News   Nov 29, 2024
 547     0 
News   Nov 29, 2024
 260     0 
News   Nov 29, 2024
 578     1 

GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

Something they really need to do, in my opion, is work with municipalities to provide better service and connections with the trains. Over the last few years I've observed the deterioration of service in Pickering. Trips have been cut, buses don't actually meet the train, half-hourly service is average. I work next to the Pickering GO Station. The bus I take runs every 30 minutes in rush hour. It's no wonder why I am some times the only person on the bus.

Maybe they could provide incentive to local municipalities to provide better service by focusing their rail expansion on/to places that have buses running to GO stations every couple of minutes or so. ;)
 
Last edited:
GO stations in Durham are not in good locations, which also doesn't help for connecting with local transit.

I think GO doesn't do enough to make its rail service accessible to people without a car. I see the same problems with GO stations in Mississauga, although not as bad in Durham.

GO has so much potential but they still see themselves little more as a place for suburbanites to park their car. Too bad.
 
Well said, APTA. We need a lot more transit oriented development and, I would add, Dutch style cycling infrastructure. TOD should also take the form of mid/high rise office development in walking distance of GO stations.
 
GO stations in Durham are not in good locations, which also doesn't help for connecting with local transit.
This is true, though much of the issue is most people live north of the 401, and the rail line is south of the 401.

How is Pickering working with the new pedestrian overpass to north of the 401? I wonder if there are other stations this is feasible.

The plan to build some new Lakeshore GO stations north of the 401, where people actually live should help this! Assuming that the current government doesn't indefinitely defer these stations as well.
 
Pickering GO's new pedestrian bridge is connecting it to a fair bit of newly planned density and it's primary retail centre.

Ajax GO is in a really crappy spot - not much can really be done there.

Whitby GO doesn't have a ton of density around it right now, but it's likely going to improve significantly over the next few years - there is a lot of density approved around it.
 
Pickering GO's new pedestrian bridge is connecting it to a fair bit of newly planned density and it's primary retail centre.

Ajax GO is in a really crappy spot - not much can really be done there.

Whitby GO doesn't have a ton of density around it right now, but it's likely going to improve significantly over the next few years - there is a lot of density approved around it.

There are quite a few GO stations on the top of my head that not much can be done to encourage density
 
GO stations in Durham are not in good locations, which also doesn't help for connecting with local transit.

I think GO doesn't do enough to make its rail service accessible to people without a car. I see the same problems with GO stations in Mississauga, although not as bad in Durham.

GO has so much potential but they still see themselves little more as a place for suburbanites to park their car. Too bad.

The CPR track being used for the Bowmanville extension will be the first time some transit stations in Durham will actually be in downtown areas. Unfortunately it wont be all day and just peak commuter hours. So it will still be a commuter service.
 
GO stations in Durham are not in good locations, which also doesn't help for connecting with local transit.

I think GO doesn't do enough to make its rail service accessible to people without a car. I see the same problems with GO stations in Mississauga, although not as bad in Durham.

GO has so much potential but they still see themselves little more as a place for suburbanites to park their car. Too bad.
Pickering GO's new pedestrian bridge is connecting it to a fair bit of newly planned density and it's primary retail centre.

Ajax GO is in a really crappy spot - not much can really be done there.

Whitby GO doesn't have a ton of density around it right now, but it's likely going to improve significantly over the next few years - there is a lot of density approved around it.
The CPR track being used for the Bowmanville extension will be the first time some transit stations in Durham will actually be in downtown areas. Unfortunately it wont be all day and just peak commuter hours. So it will still be a commuter service.

The routing of the Bowmanville extension was chosen for this exact reason, and by the demand of the municipalities; they wanted the GO in their downtowns, instead of being far flung to the south. GO was originally considering sticking parallel to the CN mainline out of simplicity.
 
How is Pickering working with the new pedestrian overpass to north of the 401?
The bridge is very useful. I use it all the time to go from my office to the mall. However this involves a big detour or hopping a 3ft wall because the plaza my office is in, while right beside the GO station, does not have a direct connection with the station. In any case, I believe the city is set to redevelop that plaza into new commercial/residential in the not to distant future.

The other issue with the bridge has to do with DRT's scheduling. It's not unusual to arrive on the mall side of the bridge and see your train entering the station or about to leave on the other side.
 
^ Here's the whole string:
174975


WTF?
It's happened a few times to me, albeit not on packed platforms, the answer in both instances given to be by Metrolinx staff at Union is that "That's a dispatch problem, not ours".

Hey...
 
^ Here's the whole string:
View attachment 174975

WTF?
It's happened a few times to me, albeit not on packed platforms, the answer in both instances given to be by Metrolinx staff at Union is that "That's a dispatch problem, not ours".

Hey...

If it happened at Mount Pleasant, then it is absolutely a dispatch problem.

The CN and CP RTCs all have a guidebook for GO operations, showing what tracks the trains are supposed to operate on and at what times. On top of that, there are also repeated requests that any deviations from what is outlined in the guidebooks are to be relayed to GO's Commuter Central office, which will then take care of the signage and make any announcements necessary.

But sometimes that call doesn't come. And while Commuter Central does have a mimic display that shows them the whole system and where trains are and thus can give out warnings of changes without prompting from the RTCs, sometimes they miss those changes. It sounds like that happened here.

Dan
 

Back
Top