[Towered]

In Oslo and in Copenhagen, I've seen parents leave their stroller, with a sleeping child in it, outside a store or cafe while they go inside for a few minutes. This is considered socially acceptable, while not everyone does it, for sure, its not 'abnormal' either.

Which reminds me of an amusing personal story - my grandmother once took my mother as an infant in the stroller to the town centre to do her daily grocery shop. She parked the stroller outside the butcher, and upon completing her purchase, left the store and walked the half hour or so back home...without the stroller. Upon arrival, that gut feeling arose when one is convinced that they forgot something, and then the horror set in that she'd absent mindedly forgotten her own infant! She sprinted all the back, and clearly the story ends happily as I am able to type this

 

[Undead]

TWhich reminds me of an amusing personal story - my grandmother once took my mother as an infant in the stroller to the town centre to do her daily grocery shop. She parked the stroller outside the butcher, and upon completing her purchase, left the store and walked the half hour or so back home...without the stroller. Upon arrival, that gut feeling arose when one is convinced that they forgot something, and then the horror set in that she'd absent mindedly forgotten her own infant! She sprinted all the back, and clearly the story ends happily as I am able to type this

This explains a lot!

 

[Krypto98]

New Control location "Conti" went in to service at Mile 48.5 Guelph sub. This is just east of the current Guelph GO station

 

[Metroscapes]

New Control location "Conti" went in to service at Mile 48.5 Guelph sub. This is just east of the current Guelph GO station

where does that name come from?

EDIT: answer on another thread:

John Conti, a signal design engineer who passed away recently.

- Paul

 

[emphurent]

Didn't realise the dividers were being removed, glad to have the armrest back (or the ability to move it).

 

[innsertnamehere]

Hallelujah!

 

[WB62]

This might be of interest to this thread: https://www.blogto.com/city/2023/09/high-school-student-visualizes-future-toronto-area-transit/

 

[Northern Light]

This might be of interest to this thread: https://www.blogto.com/city/2023/09/high-school-student-visualizes-future-toronto-area-transit/

Hmm, his inside info is better than mine if some of his projections are remotely true.

He has service to Toronto every 3 minutes from Burlington.

 

[WB62]

Hmm, his inside info is better than mine if some of his projections are remotely true.

He has service to Toronto every 3 minutes from Burlington.

Oh I made that map lol, I have no inside info and the map is made off of pure speculation and information that Metrolinx and OnXpress have said.

3 minute service to Burlington is one of the things OnXpress has mentioned so far, I’ll find exactly where they said it later, but it was sometime last year, it’s what kicked off the whole idea that GO Expansion is a lot more ambitious now than it was before, when Metrolinx was handling the project.

 

[Northern Light]

Oh I made that map lol,

LOL; you just threw it out there so casually I didn't instantly make the connection. Though the thought crossed my mind as I was posting.

3 minute service to Burlington is one of the things OnXpress has mentioned so far, I’ll find exactly where they did later but it was sometime last year, it’s what kicked off the whole idea that GO Expansion is a lot more ambitious now than it was before, when Metrolinx was handling the project.

I'd appreciate that. I hadn't heard that discussed. I have heard a goal of every 5M peak from Oakville and 10M off-peak being bandied about.

3M (presumably peak) is a big number through Burlington.

They currently have 3 tracks to Burlington, but cut off improved off-peak at Oakville.

I assumed that was a rail congestion issue w/CN.

@smallspy and @crs1026 would doubtless know better.

In saying as much, I will ask, how congested are the tracks west of Oakville and what would Mx have to do to make 3M service to Burlinton possible?

 

[T3G]

The celebrations of the dividers being taken down are premature. They have been taking them down as the cars are cycled through heavier maintenance. Many of the things are likely destined to be rolling around with them for a while still.

 

[WB62]

I

LOL; you just threw it out there so casually I didn't instantly make the connection. Though the thought crossed my mind as I was posting.



I'd appreciate that. I hadn't heard that discussed. I have heard a goal of every 5M peak from Oakville and 10M off-peak being bandied about.

3M (presumably peak) is a big number through Burlington.

