[Komiksulo]

They really shouldn't have abandoned the line north from Barrie through Orillia...

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Barrie is really pushing it in terms of travel time given the type of service GO provides. A 2 hr commute is INSANE! It's really something that is better served by point to point service between Barrie and Toronto with limited, or no, stops along the way, hopefully that cuts some of the commute. Wouldn't VIA trains be a bit more comfortable for a trip of that time.

Anyway I wonder if people do the pied-a-terre type thing where they train down on Monday morning, stay the week at a hotel/short term rental/owned condo, than take the train back up Friday evening.

 

[Dan416]

For a line that has consistently ranked tops when it comes to annual percentage ridership increases, I should hope it is slated for all day/weekend service some time in the not so distant future. Whether such service would make it all the way up to Barrie is another matter.

I don't know what percentage increase should have to do with all-day/weekend service. Ridership on Barrie still falls behind Milton AND Georgetown, never mind Lakeshore. Both those lines deserve all-day service before the Barrie line.

 

[doady]

Barrie will also get another station in the fall. The Allandale station on the waterfront will provide 120 more parking spots, in addition to the 620 at the Barrie south station.

Of course, parking is always the defining feature of a GO Transit station...

 

[accura407]

I don't know what percentage increase should have to do with all-day/weekend service. Ridership on Barrie still falls behind Milton AND Georgetown, never mind Lakeshore. Both those lines deserve all-day service before the Barrie line.

Yes but unlike those 2 lines the Barrie Line is entirely owned by Metrolinx. So implementing it would be a lot easier...

 

[TOareaFan]

For a line that has consistently ranked tops when it comes to annual percentage ridership increases, I should hope it is slated for all day/weekend service some time in the not so distant future. Whether such service would make it all the way up to Barrie is another matter.

You have to be real careful with percentage increases. Yes it is good that more people are adopting public transit but when you start from a low number the percentage increase can be deceiving in real terms.

Best example I can give is from the 2006 Census results.......there were many headlines written about Milton's rapid growth between the 2001 and 2006 censuses. Much ink spilled over the 71% increase in population and how it was the fastest growing municipality in the country. That growth, though, represented a change of 22.5k people bringing the total in 2006 to almost 54k . I remember at the time comparing it to Brampton (who's own growth of 33% over the same period was almost dismissed in comparison)....problem is that represented an addition to the population of 108k.

So the additions to Brampton's population while being dismissed represented about twice what the headline growing Milton now totalled.

So percentage growth is good.....but, in and of itself, it does not present a compelling reason for an area to "jump the line" on things that other areas (who's growth might not seem as impressive on a percentage basis) have been waiting for for so very long.

 

[nfitz]

Best example I can give is from the 2006 Census results.......there were many headlines written about Milton's rapid growth between the 2001 and 2006 censuses. Much ink spilled over the 71% increase in population and how it was the fastest growing municipality in the country. That growth, though, represented a change of 22.5k people bringing the total in 2006 to almost 54k . I remember at the time comparing it to Brampton (who's own growth of 33% over the same period was almost dismissed in comparison)....problem is that represented an addition to the population of 108k.

Yes!

We see the same thing nationally, with reports after every census that Alberta is the fastest growing province. Yes, true ... but it only added about 300,000 from 2001 to 2006, while Ontario grew at half the rate, but added over 700,000. So Alberta grows faster, but each census, the % of Canadians who lives in Ontario grows. (if you include territories, the NWT grew faster than Alberta ... but only added about 4,100 people!).

 

[k10ery]

So Alberta grows faster, but each census, the % of Canadians who lives in Ontario grows.

Going to want to check your math on that one. Or are you saying that AB and ON both grow faster than the rest of the country? True, in most years.

 

[nfitz]

So Alberta grows faster, but each census, the % of Canadians who lives in Ontario grows.

Going to want to check your math on that one.

I'll check. Look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Canada#Population_growth_rates

Between 2001 and 2006 Ontario increased by 750,236 people, a rate of 6.6%. Alberta increased by 315,543 people, a rate of 10.6%.

However, if you look at the percentage of Canadians who lived in Ontario it increases from 38.02% to 38.47% from 2001 to 2006. (if you look at the January 2011 estimates from Statistics Canada) you'll see that it's increased further to 38.75%.

So while Alberta grew faster than Ontario, the percentage of Canadians who live in Ontario has grown.

Math looks good to me ... what did I miss?

Or are you saying that AB and ON both grow faster than the rest of the country?

I didn't say that, but it's true.

 

[k10ery]

Math looks good to me ... what did I miss?

I just meant that if x grows more than y then the share of y in x+y must fall. But of course the share of y in x+y+z could rise or fall.

I should have known that was what you meant. You aren't wrong about many things around here I think.

 

[ReThink]

It is true that percentage growth statistics can be misleading. Although according to the Go Transit Ridership thread, the Barrie line saw the second largest ridership increase in terms of absolute numbers over the 2008 - 2010 period, with Milton seeing by far the largest increase. That being said, there is no doubt that other Go train lines (Milton and Georgetown for sure) should receive all day/weekend train service before the likes of the Barrie line.

 

[gweed123]

It is true that percentage growth statistics can be misleading. Although according to the Go Transit Ridership thread, the Barrie line saw the second largest ridership increase in terms of absolute numbers over the 2008 - 2010 period, with Milton seeing by far the largest increase. That being said, there is no doubt that other Go train lines (Milton and Georgetown for sure) should receive all day/weekend train service before the likes of the Barrie line.

I would think a more accurate metric would be measuring the amount of off-peak bus service that exists on those routes. They may not be exact (more people would take the train if it was available than are currently taking the bus), but I would think that the increases as a result of new train service would be relatively equal across the board.

 

[smallspy]

That being said, there is no doubt that other Go train lines (Milton and Georgetown for sure) should receive all day/weekend train service before the likes of the Barrie line.

So if GO could begin all-day service tomorrow on the Richmond Hill Line because the infrastructure can handle it, but not on the Georgetown Line until the end of construction in 2015, they shouldn't start the Richmond Hill Service?

That's a tad cynical, don't you think?

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[EnviroTO]

That's a tad cynical, don't you think?

If the number of expected riders on a line supports all day service then it should get all day service. If the number of expected riders on a line does not support all day service then it should not get all day service. The ease at which service can be added should only be considered after a determination of whether or not the line has the ridership to support it. If his point is that he feels there isn't the ridership to support it on the Barrie line then there is no flaw in his logic. If he is ignoring the bird in the hand in the hopes of two birds in the bush then there is a problem. Unfortunately that belief that something better should be thrown away to hold out for the best is a mentality that is spreading.

 

[doady]

I think adding off-peak train service to Barrie would just result in delay to introducing off-peak train service for Milton and Georgetown, not mention improved off-peak service for Lakeshore. If Barrie is not a priority, it shouldn't net getting the off-peak service.