KevinT
Active Member
Honestly, a bi-directional service every 2 hours on weekends would still be uber appreciated.
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- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
Honestly, a bi-directional service every 2 hours on weekends would still be uber appreciated.
robmausser
Senior Member
Totally, but I think they were asking about 30 minute weekday service
Miltonrider
New Member
Hi everybody. I’m a long-time reader paying attention to any Milon news. I understand that CP owns the line, not Metrolinx and my question is not related to all day service. As a Milton resident, I was wondering if any of the knowledgeable posters on here may be able to answer if or why there can not be partial weekend/holiday service on the Milton line. In the past, Metrolinx puts on train service for New Years Eve, Caribbean Carnival, and the Santa Claus parade. For example, this year Milton had the following service for Caribbean carnival (from the GO transit website).
The additional GO train trips on Aug. 3 are:
Eastbound trips departing from Milton GO at 9:28 a.m., 11:58 a.m., and 2:28 p.m., making all station stops to Union Station.
Westbound trips departing from Union Station at 3:55 p.m., 5:55 p.m., and 8:55 p.m., making all station stops to Milton GO.
So, weekend service is possible with the current track infrastructure. Why can’t this schedule be every weekend?
Subsequently, if partial weekend service to Milton is not possible, then what about reinstating the existing 3rd track from Kipling to Erindale. Then run weekend service Toronto to Erindale, then GO bus from Erindale to Milton via the 403-transit way, Trafalgar, Derry, Thompson & Milton Go.
This would allow Milton customers access to not only Union station, but the Kipling TTC station as well.
During the summer, if I want to visit Toronto for entertainment or cycling, I need to go down to Bronte GO. However, during the summer (especially if the Jays are playing or there is a concert or event), then the train is generally full by the time it gets there from Burlington. Good luck getting a bike on. There where times this year, by the time the train got to Clarkson or Port Credit the train was so full that passengers at Long Branch or Mimico couldn’t get on. Coming back, I had to let a few trains leave Exhibition before I could get on with my bike.
I have sent an email to Metrolinx asking about this, but figured I would get better information here then from Metrolinx. Thanks for reading and you can now return to your regular scheduled programming.
The additional GO train trips on Aug. 3 are:
Eastbound trips departing from Milton GO at 9:28 a.m., 11:58 a.m., and 2:28 p.m., making all station stops to Union Station.
Westbound trips departing from Union Station at 3:55 p.m., 5:55 p.m., and 8:55 p.m., making all station stops to Milton GO.
So, weekend service is possible with the current track infrastructure. Why can’t this schedule be every weekend?
Subsequently, if partial weekend service to Milton is not possible, then what about reinstating the existing 3rd track from Kipling to Erindale. Then run weekend service Toronto to Erindale, then GO bus from Erindale to Milton via the 403-transit way, Trafalgar, Derry, Thompson & Milton Go.
This would allow Milton customers access to not only Union station, but the Kipling TTC station as well.
During the summer, if I want to visit Toronto for entertainment or cycling, I need to go down to Bronte GO. However, during the summer (especially if the Jays are playing or there is a concert or event), then the train is generally full by the time it gets there from Burlington. Good luck getting a bike on. There where times this year, by the time the train got to Clarkson or Port Credit the train was so full that passengers at Long Branch or Mimico couldn’t get on. Coming back, I had to let a few trains leave Exhibition before I could get on with my bike.
I have sent an email to Metrolinx asking about this, but figured I would get better information here then from Metrolinx. Thanks for reading and you can now return to your regular scheduled programming.
Garuda
Active Member
There's what? 3 double decker buses to meet the GO trains at mount Pleasant now on weekends? The demand is there and at some point it becomes more economical to run trains instead of at least 3 buses.
Jonny5
Senior Member
I have no direct knowledge here, but these one off events are predictable and planned months in advance, so while it may be possible to coordinate with CP for them, it may still not be possible for regular service every weekend.
Even if there is no track use constraint, those few one-off events also require crews and staff, but again only as a one-off which can be planned for well in advance using the existing pool of workers. If you are adding this service for 52 weekends a year it requires more full time staff and that is a budget increase. I am not commenting here on whether it is justified or not, simply that can be a likely reason up the chain of the organisation to why it doesn't happen specifically now. Even with spare equipment, you need spare train crews and customer service staff willing to work weekend hours to run it and to pay them for it.
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robmausser
Senior Member
Like said earlier, the reason is not demand but weekends being used for track upgrade construction.
Once that work is done weekend train service will start/
ShonTron
Moderator
Bramalea is where the buses to/from Waterloo meet the trains. Mount Pleasant only has the milk run bus to Georgetown and Guelph
reaperexpress
Senior Member
The passing tracks currently under construction (Breslau, Guelph, Acton, Georgetown) will provide a capacity of 2 trains per hour per direction. This will allow peak period service to still be every 30 minutes as it is today, while counter-peak service runs hourly. Outside of peak periods there will be 1 GO train per hour and the additional capacity can be used by Via and CN.
