Allandale25
Senior Member
New survey posted.
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Ontario Northland/Northern Ontario Transportation
- Thread starter CDL.TO
- Start date
Northern Light
Superstar
Filled it out.
Supportive; but want travel time competitive w/car; better last-mile services, and 2x each way, each day frequency, with reliable on-time performance.
micheal_can
Senior Member
OPINION: Whatever happened to Northern Ontario’s passenger trains?
Rail consultant Greg Gormick weighs in lack of government action on regional rail
www.northernontariobusiness.com
I didn't write this, but it is a good read.
tmlittle
Active Member
I like this survey, though I wish there was some option for people to give input in terms of not being from either Toronto or the corridor to Cochrane, but what restored train travel would mean for their willingness to move there. I'm originally from near the Sudbury area and have passed through North Bay on the bus going to and from Ottawa, but (now living in Southern Ontario) the trip via Toronto can be quite an ordeal unless you're already living in the Toronto area. It's improved profoundly with better GO service, but even so, it's an all-day experience. If train service along the corridor was restored and there was a coherent effort to do things like improve the bus corridor from Sudbury to Ottawa, it would make somewhere like North Bay or Cochrane feel much more liveable, and where intercity travel patterns more complex than "hub to hub" (eg Sudbury to North Bay) or "spoke to hub" (eg New Liskeard to North Bay) would be possible. It would make the area much more attractive for people willing to relocate, which I suspect is something that's become distinctly more desirable after COVID.
lenaitch
Senior Member
I took the survey. It appeared to have a particular focus on First Nations, and little attention or interest in tourism travel to cottage country on the Corridor. Later in its life, the Northlander had a upswing in travel to Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Huntsville from the GTA that I think could have been made better with more accommodating scheduling.
Bordercollie
Senior Member
I think that makes sense. One train departing Toronto and North Bay in the morning and the in the evening after 5pm. I don't think it's possible for the train to arrive in Toronto before 9am but if it could be then it would allow people to commute to Toronto from cottage country. I'm sure lots of people drive from Bracebridge and Orillia to catch the GO train from Barrie. With housing prices being so high in Toronto, I'm sure that after covid is over a lot of companies will employ a hybrid model of working from home and in the office.
micheal_can
Senior Member
Why can't it arrive before 9am?
Allandale25
Senior Member
Province wants your opinion on passenger rail and bus services in northeastern Ontario
'We're inviting everyone, particularly in northeastern Ontario, to take our survey and help build a transportation network that works for their needs'
www.baytoday.ca
Bordercollie
Senior Member
It's not convenient to catch a train leaving at 4am since the only way to get to the train would be by car.
micheal_can
Senior Member
It used to do a round trip in a day. That means somewhere, someone is catching a train at 4am.
Bordercollie
Senior Member
Previously the train would arrive in Toronto around 10am and then leave again in the evening.
To have the train arrive during rush hour would mean competing for platform space at Union and track space along the Richmond Hill line.
I'm not sure how keen Metronlix will be about that.
smallspy
Senior Member
OPINION: Whatever happened to Northern Ontario’s passenger trains?
Rail consultant Greg Gormick weighs in lack of government action on regional rail
I didn't write this, but it is a good read.
Considering the author of that article - it's not worth the cost of the electrons used to broadcast it to my screen.
Dan
lenaitch
Senior Member
I wasn't thinking of commuters as I was better accommodating cottagers, particularly on the weekend by offering improved Friday N/B and Sunday S/B service. I'm not convinced any type of daily commuting-type service between Muskoka stops and Union would be viable.
lenaitch
Senior Member
He seems to have an audience although I'm not sure why. In this article he seems to conflate a return of VIA westward from Winnipeg as some kind of purposeful slight to Ontario, ignoring the fact of quarantine restrictions imposed by Manitoba.
micheal_can
Senior Member
I understand what you are getting at. I wasn't suggesting it has to arrive at any given time. I was more suggesting that a specific arrival and departure time should be examined when it is started back up. Maybe there is a second train always parked in Toronto so that the arrival and departures are not tied to turnaround time for the train that arrived. I think ONR does have enough coaches to do it.
Instead of mocking, why not say something worth discussing?
Via has not come out and said that. With the cancellation of the Northlander, and this, it appears that the governments hate Northern ON. I know that is not the case, but perception is everything with the government..