royalrivers
Active Member
More information is in the Guelph Mercury actually 
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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)
- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
SGHA504
New Member
Presto machines are currently scheduled to be online Dec 19 as well, so that date makes sense.
nfitz
Superstar
December 19th. Information is now on GO's website - http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/updates/schedulechanges.aspx
The schedule is here - http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/updates/Table 31_Kitchener_Dec19.pdf
It's now officially the Kitchener GO Train instead of the Georgetown GO Train. Trains aren't stopping in Acton (which is no surprise, as when I drove through there earlier this week, there was no sign of anything yet). While there is an extra train eastbound in the morning, that will benefit those in Georgetown and Brampton, there is nothing new at all in the afternoon, other than extending 2 trains to Kitchener. So they are going from 7 inbound in the morning and 6 outbound in the afternoon, to 8 inbound and 6 outbound. I guess you have to sit on someone's lap going home ...
I was hoping as part of this, we'd see significantly improved Bus service between Georgetown, Guelph, and Kitchener, but there's nothing much new there.
Interesting that VIA currently schedules 28 to 32 minutes from Kitchener to Guelph, while GO has only scheduled 22 minutes.
Not sure I see the point of a 5:45 pm GO from Union arriving Kitchener at 7:42 pm, when there's already a 5:40 pm VIA train that arrives Kitchener at 7:20 pm. The morning service complements VIA well giving 4 different departure times from Kitchener in the morning, but the afternoon doesn't, with only 2 total.
The schedule is here - http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/updates/Table 31_Kitchener_Dec19.pdf
It's now officially the Kitchener GO Train instead of the Georgetown GO Train. Trains aren't stopping in Acton (which is no surprise, as when I drove through there earlier this week, there was no sign of anything yet). While there is an extra train eastbound in the morning, that will benefit those in Georgetown and Brampton, there is nothing new at all in the afternoon, other than extending 2 trains to Kitchener. So they are going from 7 inbound in the morning and 6 outbound in the afternoon, to 8 inbound and 6 outbound. I guess you have to sit on someone's lap going home ...
I was hoping as part of this, we'd see significantly improved Bus service between Georgetown, Guelph, and Kitchener, but there's nothing much new there.
Interesting that VIA currently schedules 28 to 32 minutes from Kitchener to Guelph, while GO has only scheduled 22 minutes.
Not sure I see the point of a 5:45 pm GO from Union arriving Kitchener at 7:42 pm, when there's already a 5:40 pm VIA train that arrives Kitchener at 7:20 pm. The morning service complements VIA well giving 4 different departure times from Kitchener in the morning, but the afternoon doesn't, with only 2 total.
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DKsan
Active Member
Except niftz, that VIA is more expensive than GO.
RedRocket191
Senior Member
Why does it have to be?
The head of the Georgetown South Project once said at a public meeting that if you're trying to reduce air pollution, you need to look at everything because it might be more cost-effective to just buy a new furnace for everyone in the neighbourhood (he was trying to counter the "don't study it, just do it" crowd, and I have paraphrased).
When we're looking at extending GO service into areas where VIA is already established we need to ask if it could be cost-effective to just subsidize every VIA passenger.
nfitz
Superstar
True ... and probably out for a daily commute. But most people I doing that run are only weekly or less riders - so I'd think the VIA option would be preferable. I guess the question is, will this induce people who do it daily to jump to GO. I guess the ridership numbers will clearly tell the story, ultimately.
I really have to wonder how much demand there is for a 2-hour commute ... and that assumes you live right next to Kitchener station, and work at Union station. It could easily be a 2.5 hour commute with even only a 15-minute drive to Kitchener station, and a 10-minute walk from Union. But then I'm surprised at the demand for the 90-minute GO Train from Barrie. I have to wonder what the breaking point is. If 2-hour trains from Kitchener work, what about a 2-hour 19-minute train from Kingston? VIA runs that now.
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dunkalunk
Senior Member
People will spend extra time on the train for schedule certainty. The Greyhound into Toronto currently takes about 2 scheduled hours during rush hour. (of course, that isn't to say that the trains run very reliably along this corridor today)
Personally, I'd rather see GO running express trains from Georgetown with midway stop at Brampton and Bloor/Dundas. It would also be nice to see a reverse-peak train along the same corridor, as you see a lot of people, especially in the academic crowd, commuting into Waterloo/Guelph who I am sure would like an alternative to the Greyhound.
With only 2 trains in/out and no reverse-peak service on the same line, renaming the line from Georgetown to Kitchener is a bit of a misnomer.
