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- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
unimaginative2
Senior Member
An East Kitchener stop is a good idea, but I think that Breslau is too far east. There really aren't that many people that live in Breslau, and driving there would add several unnecessary minutes to most people's trip, and force some to drive north to Victoria Street to cross the Grand, and then back south again to the rail station in Breslau. A stop around Lackner would be a much better location.
Ira Needles may also be a bit far to the west, though it might be the only place to have enough space for parking. Fischer Hallman might be a better location.
edit: I notice that in the report, they have future traffic levels in the corridor listed as 12 VIA trains per day. Are they seriously looking at doubling their frequency?
Ira Needles may also be a bit far to the west, though it might be the only place to have enough space for parking. Fischer Hallman might be a better location.
edit: I notice that in the report, they have future traffic levels in the corridor listed as 12 VIA trains per day. Are they seriously looking at doubling their frequency?
TOareaFan
Superstar
This is not a shot at the need for service in kw or guelph but you have to shake your head at any PIC (on any topic) that starts with the words
"The study will determine the demand for rail service...."
and ends with a big blue arrow showing service starting in 2011!
Feels like one of those cooking shows where they pretend to bake the cake then pull out of the oven the one they pre-prepared before the show.
"The study will determine the demand for rail service...."
and ends with a big blue arrow showing service starting in 2011!
Feels like one of those cooking shows where they pretend to bake the cake then pull out of the oven the one they pre-prepared before the show.
waterloowarrior
Senior Member
GO plans to acquire more of rail system
Purchases viewed as key part of strategy to improve punctuality, double riders by 2020
December 12, 2008
TESS KALINOWSKI
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
GO Transit could begin buying up train tracks as early as next year as part of a strategy to improve reliability and attract a greater share of the commuter population.
GO now owns only portions of its rail system: a segment around Union Station; the eastern portion of the Lakeshore route; and parts of the Barrie and Stouffville lines.
Most other tracks, including GO's busiest on Lakeshore, are owned and operated by CN and CP, principally as freight corridors. Their aging infrastructure, including signals, has long been blamed for many GO train delays.
"We want to take those corridors and move them up to a higher level of service. The only way you can do that is to manage your own infrastructure," GO chief executive officer Gary McNeil told the Star.
He said the railways are receptive to a deal "as long as they can get certain guarantees (and) we're willing to pay a price."
On-time, friendly service is the cornerstone of a new strategic plan GO's board is expected to approve today. It sets out to align GO's operational vision with the Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan and the province's MoveOntario 2020 funding outline.
GO has already added a vice-president of customer service, with the objective of more than doubling its 170,000 daily ridership by 2020.
"In an ideal world, the best customer service you can provide is where the customer doesn't have to see or talk to anyone at GO Transit. The trains go on time, it's easy to buy your ticket through an automated mode, you're getting information," McNeil said.
But he acknowledged that overcoming public cynicism generated by GO's spotty reliability depends on making the trains run on time.
GO currently pays user fees to operate on CN and CP corridors. It has also chipped in to maintain and modernize those lines, including the four-year project to add a third track on the Lakeshore corridor. But such initiatives only take place at the behest of the railways.
When the third Lakeshore track is ready next fall, McNeil said commuters can expect to see more rush-hour express trains operating, in addition to the three new runs scheduled to start Jan. 5.
It's not clear how much provincially owned GO might have to pay to acquire Toronto track. Eight years ago, it bought 35 kilometres on the Stouffville and Barrie lines for about $14 million, McNeil said.
But the going rate on Lakeshore, for example, could be higher, he said. "When we sit down with the railways, we'll talk about: How do we appraise the value of the property in the corridor? (And) the infrastructure that's in that property – a lot of which we've actually paid for? There's a long, drawn-out process."
Riders shouldn't expect a huge improvement in on-time performance in the period to 2020 covered by the strategic plan.
It sets an objective of 92 per cent of trains arriving within five minutes of schedule, compared to 89 per cent achieved in October.
TORONTO STAR FILE
A GO train passes cars on the Don Valley Expressway in this file image.