They currently have 3 tracks to Burlington, but cut off improved off-peak at Oakville.

I assumed that was a rail congestion issue w/CN.

@smallspy and @crs1026 would doubtless know better.

In saying as much, I will ask, how congested are the tracks west of Oakville and what would Mx have to do to make 3M service to Burlinton possible?

I originally had it set up so there would be 15 minute service to Oakville, and then 8 minute service to Burlington; but someone suggested I combine both so I went through with it.
I am having second thought about that decision though because you bring up good points about the limited capacity past Burlington, the Burloak grade separation accounts for a future 4th track, so I assume to some extent a 4th track will be built west of Oakville:

 

[crs1026]

In saying as much, I will ask, how congested are the tracks west of Oakville and what would Mx have to do to make 3M service to Burlinton possible?

I'm sticking with the official ML GO Expansion Business Case document, page 51.

It dates from 2018, and any number of revisions may have been made since then. I expect the negotiations with OnCorr may lead to a whole new view of things. But it remains the official source document out there, unless anyone can point to a newer one.

Could headways be bumped up? With better signalling and electrification, yes. It would take a lot of trackwork all the way east to John Street, however, especially considering the number of equipment moves that VIA and GO need to cross over between Mimico and Union.... and the need for VIA to run express in both directions on a three-track main line. I'd say four tracks would be necessary to really increase headways beyond the 15 minute plan.

And, west of Burlington, there is only one track officially dedicated to GO service, with about a 2.7 mile distance between 45 mph switches. So one can use that figure to decide how often trains could conceivably go back and forth over that single track. And if a further track were added, things would improve.....

And.... as the Business Case outlines, that isn't necessarily the plan.

- Paul

 

[reaperexpress]

My map was loosely based on the business case documents, as well as the track projects that seem to be planned. So it has service levels a fair bit lower than @Willybru21 's map.

I described the map here.

I did deviate from the business case in a bunch of locations, partly because the business case doesn't seem that well thought through. For example, most of the off-peak express trains supposedly skip Port Credit, the interchange with the Hurontario LRT, while stopping at Clarkson which is little more than a parking lot. The business case also predates the decision that all GO trains will stop at Exhibition and at East Harbour, the was plan for GO trains to London, and the proposal for half-hourly all-day service on the Milton line.

 

[innsertnamehere]

The Business case was the base standard Metrolinx used in the bidding process from my understanding, but the plan with OnCorr is actually to have a much higher, undisclosed service level.

Wikipedia is claiming 5-minute frequencies for Burlington.

GO Expansion - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It's source is this Metrolinx blog post, which mentions frequencies of up to 18 trains per hour, which is roughly 3 minute frequencies, as well as the 5-minute Burlington frequencies. I imagine this is planned as the peak-hour frequency:

GO Expansion deal means faster, greener, GO Train service

GO Expansion project update

www.metrolinx.com

ONxpress’ international team has far surpassed the reference concept service levels outlined in the GO Expansion Full Business Case published in 2018. The ONxpress proposal can deliver three times more trips than the 3,500 weekly trips Metrolinx ran in 2019.

On Metrolinx’s busiest routes, between eight and 18 trains per hour will run, meaning customers can arrive at a station and be on a train within minutes.

Metrolinx and ONxpress will now start working through a proposed timetable, and associated required infrastructure, that could ultimately see train service stopping at stations like Exhibition, Bloor and East Harbour GO stations as frequently as every three minutes in the future and stations like Burlington and Pickering GO every five minutes.

On evenings and weekends, services to most stations could be as frequent as between every six to 15 minutes, meaning customers no longer need to worry about missing a train.

GO Expansion will reduce commuter times by an average of 10 minutes per trip and as much as 20 to 30 minutes for other trips. Some key stations on high density routes will get services that can be up to 40 per cent faster, such as Bramalea, Pickering, Unionville and Oakville GO Stations.

Interestingly, in terms of travel time, it suggests travel times to Pickering and Oakville equal to travelling to York Mills station on the subway, which suggests ~20 minute travel times.

It also suggests destinations like Hamilton being equal to drive times in no traffic, which suggests a 45-50 minute travel time..