Metroscapes
Active Member
Is there a certain rationale for that? UPX sneakin up on people? Vehicle dimensions / dynamic envelope?
|
|
|
- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
smallspy
Senior Member
The ridership on those trains is approximately the same as it was 22 years ago.Even rush hour service is shocking. Back in 2002, there were 6 eastbound trips from Milton to Finch between 5am and 8am. 22 years later, there are 7. In 2002 there were 7 westbound trips from Finch to Milton between 2pm and 8pm. In 2024 there are 8, and the last last one leaves earlier than in 2002 (6:40pm vs. 7:05pm). How does a Town quadruple in size and there is virtually no improvement
It's not rocket appliances.
Dan
ARG1
Senior Member
Can someone explain the logic to me? Because Ford cancelled station upgrades 4 years ago, that means Ford doesn't care about Milton and thus this is a political ploy to win a seat?Article from The Star on today’s announcement:
Doug Ford promises all-day GO train service in Milton — if Ottawa steps up
While the premier touted an overall 15 per cent expansion in GO service on Monday, he said the province still needs Ottawa's assistance.www.thestar.com
FTA:
While the premier touted an overall 15 per cent expansion in GO service — with about 300 additional weekly trips on the Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, Milton, Kitchener and Stouffville lines as of April 28 — he said the province still needs Ottawa's assistance.
"We're going to keep urging the federal government to join us in a true cost-sharing partnership to build a fully separated passenger rail line, so we can finally make two-way all-day GO train service a reality here in Milton," Ford said Monday at the Milton GO station.
…
Naidoo Harris, manager of community affairs for Liberal MP Adam van Koeverden, is the son of former education minister Indira Naidoo Harris, who represented Milton from 2014 until 2018.
He pointed out that Ford cancelled planned upgrades to Milton's GO station four years ago and has yet to move forward with a second station in the area.
"This riding has had a Conservative MPP since 2018 and it's only now, when this seat is at risk, that Doug Ford has managed to find Milton on the map," said Naidoo Harris.
This makes no sense, its not like Metrolinx only started working on Milton Expansion in the last 6 months because they realized there would be a bi-election in the making, this was something that was clearly being worked on for several years at this point, if the design of stations like Cooksville didn't point to this fact. Metrolinx simply had higher priorities which is the remaining GO Expansion and Subway lines that are under construction, and ye, I would also be cautious of upgrading a station like Milton when you're likely at the early works of planning high frequency electric trains to Milton and you don't have all of the plan available, in what will be a station reno that will only serve a rush hour only station for the next 8 years (yes, I also think redoing Cooksville when they did was a silly move too, although at least Cooksville will have an LRT connection so there is some justification, unlike Milton's non-existant bus service).
Allandale25
Senior Member
New GO bus service map.
And in case it gets deleted: /web/20240415204217/https://assets.metrolinx.com/image/upload/Documents/GO/go-regional-bus-map.pdf
It's pixelated on the image below but it should be clear if you click on the PDF.
And in case it gets deleted: /web/20240415204217/https://assets.metrolinx.com/image/upload/Documents/GO/go-regional-bus-map.pdf
It's pixelated on the image below but it should be clear if you click on the PDF.
Last edited:
Northern Light
Superstar
Sure.
Not exactly, no. Certainly that's the way his political opponents are spinning it; but was the decision to hold this press event, with a threadbare connection to Milton, a political choice as well? Sure it was.
So its all politics.
That said, Ford clearly had a window some years ago to prioritize Milton GO and he chose not to (which is fine, just a political choice one should own).
Further, the Feds openly offered (knowing the offer would not be taken) to pay 1/2 of Milton's upgrades to a limit of 500M (towards a 1B project cost) a year or two back. At that time Ford stayed silent, and did not say "Thank you for the offer, we'll take it and get started but might need more for a full-build out" Instead, he said nothing.
There have a been a range of drawings done (high level) for Milton going back well over 30 years; Ford is not the first government to have explored options for upgrades.
Truthfully though, we don't know (at least publicly) how far along any designs are, or what details of any agreement has been arrived at with CPKC.
Metrolinx has what priorities the government of the day deems it to have, and carries them out (as its abilities allow) in accordance w/the funding they are provided.
Again, there have been 3 and 4 track configurations of Milton corridor floating around for at least 3 decades. Any upgrades can easily be done in chunks and phases, allowing gradually more service over time.
smallspy
Senior Member
I've chalked it up to Metrolinx doing Metrolinx things.
On the Northeast Corridor, where more trains travel quite a bit faster past virtually identical platforms, they have no problems allowing all of the track speed available to the trains - which can be as high as 150mph.
Dan
reaperexpress
Senior Member
Dynamic envelope is the stated reason (UP Express trains have a metal step sticking out that gets close to the high-level platforms) but as Dan noted, the validity of that rationale seems dubious. The platform edges already have a tearaway edge so if there ever were to be contact it wouldn't damage the vehicle or platform.
reaperexpress
Senior Member
Very impressive that they managed to make a map that's so legible considering what an inconsistent mess the GO bus network is.
I personally wouldn't have used the faded lines to represent "rail support" routes since the colour already does that. I would have used the faded lines to represent limited service hours.
It's also interesting that they didn't classify the 16 Hamilton Express as a rail support route considering its coverage is completely redundant with Lakeshore West trains.
Willybru21
Active Member
You’re correct, the travel time for the new express UP train is 23 minutes
Dan416
Senior Member
If the express time is 23 minutes, seems hardly worth the reduction in service at Bloor and Weston.
allengeorge
Senior Member
@Northern Light explained it very well. In general, the point Naidoo was making was that Ford and his government have had plenty of opportunities to improve Milton service and done...little.
For example: consider the latest funding announcement where they claimed they would fund $3 billion+ for the Milton line if the federal government matched funds. That's a promise they know they don't have to deliver on, because the federal government isn't going to step up with 3 billion dollars. But the federal government did commit 500M. Did the Ford government do anything with that? No. They could have said "Hey - we actually need 3 billion dollars from you, but, let's start by taking the $500M you've committed, match it, deliver some upgrades and chat about the remainder." Instead, nothing.
It's political posturing through and through.
Toronto1834
Active Member
Very interesting but unfortunate. Is there a way to remove the speed restriction or is this something non-negotiable imposed by Transport Canada?
IRT_BMT_IND
New Member
The Hamilton express was originally a Grey Coach route that I think predated even GO itself. Didn't it operate out of the Bay Street coach terminal before the original USBT was opened?
There was a similar service to Oshawa, though the service (in the 80s?) was removed entirely from downtown to York Mills and Yorkdale.
ey2470
New Member
It seems like there are major service cuts across the majority of the bus network. Is it something that we are expecting due to the spring semester approaching? 94 is just one example which I routinely use to head to the airport from North York, and I would have thought the summer travel season would call for more service to the airport. Are they redeploying the buses to some other routes?
94 current schedule
94 new schedule
94 current schedule
94 new schedule
T3G
Senior Member
I wonder if it has something to do with the train service expansion. If it was one or two routes I wouldn't, but considering how many routes are affected all at once, it seems a little too convenient. Robbing Peter to pay Paul?