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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

^This was put to ML at this week’s town hall. Verster did his usual job of deflecting the issue by eloquently talking at length while saying absolutely nothing. He pointed to “efficiencies” and ridership growth as the silver lining in the cloud. Later, it was said that ridership is growing at 5% per year, which doesn’t cover the cuts.

- Paul
 
I think the saving grace for the 38 (though not the 38A, which runs through Nobleton and Woodbridge) is that Caledon is finally on the verge of introducing local transit, likely contracting with Brampton Transit and/or a private agency for service in Bolton, Valleywood, and the Kennedy Road area. Brampton has long term plans of introducing an express route 150 along the Gore Road corridor north from Humber College; that would be the ideal route to extend to Downtown Bolton. It would then also connect with the 501/501A at Queen Street for service to the subway.

But it would probably mean the end of direct service to a GO station. York Region Transit's service in Woodbridge is pretty lousy, and pretty much non-existent in Kleinburg. I don't see Nobleton getting re-connected anytime soon.
 
joet00 said:
Are the late-night "improvements" on LSW the first we're seeing of the promised conversion of deadheads to revenue service? I know there were some super-express services introduced when mid-day service was increased on LSE and LSW.

The Barrie line changes appear to introduce additional deadheads.

Currently, there's just one: The 5pm NB trip continues past Aurora, so I understand that a 2nd trainset deadheads to Aurora to perform the SB trip at 6:11pm.

Now, I'm guessing there are an additional four:

#2: Since the noon departure NB is now leaving at 11:40am and continuing to Barrie, I'm guessing they will deadhead a train behind it to perform the 1pm SB trip from Aurora.

#3: Similarly, the now-9:30pm train continues to Barrie, so another train needs to come in to go SB at 10:41pm.

#4: The 4:20pm train SB from Barrie (arr Aurora 5:11pm) will also mean the 4pm NB trip (arr Aurora 4:51pm) will need to deadhead away.

#5: Similarly, the 8:40pm SB from Barrie (arr Aurora 9:31pm) means the 8:20pm NB (arr Aurora 9:11pm) needs to deadhead away as well.

What is preventing a more wholesale approach to converting deadheads to revenue service? Would be great to see an express Aurora<-->Union perhaps with stops at Downsview Park (for network connectivity) and Rutherford or Maple.

I wonder if Deadhead #5 will move to a siding, and then return to Aurora as Deadhead #3. Same with #4 returning to Aurora to perform the now-6:21pm trip.

It's a shame better use can't be made of the trains (and 1.5 platforms) at Bradford.
Click to expand...

As I see right now Kitchener Line has 6 deadheads
#1 5:38am Mount Pleasant Train. I'm not sure where that is coming from probable from Mimico
#2 7:55 Am Bramalea Train. This train is either the first stouffville Train or Barrie Line train. They both Arrive at union around 6:30am so you could have a Union-Bramalea express at 6:45 am maybe?
#3 9:00 am Mount Pleasant train. Also an early train(stouffville Train or Barrie Line train) could run it as a Union-Mount Pleasant run
#5 8:27 am Bramalea. I don't know where this train is coming from but it sits outside Bramalea Go waiting for the 7:55 to clear track 4 before proceeding.
#6 4:35-5:08 pm Union- Bramalea. This train deadheads to union at around 5:30ish. A train from Bramalea-Malton-Union would be a total trip time of 27 minutes. plus it would bypass alot of downtown traffic at that time.
 
From https://www.gotransit.com/en/travelling-with-us/promotions-and-events/rollingstones

GO will be running one special southbound train, departing from Allandale Waterfront GO Station at 1:00 am

The last northbound train arrives at Barrie South at 1:10am and Allandale 10 minutes later. Southbound, schedules allow 8 minutes between these two station, so the special SB train would arrive at Barrie South at 1:08am.

Is there double-track immediately south of Barrie South? I thought it was single-track all they way down to Bradford.
 
joet00 said:
From https://www.gotransit.com/en/travelling-with-us/promotions-and-events/rollingstones

GO will be running one special southbound train, departing from Allandale Waterfront GO Station at 1:00 am

The last northbound train arrives at Barrie South at 1:10am and Allandale 10 minutes later. Southbound, schedules allow 8 minutes between these two station, so the special SB train would arrive at Barrie South at 1:08am.

Is there double-track immediately south of Barrie South? I thought it was single-track all they way down to Bradford.
Click to expand...

I don't see any double track.

This may be a (huge) oversight though.
The 1:20am train you refer to is entirely new to the schedule, which only goes into effect this Saturday. The last train in the current schedule arrives at 12:50am
Canada Day is on a Saturday schedule.
 
johntauren said:
This may be a (huge) oversight though.
The 1:20am train you refer to is entirely new to the schedule, which only goes into effect this Saturday. The last train in the current schedule arrives at 12:50am
Canada Day is on a Saturday schedule.
Click to expand...

I wonder if they pegged the SB special at 1am, forgetting the new schedule has the last train 30 minutes later (1:20am formerly 12:50am).

rbt said:
Bradford storage yard is the nearest meeting point if the Southbound actually leaves at 1am.

I expect they'll terminate the Northbound at Bradford and run a bus.
Click to expand...

Even if they terminate the NB service at Bradford (with a later deadhead to Allandale yard), they need a place to put the NB train so that the SB train can pass. Are there 2 vacant tracks even with the 3-trainsets that spend their weekends there? Google Maps Satellite View doesn't show the new yard.
 
Reecemartin said:
What is he supposed to say though, the occupancy is at 10%, they are trying to better serve routes with respectable ridership which frankly is where all the growth is going to come.
If GO doesn't keep improving its business case a lot more than a mostly empty bus is going to get cut.
Click to expand...
Well here's what he just proudly said:

“We approached the Ministry of Transportation and said ‘we can do more with less’,” Verster told CP24 Thursday. “About 18 months ago we made the distinct decision to run Metrolinx as a business. That’s what every taxpayer expects of us.”
Click to expand...
 
Reecemartin said:
What is he supposed to say though, the occupancy is at 10%, they are trying to better serve routes with respectable ridership which frankly is where all the growth is going to come.
If GO doesn't keep improving its business case a lot more than a mostly empty bus is going to get cut.
Click to expand...
But a mostly empty train from Niagara Falls stays put.
 
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