[nfitz]

If you were doing a proper transport demand model, you would end up with a dollar amount that people value their time at. So the "cost" of travel includes the extra time. And perhaps you even have a "cost" of bus versus rail.

At the same time, you have to account for many people, the cost of the car doesn't include much of the $8,000 (I thought it was closer to $6,000) a year car cost. The car is already there, so your only looking at the marginal cost, not the average cost.

 

[Kiwi]

With the latest rendering of the Pan American stadium in Hamilton you can see a GO station stop next to the warm up track. Guess there'll be a special GO Train stop by the new stadium in the future, it's probably only 1 or 2 city block away from the James St North Station.

I don't have the rendering right now but I'll post it up soon.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

and you shall be answered!

But seriously let's not try too hard to make those numbers work. Let's just name it the Pork Barrel Express and go back to waiting for the 501 to show up...

Answered with a link to Grimsby's employment stats...

Even if the St. Catharines-Niagara Falls stretch won't move more than a few hundred people a day in the next few decades - even if ridership is doubled the estimates - that doesn't change the fact that the line will move more people west of there. It's not just a pork project if it includes some very basic service that doesn't exist, could exist, and maybe should exist. A lot depends on how many stations are added and how useful the line becomes for local/medium distance travel, and on what kind of feeder bus service exists, if development is oriented towards stations, etc. Do we even know how much more it will cost to bring revamped GO service all the way to Niagara Falls and not just stop at the Stoney Creek/Grimsby/Beamsville commutershed?

No one is ever satisfied if every dollar spent on transit in one place is seen as a dollar stolen from somewhere else. There's ways to improve Queen without throwing money at it, if the TTC had enough interest in doing so.

 

[Kiwi]

With the latest rendering of the Pan American stadium in Hamilton you can see a GO station stop next to the warm up track. Guess there'll be a special GO Train stop by the new stadium in the future, it's probably only 1 or 2 city block away from the James St North Station.

I don't have the rendering right now but I'll post it up soon.

Here it is....

You can see a white building next to the rail tracks with green lettering at the side, probably saying GO Transit.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

A special Pan Am stop that gets decommissioned after the games is a great idea. Sure, it 'wastes' a few million, but not really...it's a necessary cost to bear to help ensure a successful games.

 

[Platform 27]

I'm amused by how they just airbrushed away the big CN yard between the tracks and the waterfront trail and made it all parkland.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Niagara Falls! Niagara Falls!

Slowly, I turned, step by step...

[video=youtube;_yJBhzMWJCc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yJBhzMWJCc[/video]

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

 

[Kiwi]

The city's legal team has been negotiating with CN for years to relocate the yard. There was hope to relocate it to Aldershot but that didn't turn out well. There's hope to relocate the rail yard to Centennial Parkway/QEW area, which has been highlighted as a potential GO layover facility.

 

[GTS]

I hope whatever GO has planned for the main Hamilton Station that their is a good link to Hamilton's own rapid transit plans (which I hope is LRT). I think a multi-modal station in Hamilton with LRT, city and reginal buses and the regional GO train would draw a lot of people onto transit if such a link were possible. I think Hamilton has so much potential as a city to grow into a truly modern, relatively cleaner, major city with proper type of infrastructure.

 

[ShonTron]

While CPTDB is a real heavy-duty fan site (where people will go as far as track VINs and licence plates and "spot" each bus in a roster), there's sometimes a gem of information.

According to "2020", the next major GO changes come out in April. Expect to see a major change to the Georgetown schedule. The midday Bramalea trains, apparently, will be cancelled, but more bus services (up to half-hourly, express) but the afternoon train to Brampton kept (and extended to Georgetown), and the evening train extended all the way to Georgetown.

I would hope that the 9:20 Bramalea departure to Union is also extended west.

According to "2020" (who has been right before) is that part of the reason is construction headaches at West Toronto/Dufferin Jog.

Also, watch for the Square One-Airport service to be dropped entirely (but the Richmond Hill leg continue), the Milton-Oakville service cutback somewhat and the final end of GO's Yonge Street bus.

 

[RedRocket191]

For me, the Georgetown line changes will bring a much higher quality of service than we have today. Right now, I have to choose between being being 1 hour early or 30 minutes late for my 2:00 class. With half-hourly service I'll be able to leave later and still arrive on time. Travel times for those going past Bramalea will also decrease by about 15 minutes by my calculation.

People who don't like buses will find another way to travel - but I suspect that those who didn't like 2 hour frequencies represent a much larger group.

That's my two cents anyways.

 

[ShonTron]

When I was still in Brampton, I really disliked the midday Bramalea-only trains, partly because they involved a much longer trip than the direct bus to Union that I enjoyed before. The bus would take 35-45 minutes tops from Shoppers World to Union Station and vice versa. The trains required a very inconvenient transfer that added 20 minutes to the trip (transfer walk across the parking lot and padding to make sure the buses would actually meet the train). I preferred the old bus service.

Since there are so many trip delays and cancellations lately on the midday trains, I see this as a reasonable short-term plan until Dufferin Jog (at the least) is done.

 

[RedRocket191]

I see this as a reasonable short-term plan until Dufferin Jog (at the least) is done.

Agreed, although I suspect that the West Toronto Diamond and Georgetown South Service Expansion will be just as disruptive when construction really ramps up. I'd rather they stick with buses until it's all done than go through several cycles of re-instating and removing trains. That's my personal preference, of course.

 

[kettal]

I'm anxious to know what other service changes are coming in April.

 

[drum118]

I'm anxious to know what other service changes are coming in April.

W..........ell !!!........There will be no 30 minute service on the Lakeshore then or sadly this year.

GO wants to make sure the signaling system is upgraded and operating correctly as well having operating funds to do it.

Another BS statement as those trains are going to use for new service like a new eastbound train for the Lakeshore and to KW.

The new service also depends on the arrival of the new motor power and coaches. With one new power here and 6 in the dead line does not help.