GOALS TO MEET
GO's objectives
By 2010:
• Off-peak service on the Lakeshore line will increase from hourly to every 30 minutes
By 2016:
• 100 per cent accessible rail and bus service
By 2020:
• Two-way, all-day service within GO's core operating area
• Half-hour core service in off-peak periods and 15-minute service during the rush
• Rush-hour service on lines currently not in use, including Bolton, Seaton, east Markham and Yonge/Summerhill
• New rail or bus service to Kitchener/Waterloo, Guelph, Peterborough, Niagara area
• Enough capacity to seat 95 per cent of customers at all times
• Use of alternative fuels and technologies, including electric or dual-mode locomotives
Purchases viewed as key part of strategy to improve punctuality, double riders by 2020
December 12, 2008
TESS KALINOWSKI
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
GO Transit could begin buying up train tracks as early as next year as part of a strategy to improve reliability and attract a greater share of the commuter population.
GO now owns only portions of its rail system: a segment around Union Station; the eastern portion of the Lakeshore route; and parts of the Barrie and Stouffville lines.
Most other tracks, including GO's busiest on Lakeshore, are owned and operated by CN and CP, principally as freight corridors. Their aging infrastructure, including signals, has long been blamed for many GO train delays.
"We want to take those corridors and move them up to a higher level of service. The only way you can do that is to manage your own infrastructure," GO chief executive officer Gary McNeil told the Star.
He said the railways are receptive to a deal "as long as they can get certain guarantees (and) we're willing to pay a price."
On-time, friendly service is the cornerstone of a new strategic plan GO's board is expected to approve today. It sets out to align GO's operational vision with the Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan and the province's MoveOntario 2020 funding outline.
GO has already added a vice-president of customer service, with the objective of more than doubling its 170,000 daily ridership by 2020.
"In an ideal world, the best customer service you can provide is where the customer doesn't have to see or talk to anyone at GO Transit. The trains go on time, it's easy to buy your ticket through an automated mode, you're getting information," McNeil said.
But he acknowledged that overcoming public cynicism generated by GO's spotty reliability depends on making the trains run on time.
GO currently pays user fees to operate on CN and CP corridors. It has also chipped in to maintain and modernize those lines, including the four-year project to add a third track on the Lakeshore corridor. But such initiatives only take place at the behest of the railways.
When the third Lakeshore track is ready next fall, McNeil said commuters can expect to see more rush-hour express trains operating, in addition to the three new runs scheduled to start Jan. 5.
It's not clear how much provincially owned GO might have to pay to acquire Toronto track. Eight years ago, it bought 35 kilometres on the Stouffville and Barrie lines for about $14 million, McNeil said.
But the going rate on Lakeshore, for example, could be higher, he said. "When we sit down with the railways, we'll talk about: How do we appraise the value of the property in the corridor? (And) the infrastructure that's in that property – a lot of which we've actually paid for? There's a long, drawn-out process."
Riders shouldn't expect a huge improvement in on-time performance in the period to 2020 covered by the strategic plan.
It sets an objective of 92 per cent of trains arriving within five minutes of schedule, compared to 89 per cent achieved in October.
TORONTO STAR FILE
A GO train passes cars on the Don Valley Expressway in this file image.
GOALS TO MEET
GO's objectives
By 2010:
• Off-peak service on the Lakeshore line will increase from hourly to every 30 minutes
By 2016:
• 100 per cent accessible rail and bus service
By 2020:
• Two-way, all-day service within GO's core operating area
• Half-hour core service in off-peak periods and 15-minute service during the rush
• Rush-hour service on lines currently not in use, including Bolton, Seaton, east Markham and Yonge/Summerhill
• New rail or bus service to Kitchener/Waterloo, Guelph, Peterborough, Niagara area
• Enough capacity to seat 95 per cent of customers at all times
• Use of alternative fuels and technologies, including electric or dual-mode locomotives
DavidH
Senior Member
Details on the plan are available from the detailed document at:
http://www.gotransit.com/PUBLIC/en/news/GO2020%20Plan-IndvPages-HiRes.pdf
Be warned that this is a 60MB download; there are lots of pretty pictures.
unimaginative2
Senior Member
GO buying some of the rail lines is fantastic news. This is long overdue, and I was very worried that they were going to pour millions into upgrading the infrastructure without obtaining control of the dispatching. I certainly hope that the government will receive credit on the purchase price for the millions it has invested in CN and CP's infrastructure.
Dan416
Senior Member
Well this quote leads me to believe that GO knows they spent money on these improvements: "When we sit down with the railways, we'll talk about: How do we appraise the value of the property in the corridor? (And) the infrastructure that's in that property – a lot of which we've actually paid for? There's a long, drawn-out process."
