GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[SaugeenJunction]

Ontario Introduces More GO Train Service on the Kitchener Line

A morning trip that currently begins at Georgetown GO Station will now begin at Kitchener GO Station at 5:40 a.m., stopping at Guelph and Acton GO stations before continuing to serve all stops to Union Station, arriving at 7:43 a.m.

The existing trip that currently leaves Union Station at 3:35 p.m. and ends at Georgetown GO Station will extend to Kitchener GO Station, stopping at Acton and Guelph GO stations before arriving in Kitchener at 5:43 p.m.

Commuters will also benefit from an additional morning trip option from Georgetown, Brampton and Mount Pleasant GO stations, and a new afternoon trip from Union Station to Bloor, Weston, Etobicoke North and Malton GO stations.

Edit: Ooops already posted. Anyways more service is nice, but this isn't enough. Yurek also said the province is not moving forward with the freight bypass and can achieve 2-way All-Day without it.

 

[crs1026]

This is worse than Del Duca's photo ops for such minor announcements.

It's somewhere between ML feeding the Minister a steady diet of small photo ops hoping to make him an addict, and QP repositioning a retreat as a decisive and courageous march to a better position in the rear lines.

- Paul

 

[steveintoronto]

Yurek also said the province is not moving forward with the freight bypass and can achieve 2-way All-Day without it.

? I'd certainly like to vet that claim. Would you have a link, I can't find mention.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

? I'd certainly like to vet that claim. Would you have a link, I can't find mention.

Video.

 

[Allandale25]

Here's the new schedule: https://www.gotransit.com/en/trip-planning/go-service-updates/train-schedule-changes

 

[steveintoronto]

^ "without waiting for a costly rail bypass". I'll believe it when I see it. No-one would be happier than I for AD2W service from Bloor Station to Guelph and beyond.

Yurek doesn't allude to the Freight By-Pass not happening, just that in some manner or form of sleight of hand, he can do it, with both eyes closed and standing on one foot, without waiting for it to happen. And yet CN insisted all that time that it couldn't. Not possible. No can do.

The Dogma changes day by day.

 

[crs1026]

Here's the new schedule: https://www.gotransit.com/en/trip-planning/go-service-updates/train-schedule-changes

That document does actually represent adding trains on the CN Halton Sub. Extending a Georgetown train to Kitchener doesn't take any great cooperation from CN, but some of the other juggled schedules did in fact represent a concession by CN.

- Paul

 

[ShonTron]

Disappointing. The one afternoon express train reverts back to a local - it's a very long ride to Kitchener on a rail fleet that's uncomfortable for such a lengthy trip. Too bad VIA cut the morning commuter run. The new schedule does even out the PM schedule a bit more, but there's no new service.

EDIT: To be fair, maybe there's not much that can be done until work at Bramalea Station is completed. The [platform serving the third track is currently unusable as a new tunnel and overhead bridge will go in as part of major station improvements there. Then - and maybe then - we could see some express/local service return.

So what is the plan now that the province is no longer interested in a rail bypass? Squeezing another track or two in through Downtown Brampton?

Or maybe giving up on better GO service for a city where 3 out 5 MPPs are NDP and the new mayor a sworn enemy (never mind Guelph's Green and K-W's two NDPers)?

 

[timio]

Uh... Am I reading correctly that there is no longer an express train on the Kitchener line in the afternoon?

 

[nfitz]

Uh... Am I reading correctly that there is no longer an express train on the Kitchener line in the afternoon?

Yes. - no westbound expresses in PM. The eastbound AM express survives. So 12 minutes more travel time for some.

 

[Allandale25]

^ But apparently some trips are 5 minutes faster? Which trips? Are the speed improvements being referred to in Guelph? I'm confused.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1074778210011963393

 

[Northern Light]

Here's the new schedule: https://www.gotransit.com/en/trip-planning/go-service-updates/train-schedule-changes

Schedule info show one new train each way on Stouffville beginning Jan 7th. No times listed yet, presumably we need our presser for that!

 

[canarob]

Schedule info show one new train each way on Stouffville beginning Jan 7th. No times listed yet, presumably we need our presser for that!

Sounds more like they are replacing another train with buses temporarily because of the track work? The grammar is confusing.

To support ongoing infrastructure upgrades on the Stouffville rail line, some evening train trips will continue to be replaced by buses into 2019, including an additional train in both directions starting January 7, 2019.

 

[Northern Light]

Sounds more like they are replacing another train with buses temporarily because of the track work? The grammar is confusing.

You could read it that way. That is very awkward.

 

[nfitz]

Schedule info show one new train each way on Stouffville beginning Jan 7th. No times listed yet, presumably we need our presser for that!

All the January 7 scheduled dropped this morning. See https://www.gotransit.com/en/trip-planning/seeschedules/full-schedules

I didn't see any extra Stouffville trains added. I think that was one more train temporarily cancelled for trackwork.

^ But apparently some trips are 5 minutes faster? Which trips? Are the speed improvements being referred to in Guelph? I'm confused.

I think Metrolinx is wrong here. I see no trips that are 5 minutes faster. There's no change in travel times I can see, other than the only Toronto to Kitchener express now stopping everywhere - adding 14 minutes to the fastest train from Toronto to Kitchener.