[nfitz]

That some point was before the cuts of 1990. 4 went on to London, while the fifth turned back at Stratford.

Correct. It wasn't Harris, it was Conservative Benoît Bouchard.

 

[TOareaFan]

That some point was before the cuts of 1990. 4 went on to London, while the fifth turned back at Stratford.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

Correct. It wasn't Harris, it was Conservative Benoît Bouchard.

And, today, there are, what, 3 eastbound and 3 return trips per day on Via....but I thought we were talking about GO

 

[nfitz]

And, today, there are, what, 3 eastbound and 3 return trips per day on Via....but I thought we were talking about GO

3 now ... but I think it was only 2 after the cuts ... and one was the more than useless Amtrak train from Chicago, which was often so off-schedule, that you couldn't rely on it. I remember switching from mostly using the train, to mostly using the bus.

The comment had been about Harris-era all-day service to Guelph and Kitchener ... hard to know what we're talking about as historically there was no GO service to Kitchener, and only brief, limited service to GO Guelph. The early 1990s GO Train service to Guelph was cut by the Rae government, 2 years before Harris was elected.

 

[CDL.TO]

To be fair, Tri-Rail is different from GO. It runs a single line down the middle of a linear region, with several mid-size downtowns along its route generating two-way demand, and not focused on any one destination (like Union). Many of the stations are located in, or near, commercial areas which makes it relatively easy to walk to shops, jobs, etc. Much easier than dealing with all the industrial wastelands surrounding the suburban GO stations.

Are you serious? Tri-rail manages to miss the downtowns of every single city it serves. It's a 3km walk from Fort Lauderdale station to the downtown. The line shares its corridor with I-95, including dedicated interchanges for some rail stations. Plenty of the Tri-Rail stations are located in pedestrian-unfriendly suburban wastelands.

That's why Tri-rail, even with all day service, carried only 3.6 million passengers in 2010, the same number as the Stouffville Line.

It's amazing what you can can do when you only have ~20% farebox recovery ratio.

 

[Dan416]

I would put it 3rd on the priority list for Mississauga. The BRT which is being built now is priority #1, then the Hurontario LRT, and then the spur.

If Mississauga pushed for it though, I could see the spur as being much more likely than a B-D extension.

I have to say no one in Mississauga ever talks about a GO spur or diversion to MCC; it's not even on the radar. On the other hand, people are always wondering when the subway will be extended to MCC.

In terms of likelihood of actually happening? Seeing as Mississauga has expressed neither an interest in one or the other, and has expressed interest in the under construction BRT, the Hurontario LRT and the Dundas RT (in that order), I see all those happening long before MCC gets a GO or TTC rail connection.

 

[drum118]

I have to say no one in Mississauga ever talks about a GO spur or diversion to MCC; it's not even on the radar. On the other hand, people are always wondering when the subway will be extended to MCC.

In terms of likelihood of actually happening? Seeing as Mississauga has expressed neither an interest in one or the other, and has expressed interest in the under construction BRT, the Hurontario LRT and the Dundas RT (in that order), I see all those happening long before MCC gets a GO or TTC rail connection.

Other than the boards, you are right on a GO spur. I have raised this a few times with various people both within the City as well Metrolinx, but not in the cards at this time.

There is a push to get the Lakeshore line going to the point the mayor was confused about the line running all the way over to Southdown, until it was pointed out to her it was only going to the east side of Hurontario a few months ago. Can't support it going west.

Since there is a new EA team looking at the Hurontario LRT line, the spur can be put on the table, but it will not happen until Move2020 #3 update comes out. #2 comes out end of the year.

Then there is still the missing $150 Billion to build and operate 75% of the Move2020 plan, as well all these other expansion outside the GTA that were never part of the plan in the first place. This will also include other lines that should be in the plan for every mode of transportation. The current $50 Billion is only a drop in the bucket at this time.

Having the BD or Eglinton LRT line run to MCC will not happen in anyone lifetime now.

 

[Dan416]

Ah yes, I forgot about the Lakeshore LRT.