For the off-peak service to also run every 30 minutes, many additional passing locations would be required between Kitchener and Georgetown for Via and CN. With the planned grade separation near Mount Pleasant there should be enough capacity along the CN line with the existing plans considering the intent is already to have 30 min or better all day service there.
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urbancog
Active Member
Just to temper expectations, as far as I know, no active construction is occurring on the Kitchener Line west of Bramalea right now.
The RfP for construction of Work Package 2A of the Guelph Subdivision upgrades is scheduled for release this month:
"Kitchener Extension | Guelph Subdivision Package 2A: Track and signals work, grading, drainage, and utility relocations in the Town of Halton Hills (Acton) in support of Kitchener GO service extension."
The RfP for construction of Work Package 4 of the Guelph Subdivision upgrades is scheduled for release 4Q2024 (Oct - Dec 2024):
"Kitchener Line Extension | Guelph Subdivision Package 4: Track and signals work, platform work, grading, drainage, and utility relocations in support of Kitchener GO service extension." Thought to be the tie in of track to the new platform at Guelph Central Station.
I think this corresponds to the new infrastructure needed to support hourly counter peak / off-peak service described by reaperexpress above. Allowing time to award the work and for construction, perhaps we will see hourly service to Kitchener in 2026.
There are other work packages listed for the Kitchener line, including: an island platform at Georgetown Station, removal of the north platform at Mt Pleasant to make room for a 4th track, and construction of a new layover yard between Winston Churchill Boulevard & Heritage Road. It was also noted in a Metrolinx Board Mtg that CN has requested proposals for the design of upgrades to the Halton Subdivision (Georgetown to Bramalea), which may include the grade separated junction located between the Credit River bridge and Winston Churchill Boulevard and additional tracks (3rd track at Brampton Station, 4th track elsewhere). These would support even better service but will take 4 years at least to deliver at the current investment level.
The RfP for construction of Work Package 2A of the Guelph Subdivision upgrades is scheduled for release this month:
"Kitchener Extension | Guelph Subdivision Package 2A: Track and signals work, grading, drainage, and utility relocations in the Town of Halton Hills (Acton) in support of Kitchener GO service extension."
The RfP for construction of Work Package 4 of the Guelph Subdivision upgrades is scheduled for release 4Q2024 (Oct - Dec 2024):
"Kitchener Line Extension | Guelph Subdivision Package 4: Track and signals work, platform work, grading, drainage, and utility relocations in support of Kitchener GO service extension." Thought to be the tie in of track to the new platform at Guelph Central Station.
I think this corresponds to the new infrastructure needed to support hourly counter peak / off-peak service described by reaperexpress above. Allowing time to award the work and for construction, perhaps we will see hourly service to Kitchener in 2026.
There are other work packages listed for the Kitchener line, including: an island platform at Georgetown Station, removal of the north platform at Mt Pleasant to make room for a 4th track, and construction of a new layover yard between Winston Churchill Boulevard & Heritage Road. It was also noted in a Metrolinx Board Mtg that CN has requested proposals for the design of upgrades to the Halton Subdivision (Georgetown to Bramalea), which may include the grade separated junction located between the Credit River bridge and Winston Churchill Boulevard and additional tracks (3rd track at Brampton Station, 4th track elsewhere). These would support even better service but will take 4 years at least to deliver at the current investment level.
SkylineHorizons
Active Member
But still just 2 west of the station?
Which unfortunately means we're probably looking at about double that/8 years until actual completion when factoring in all the expected delays to come.
nfitz
Superstar
Where's the grade separation going?
urbancog
Active Member
Metrolinx has expropriated parts of these starred land parcels west of Winston Churchill Boulevard (and east of the Credit bridge). It was confirmed in a land tribunal decision that these are for the grade separation.
urbancog
Active Member
A Metrolinx presentation to the City of Brampton included this diagram suggesting that at build-out (4-8 years in the future) there would be 4 tracks - two over the grade separation for GO and two under the separation for CN. The Credit bridge is currently built for 3 tracks, with 2 installed.
The current signal bridges between Mt Pleasant and Georgetown are set up for 3 tracks (with 2 present), and possibly the 3rd track might be installed before the grade separation is built but
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Allandale25
Senior Member
There's also a contract that was awarded to design the third platform at the Brampton Station.
https://www.metrolinx.merx.com/public/solicitations/2446875513/abstract?origin=0
Allandale25
Senior Member
That track plan diagram wasn't in the presentation Metrolinx gave to the City of Brampton. It was in this "Metrolinx has published a set of documents containing the “Initial Business Case” for the GO Transit Regional Express Rail (GO/RER) network." and specifically Appendix A.
GO/RER Details Emerge in Business Case Analysis
Metrolinx has published a set of documents containing the “Initial Business Case” for the GO Transit Regional Express Rail (GO/RER) network. Updated Dec. 13, 2022: Due to a reorganizati…
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