ShonTron
Moderator
Member Bio
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 12,497
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- Location
- Ward 13 - Toronto Centre
If Barrie wasn't so hell-bent on building over its ROW, then it would be a piece of cake to bring service at least as far as Orillia Station. (The station there still stands and is in decent condition - it is still the bus terminal for Ontario Northland buses).
At this point, I am resigned to seeing that restored rail service to Orillia is but a pipe dream. The best we can ask for is actually not that bad a solution - extend the Barrie GO Train to downtown, and offer off peak and express service with a smaller train set meant for short-distance intercity rail, like some of the DMU equipment in Europe. Barrie-Toronto should really be a minimum of 3 trains a day in addition to the GO commuter round trips (making limited stops at say Maple, Newmarket and Bradford), or 4 trips a day on weekends, with trains meeting buses to Orillia, Midland, Collingwood/Wasaga for all departures.
I like the idea of train-meets for regional/intercity trips. Lindsay via Pontypool is another great example. Simcoe/Waterford should have a bus to the VIA station in Brantford, Goderich/Clinton/Seaforth/Mitchell from Stratford, St.Thomas from London (where the London Transit and Greyhound buses are nearby), and even Peterborough to Cobourg VIA.
At this point, I am resigned to seeing that restored rail service to Orillia is but a pipe dream. The best we can ask for is actually not that bad a solution - extend the Barrie GO Train to downtown, and offer off peak and express service with a smaller train set meant for short-distance intercity rail, like some of the DMU equipment in Europe. Barrie-Toronto should really be a minimum of 3 trains a day in addition to the GO commuter round trips (making limited stops at say Maple, Newmarket and Bradford), or 4 trips a day on weekends, with trains meeting buses to Orillia, Midland, Collingwood/Wasaga for all departures.
I like the idea of train-meets for regional/intercity trips. Lindsay via Pontypool is another great example. Simcoe/Waterford should have a bus to the VIA station in Brantford, Goderich/Clinton/Seaforth/Mitchell from Stratford, St.Thomas from London (where the London Transit and Greyhound buses are nearby), and even Peterborough to Cobourg VIA.