[dunkalunk]

I think there would be a security concern if the station were open, but there was noone there to watch it, particularly in a historic structure.

 

[dowlingm]

And maybe we can finally see a morning departure out of Toronto to Kitchener ...

+ freakin' 1, and a departure somewhere in the 1700-1830 area. Instead the VIA "train schedule" lookup (not the reservations engine) is mysteriously claiming 85 (1055 ex Union) and 88 (2115 ex Kitchener) won't exist in November - I think someone went a little crazy when keying the October 25 cuts (trains 89/86) into the system.

 

[dowlingm]

Not sure I see there being staff at the station a big deal or not. You just need the proper machines and information screens these days.

I would think the stations from Kitchener east should remain staffed, both to assist customers in difficulty and to provide local information. The problem with the bean counters is that they rarely care about the perception that trains are becoming large buses and stations merely another sort of bus stop rather than something to which you can add value.

 

[DavidJamesTO]

Is the gender important?

Huh?

 

[Dan416]

Huh?

He was cracking a little joke.

I don't think he actually thinks the term "manned" is sexist. It would be awkward to say "humanned" or "personned".

 

[nfitz]

He was cracking a little joke.

I don't think he actually thinks the term "manned" is sexist. It would be awkward to say "humanned" or "personned".

I very much think the use of that term is sexist! The commonly used word is "staffed".

While I'm not surprised that the word would slip in occasionally, I am surprised that one would need to explain it.

 

[royalrivers]

Work shall be completed by Friday, May 2, 2014 so it'll be awhile before that slowdown between Georgetown and where tracks split will be gone.

Here is the rest of the tender:

http://www.merx.com/English/SUPPLIE...ORT=0&IS_SME=N&hcode=6OhhyP8QPlDeLWpcKycgZQ==

 

[doady]

He was cracking a little joke.

I don't think he actually thinks the term "manned" is sexist. It would be awkward to say "humanned" or "personned".

Technically, the words "man" and "manned" are actually gender-neutral terms. The gender-specific term would probably be something like "wereman," so it would only truly be sexist if he said "weremanned stations." Though one might argue that the fact that "man" has become synonymous with "wereman" in colloquial speech is itself an example of sexism, but that's another story.

 

[Wrenkin]

Technically, the words "man" and "manned" are actually gender-neutral terms. The gender-specific term would probably be something like "wereman," so it would only truly be sexist if he said "weremanned stations." Though one might argue that the fact that "man" has become synonymous with "wereman" in colloquial speech is itself an example of sexism, but that's another story.

If by colloquial speech you mean "The English Language" as opposed to "Old English" then yes. But it's pretty much the same story.

 

[CDL.TO]

Even more GO Train service for Scotiabank Nuit Blanche

TORONTO, Sept. 17, 2012 /CNW/ - GO Transit is running extra GO Train service in support of Toronto's Scotiabank Nuit Blanche on September 29. Those living along the Lakeshore, Milton, Kitchener, Barrie and Richmond Hill GO lines can ride trains to and from the annual contemporary art event.

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche begins on Saturday, September 29 at sundown and lasts until sunrise the following morning. In the spirit of the all-night art celebration, two homebound trains will run along the Lakeshore GO lines in the early hours of Sunday, September 30.

The Milton, Kitchener, Barrie and Richmond Hill GO lines will each have a train traveling into Toronto in the early evening of Saturday, September 29, returning homebound in the early hours of September 30.

Day and group passes purchased on September 29 will be valid for use on the extra train trips; regular service will operate as scheduled.

GO's special event service helps everyone from moving cars off the road to helping the environment to supporting local community events.

For more information on GO Transit services, the public can call 416.869.3200, 1.888.GET ON GO (438.6646), 1.800.387.3652 TTY, or visit gotransit.com.

 

[Jonny5]

Power Supply for passengers

One thing that makes a long trip on a GO train much nicer is getting in one of the cars with power outlets on the walls. I usually carry around the charge cable for my phone and it's nice to know I can use it for more power-intensive things, like streaming TV or videos and not have to worry about running out of battery. However it looks like this was only included on a few older cars that were renovated several years ago. The new 2700 series don't seem to have them at all, unless they are hiding them somewhere I can't find them. Is there a technical/mechanical reason they chose to stop having this feature or did they just not bother asking Bombardier to include it in the new cars?

 

[vegeta_skyline]

HEP (Head End Power) is limited. The generator produces between 400-800 kW as specified on the MPI webpage: http://www.motivepower-wabtec.com/locomotives/commuter/mpxpress.php

While the current diesel engine/generator is more than sufficient to provide for the load requirements of a 12 coach consist, at 14 coaches it would be nearing its limits under heavy load conditions(caused either by high AC usage as each coach has 2 1-ton units, or large heating requirements) without any power plugs. This usually occurs when the doors are kept open for several minutes at Union station or any outpost station. Adding plugs on every coach would lead to a huge power drain which might overload the generator even with 12 coaches during extreme hot or cold conditions. In the end, while it would certainly be very convenient, its simply more important to keep people cool or warm.

There's also the increased fuel costs to provide the additional power, which would ultimately be passed on to either the ridership or taxpayers. The only place where you might find them in the future is on the ARL or on an electrified line since then the maximum capacity issues would be a non-factor with a direct connection to the power grid.

 

[ShonTron]

It's interesting that the antiquated, doomed Northlander offers wi-fi and plug-ins all over the place. VIA has plug-ins but only in Business Class, but wi-fi throughout the coach.

GO experimented with AC outlets, what happened to that? The mini-tables I could see not lasting (as it makes it even harder to get out of the knee-crunching quads), but I would have thought that might have caught on.

 

[smallspy]

It's interesting that the antiquated, doomed Northlander offers wi-fi and plug-ins all over the place. VIA has plug-ins but only in Business Class, but wi-fi throughout the coach.

GO experimented with AC outlets, what happened to that? The mini-tables I could see not lasting (as it makes it even harder to get out of the knee-crunching quads), but I would have thought that might have caught on.

All VIA's corridor cars have outlets at every seat. The only ones that don't are the HEP1 cars used in long-distance service, and even they have two at each end for the cleaners.

Going back to GO, the reason why most cars don't is exactly as as vegeta_skyline wrote. The nominal power draw of a BiLevel is about 45kW before you take into consideration the additional power draw of heating or A/C. A 12 car train at the height of the summer draws about 750kW of the ~800kW put out by an MP40, meaning that after losses there isn't much left for things like outlets.

To be honest, I'm a little surprised that GO hasn't looked at methods of reducing the power draw of the cars - LED lighting as a starter seems like a no-brainer to me.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[M II A II R II K]

Maybe when they electrify GO it would be more likely to provide electricity for customers.