on the 5:40pm from Port Credit to Union there's perhaps a few more unless there's a game on. The trains are almost always on time, too.

The Lakeshore line seems pretty reliable. If it wasn't going to cost me about $12.00 a day ($11 for GoTrain, $0.80 for MiWay from Port Credit), or $3,120 a year, I'd take it every day. But my car is paid for, and reliable, and costs me less than $3,500 a year in insurance, maintenance, fuel and parking.
 
nfitz said:
The first GO Train is at that time, but there's GO Buses to Niagara Falls all day long with 22 departures from Union from 5:30 AM to 10:43 PM - it's a guaranteed connection in Burlington.

Or if you want to take the train, VIA/Amtrak departs Union at 8:20 am and arrives Niagara Falls at 10:16 am. The return trip is at 5:45 pm arriving at 7:41 pm - though probably a bit iffy, given the train comes from New York City. But you can check to see if it's running okay, and take the 6:12 pm bus if it isn't (arriving Union at 9:11 pm).

You have to take the 5 pm train, not the 5:15 train, to catch the 6:01 pm bus from Burlington (the 5:15 doesn't get to Burlington until 6:06 pm). So only 16 minutes longer travel time on the train - and 5 minutes slower on the bus for St. Catharines, because there are only NF express buses, not St. Catharines express buses.

Once they stop padding the train schedule by 20 minutes for the reverse manoeuvre at West Harbour, the train will be faster - and presumably more predictable.
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oop, you are right. My point still stands, at least for now.

The train is silly now with it's ridiculous travel time. Once Confederation GO opens the trip should be a lot shorter and more useful. Travel speeds will jump between West Harbour and Confederation and of course you won't have to do that ridiculous back-in to West Harbour.

I hope once Confederation GO opens that they introduce a "super express" train that runs exactly as the seasonal tourist service does - creating what will probably be a sub 2 hour travel time once Confederation GO is open. That's when I would consider the train really useful, not just for Niagara, but for every community it stops at (29 minutes to Oakville, probably around an hour to Hamilton, etc.)
 
innsertnamehere said:
Lakeshore lines are pure luxury compared to the other lines. Express services, 15-30 minute off peak frequency.. the works.

Remember also that you are going counter-peak - the crowding is a lot less.
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Exactly. If all the other lines can have the same service level as the lakeshore lines, I can buy that whatever they call it.
 
I'm rather confused how starting a single eastbound train earlier in Kitchener, and converting a westbound express to local, and running to Kitchener would create so much induced demand. Looking closely at the schedule, the whole thing may be a red herring. The issue isn't the extension to Kitchener, or some extra stops (though I can see those that took an express would be happy it's now local).

The real issue appears is with the adjusted departure times, there's some longer gaps at peak. Which makes the problem simply that too many people have arrived.

Looking just at Brampton, the old AM departures were:
6:03 AM
6:39 AM (36 minutes later)
7:04 AM (25 minutes later)
7:19 AM (15 minutes later - express)
7:32 AM (13 minutes later)
8:02 AM (30 minutes later)
8:25 AM (23 minutes later)

And the new AM departures are:
6:03 AM
6:30 AM (27 minutes later)
6:55 AM (25 minutes later) (now starts at Kitchener)
7:20 AM (25 minutes later - express)
7:30 AM (10 minutes later)
8:00 AM (30 minutes later)
8:25 AM (25 minutes later)

Essentially they've widened the gap just before the express from 15 to 25 minutes. I suspect the 6:55 isn't particularly crowded. It's the 7:20 AM that would be the issue.

The worst complaints seem to be about platform crowding at PM rush at Union. The old PM departures from Union were:
3:35 PM (to Georgetown)
4:20 PM (45 minutes later) (to Georgetown)
4:50 PM (30 minutes later) (express to Kitchener)
5:02 PM (12 minutes later) (to Mount Pleasant)
5:20 PM (18 minutes later) (to Kitchener)
5:50 PM (30 minutes later) (to Kitchener)
6:50 PM (60 minutes later) (to Kitchener)

The new PM departures are:
3:35 PM (extended to Kitchener)
4:04 PM (29 minutes later) (to Georgetown)
4:35 PM (31 minutes later) (to Georgetown)
5:02 PM (32 minutes later) (to Kitchener)
5:27 PM (25 minutes later) (to Kitchener)
6:00 PM (33 minutes later) (to Kitchener)
6:50 PM (50 minutes later) (to Kitchener)

It looks like someone has tried to take the schedule, which ran more trains closer together right at the peak point, and instead space them out so that departures are more consistent.

Which completely fails to take into account having enough capacity at the peak point. All the "express to local" and "extended to Kitchener" arguments are only confusing the issue. If that was the only thing that had happened, I doubt there'd be anywhere near this issue.

The answer is likely just tweaking departure times a bit. Or better yet, add an extra train.

Moving the express 10 minutes earlier in the morning would probably solve most of that issue. Alternatively, add a 7:10 and 7:45 train.

In the evening add a 4:50 and 5:15 departures (and why not run an express).

Really, the line needs 15-minute service to Brampton during peak hour asap.
 
The actual issue is absolutely the new timings. I don't think anyone seriously questions that, but the ministry framing as induced demand gives me hope that they do intend further expansion.
 
Bureaucromancer said:
The actual issue is absolutely the new timings. I don't think anyone seriously questions that, but the ministry framing as induced demand gives me hope that they do intend further expansion.
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With all the noise about trains starting in Kitchener, and the express making 3 extra stops, that fact had certainly been lost in all the noise for me.

It's only because I couldn't comprehend how one more Kitchener train and one train stopping at stops the UP Express mostly already stopped at would create any significant demand, that I started to look at the timings themselves!

Those fighting this, would be better to completely ignore the Kitchener extension aspect of this, and focus on the larger gaps between trains, and loss of the express.
 
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