So we have the BRT under construction now, the Hurontario LRT which is the next priority, and Dundas and Lakeshore LRTs in the long term.

Really the only thing we can count on in Mississauga is more of the same: more traffic.

 

[Jonny5]

CP Rail workers gave the company notice they intend to go on strike starting Wednesday. I presume this means the Milton line will not operate. Does GO have a contingency plan like increasing service on the other west end lines?

 

[drum118]

May 23 Milton and Lakehore Changes

TORONTO, May 21, 2012 /CNW/ - In the event of a Canadian Pacific Rail strike, rail customers along GO Transit's Milton train line and those using Hamilton GO Centre station will be impacted, as there will be no train service on the Milton line and no trains serving Hamilton GO Centre starting Wednesday morning, May 23.

GO Transit has learned that there is the possibility of a strike by Teamsters Canada Rail Conference representing CP Rail train crews and rail traffic controllers. A strike could occur as early as midnight Tuesday.

If a CP Rail strike occurs, there will be no train service on the Milton line as GO Transit's Milton corridor is owned by CP Rail. We encourage Milton train riders to prepare in advance for alternate ways to get to and from work. GO Bus service on the Milton line will not be affected and will continue to operate as normal. Passengers are encouraged to consider using the Lakeshore West or Kitchener train lines as possible travel alternatives.

In the event of a strike, service to Hamilton's train station may also be impacted, as CP Rail oversees the tracks in this area. All four trains originating from the Hamilton GO Centre station will now originate from Aldershot GO Station starting Wednesday morning. GO Bus shuttles will be provided to customers from Hamilton to Aldershot.

All other GO Transit rail corridors will be unaffected by a CP Rail strike.

We are continuing to monitor the situation and will provide updates as soon as new information is available.

Customers should visit gotransit.com for up-to-date information, watch and listen to television and radio news reports and sign-up for our On the GO alerts to receive customized, up-to-the-minute emails about changes to their service.

For further information:
Media enquiries - Vanessa Thomas, (416) 874-5974 , or Malon Edwards, (416) 874-5945

 

[gweed123]

May 23 Milton and Lakehore Changes

Not the kind of service "changes" most of us want to see...

Maybe if the strike goes on a while, Metrolinx can negotiate a deal to still use the tracks. They may even be able to run more service, because there won't be CP freight trains to schedule around.

 

[drum118]

Not the kind of service "changes" most of us want to see...

Maybe if the strike goes on a while, Metrolinx can negotiate a deal to still use the tracks. They may even be able to run more service, because there won't be CP freight trains to schedule around.

Who going to do the dispatching since they will be off line??

 

[dowlingm]

The Union are claiming CP refused an offer to allow AMT service in Montreal to run, presumably something similar was offered here. In any case the claim is CP decided against.

EDIT: By the way Metrolinx - the CN James Street North Station (which is still listed as a 2012 opening under "Quick Wins"). Would be handy if open now rather than three years from now eh?

 

[TOareaFan]

The Union are claiming CP refused an offer to allow AMT service in Montreal to run, presumably something similar was offered here. In any case the claim is CP decided against.

EDIT: By the way Metrolinx - the CN James Street North Station (which is still listed as a 2012 opening under "Quick Wins"). Would be handy if open now rather than three years from now eh?

That is a strange thing for the union to offer. I would have thought it would strengthen their bargaining position if their strike had some public impact.....otherwise it would/could be a strike that would go un-noticed by the general public. Disrupting the lives of a large portion of the public could bring some pressure on the employer to settle.

 

[Voltz]

That is a strange thing for the union to offer. I would have thought it would strengthen their bargaining position if their strike had some public impact.....otherwise it would/could be a strike that would go un-noticed by the general public. Disrupting the lives of a large portion of the public could bring some pressure on the employer to settle.

I Recall the union making the same offer with the Milton GO corridor the last time there was talk of a strike a few years ago.

 

[mpd618]

Disrupting the lives of a large portion of the public could bring some pressure on the employer to settle.

Why would CP care about the public? Metrolinx, on the other hand, will get pressure to buy up all the remaining corridors they don't own.