Personally, I'd rather see GO running express trains from Georgetown with midway stop at Brampton and Bloor/Dundas. It would also be nice to see a reverse-peak train along the same corridor, as you see a lot of people, especially in the academic crowd, commuting into Waterloo/Guelph who I am sure would like an alternative to the Greyhound.
With only 2 trains in/out and no reverse-peak service on the same line, renaming the line from Georgetown to Kitchener is a bit of a misnomer.
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RedRocket191
Senior Member
Considering that Bramalea has the connection to the 407 corridor, I'd argue that any express train should stop there as well.
TOareaFan
Superstar
As a Brampton commuter I gotta say I am really liking the prospect of this new train that zips through the DT Brampton station at 8:21 a.m. I would imagine that I am not the only person in the world whose hours are not the old fashioned "9-5". In fact, on most days, there is absolutely no reason for me to be in the office at 9. So with the last train leaving for Union at 7:59 I often preferred to hang around the house and then drive in....aiming to be in the office between 9:30 and 10. So, this new train makes me far more likely to take the train far more often.....another little side effect is that on days where I needed/wanted to take the train I would take that 7:59 train.....now there will be a seat freed up for someone else on those ocassions Kidding aside, having that slightly off-peak train will spread out commuters a bit and could/will ease some congestion on that train.
One question that comes to mind......previously, it was explained to me that the the train that currently leaves Bramalea at 9:20 (now being adjusted to 9:35) for its trip to Union could not start further west because there was no where to park it over night......could that train now be extended to Georgetown as the 6:47 a.m. train will now, presumably, be parked at Kitchener over night?
Kidding aside, having that slightly off-peak train will spread out commuters a bit and could/will ease some congestion on that train.One question that comes to mind......previously, it was explained to me that the the train that currently leaves Bramalea at 9:20 (now being adjusted to 9:35) for its trip to Union could not start further west because there was no where to park it over night......could that train now be extended to Georgetown as the 6:47 a.m. train will now, presumably, be parked at Kitchener over night?
drum118
Superstar
I posted info and photos on it only a few weeks ago and before then.
Northern Light
Superstar
LOL, Drum,
I think I'm safe in saying, he means ' under the radar ' to the general public.
People who read UT on a regular basis, thus far, are not the masses, they are urban planning, transit, skyscraper, and architecture geeks....(I say w/pride)
But that's a rather small proportion of the public.
On the radar, is when the 'mass media' reports on things.
I think I'm safe in saying, he means ' under the radar ' to the general public.
People who read UT on a regular basis, thus far, are not the masses, they are urban planning, transit, skyscraper, and architecture geeks....(I say w/pride)
But that's a rather small proportion of the public.
On the radar, is when the 'mass media' reports on things.
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andrewpmk
Senior Member
I think that many users of this train will not be daily commuters, they will be intercity travellers who only travel between the cities occasionally and who might use Greyhound or VIA on the return trip, students for example. Huge numbers of people drive on the 401 between Kitchener/Guelph and Brampton/Mississauga/Toronto but not very many actually commute every day; a 2 hour commute is very long and the only people who will be willing to do it are people whose spouses work in Kitchener. Even if significant improvements were made to the track to reduce the time to closer to 1 hour there would not be very many takers (after all, not that many people commute from Hamilton to Toronto either), also housing in Brampton is still pretty cheap.
It's getting to the point that GO might as well take over the VIA service on this route east of London, GO seems to be encroaching more and more on VIA's turf these days.
andrewpmk
Senior Member
GO ought to at least add a Friday night run eastbound, and a Sunday night run in both directions to capture the student market. The Waterloo to Square One bus is very well used during these times.
RandomBusGuy
New Member
Not to mention the Greyhound bus. I often take it between Guelph and Toronto those times, and they almost always have to call extra buses to fit all the people wanting to make that trip. GO should also consider running extra trains Fridays before, and Sundays after a holiday. The bus station Friday night of the thanksgiving weekend was the busiest I've ever seen it.
nfitz
Superstar
An article on the Globe this morning:
Torontonians commuting to Waterloo frustrated by GO Transit’s new rail link
It suggests that there's more people commuting from Toronto to Waterloo than Waterloo to Toronto, and that this new service is deficient.
Torontonians commuting to Waterloo frustrated by GO Transit’s new rail link
It suggests that there's more people commuting from Toronto to Waterloo than Waterloo to Toronto, and that this new service is deficient.