My line of thinking is that: if GO paid for it, it should own it.
TOareaFan
Superstar
It is sorta like making improvements to a house that you rent. If you did not negotiate ownership of them before hand you should not expect to get credit for them when it comes time to buying the house!
Dan416
Senior Member
Except this is millions of dollars, and everyone knows it's GO spending this money, not the railways. It's stupid that GO doesn't own what it builds.
ShonTron
Moderator
Details on the plan are available from the detailed document at:
http://www.gotransit.com/PUBLIC/en/news/GO2020%20Plan-IndvPages-HiRes.pdf
Be warned that this is a 60MB download; there are lots of pretty pictures.
A short summary is here, courtesy of Steve Munro: http://stevemunro.ca/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/go2020plansummary.pdf
The juicy details are on page 5. Basically, all-day, 7 day service would be every half hour on all existing routes (entire Lakeshore Corridor Hamilton-Oshawa; to Meadowvale, Mt. Pleasant, Barrie, Richmond Hill, Mount Joy).
Lakeshore and possibly Georgetown lines to be electrified. Peak service extensions to Bowmanville, Guelph, Uxbridge, Aurora Road/404. New lines on Crosstown-Seaton and Bolton corridors. Peak trains at 20 minute minimum on the existing corridors.
Last edited:
RedRocket191
Senior Member
Although, Steve's take on it seems to be that GO 2020 is an alternative proposal to the Metrolinx RTP. I don't really see it that way, but there are some timeline and cash-flow differences.
DavidH
Senior Member
Dan416
Senior Member
Personally I think GO knows its own market better than Metrolinx ever will.
RedRocket191
Senior Member
Everybody knows it's own market better - this is true. But I still think we need a larger agency to pull together the parts into a whole.
catcher_of_cats
Active Member
Metrolinx to fast-track airport link
GO Transit relinquishes control of transit project
Dec 16, 2008 04:30 AM
Be the first to comment on this article...
Iain Marlow
STAFF REPORTER
Metrolinx is taking control of the proposed rail link between Union Station and Pearson International Airport, removing the controversial project from GO Transit's jurisdiction.
The project has been stalled for years, stuck between downtown policy planners and opposition from Weston residents on the Georgetown GO line, who would see increased rail traffic that they fear would split the neighbourhood.
"We're going to be meeting with the communities all along the corridor and we're going to be looking at the preliminary studies that have been done on the previous project, so we will not be starting from scratch," said Colleen Bell, Metrolinx's manager of community relations.
Ontario's Ministry of Transportation ordered the move.
It permits Metrolinx – the provincial agency charged with integrating regional transportation – to utilize a faster environmental assessment process designed for transit projects.
A "Transit Environmental Assessment" would begin next spring and take six months – much less than the original process.
But Mike Sullivan, chair of the Weston Community Coalition, a group founded to oppose the project, still has reservations.
He said Metrolinx should use electric trains instead of diesel, bury the tracks in tunnels through residential neighbourhoods, and make local stops instead of running express to the airport.
GO Transit relinquishes control of transit project
Dec 16, 2008 04:30 AM
Be the first to comment on this article...
Iain Marlow
STAFF REPORTER
Metrolinx is taking control of the proposed rail link between Union Station and Pearson International Airport, removing the controversial project from GO Transit's jurisdiction.
The project has been stalled for years, stuck between downtown policy planners and opposition from Weston residents on the Georgetown GO line, who would see increased rail traffic that they fear would split the neighbourhood.
"We're going to be meeting with the communities all along the corridor and we're going to be looking at the preliminary studies that have been done on the previous project, so we will not be starting from scratch," said Colleen Bell, Metrolinx's manager of community relations.
Ontario's Ministry of Transportation ordered the move.
It permits Metrolinx – the provincial agency charged with integrating regional transportation – to utilize a faster environmental assessment process designed for transit projects.
A "Transit Environmental Assessment" would begin next spring and take six months – much less than the original process.
But Mike Sullivan, chair of the Weston Community Coalition, a group founded to oppose the project, still has reservations.
He said Metrolinx should use electric trains instead of diesel, bury the tracks in tunnels through residential neighbourhoods, and make local stops instead of running express to the airport.