[Allandale25]

GO Transit Service Expansion Details from April 17, 2015 Press Conference in Barrie

From the Globe and Mail's Transportation Reporter, Oliver Moore, who was at the announcement in Barrie:

Barrie:

LSW and Milton (not the complete story for Milton):

Kitchener and Stouffville:

Richmond Hill and LSE:

And this chart from the Star's Tess Kalinowski who was also at the press conference:

Complete service details for Kitchener, Stouffville, Richmond Hill, LSE from Tess:

Finally, complete service details for Barrie, LSW, Milton:

 

[gweed123]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a series of smaller, corridor-related announcements that will give hints as to what Phase II of the RER plan will be. Potential candidates:

1) Adding extra tracks between Bramalea and Mount Pleasant.
2) Adding extra tracks between Aldershot and Confederation.
3) Adding extra tracks on pretty much the entire Milton corridor.
4) Going forward with the already-planned extension to Bowmanville.
5) Adding tracks from Aurora to East Gwillimbury.

Overall, this is a great start, and the timeline is pretty reasonable. It will be interesting to see how this will fit into the SmartTrack/DRTES stuff.

With regards to the Kitchener corridor west of Bramalea, I wonder if they specifically excluded that from the GO RER total because they're going to lump that in with the HSR total? It seems that there's a lot left over in the "outside GTHA" pot, but the GTHA pot is pretty strained. By associating those works with the HSR project, they may be able to use the outside GTHA funds to fund that project, since the driver would be the HSR, with GO RER piggy-backing onto the improvements.

 

[TOareaFan]

From the Globe and Mail's Transportation Reporter, Oliver Moore, who was at the announcement in Barrie:

Complete service details for Kitchener, Stouffville, Richmond Hill, LSE from Tess:

All very exciting....but as an acknowledged cynical KW line commuter....this reads to me as "a little over 5 years ago we promised to increase the number of trains from per day from 16 - 29 by 2015. Now we ask you to wait up to 5 more years....but the number will be much bigger".

 

[crs1026]

The Milton line is excluded due to the large amount of work required to make it happen for the first phase. The stuff that is happening first is the "low hanging fruit", that is, the stuff on corridors Metrolinx already owns that only need an additional track and some wiring.

Milton to get 15 minute electrified RER would require a rail to rail seperation, 2 new tracks, multiple EAs, and a huge amount of bridge expansions, property expropriations, etc. It will come, but it takes longer due to the nature of the corridor.

All very true, but moving Milton to 15 minutes at rush hour without adding trackage is poor economics - each train costs roughly $15M. Unless they turn back and make a second trip, this is a lavish way of adding service. Put $50M into track and there is more capacity than buying more trains.

This is true for all the lines that are being upgraded, Milton is just the most extreme case. The storage yard in Milton is already full at night.

- Paul

 

[salsa]

Oliver Moore @moore_oliver · 1 hr 1 hour ago
GO expansion plan to cost $13.5B. That's a lot for suburban rail. Doesn't leave much for other projects, like DRL. #transit #topoli #onpoli

Oliver Moore @moore_oliver · 1 hr 1 hour ago
There's ~$16.5B in prov money for #transit investment in GTHA. Take RER out of that and all other projects fighting over $3B #topoli #onpoli

Oliver Moore @moore_oliver · 1 hr 1 hour ago
Asked Del Duca where this leaves DRL, rest of Next Wave. Said they'll be able to say more "over the next number of days" #topoli #onpoli

 

[SaugeenJunction]

I absolutely love how advertising about RER now features GO Transit EMUs, signalling what is yet to come. Very European. Very futuristic.

 

[TOareaFan]

before we get too excited....it is very easy to put together a graphic with a promise....it is, as we have learned, much harder to deliver.

 

[nfitz]

All very exciting....but as an acknowledged cynical KW line commuter....this reads to me as "a little over 5 years ago we promised to increase the number of trains from per day from 16 - 29 by 2015. Now we ask you to wait up to 5 more years....but the number will be much bigger".

5 move years? Doesn't that (fuzzy) photo above show that 18 more weekday trains are added this year (2015-2016) and 6 more next year. So that will be 34 within a year, and 40 within 2 years. Along with 28 weekend trains within 2 years.

Not sure where you are getting the 5 more years bit.

What I want to know though, is when will we start seeing AM trains arriving in Kitchener itself. All I ask for is one!

 

[Allandale25]

I don't get the increase in CN/VIA numbers. Has there been an actual service increase by VIA Rail? Are there more local CN switching trains using the line? It would be interesting to know the source for that number or how it relates to the current VIA timetable.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

before we get too excited....it is very easy to put together a graphic with a promise....it is, as we have learned, much harder to deliver.

On the public transit, especially the GO front, it's safe to say the record of the current government taken as a whole is exemplar. The particulars may vary, but overall one really can't complain much about the audaciousness of their moves so far. I wish the same can be said of the governments which sat on their butt and let the problem get out of hand in the first place.

AoD

 

[ehlow]

Hard to read but to me this seems like the juiciest info:
https://twitter.com/TessKalinowski/status/589057720151461888

It seems to say double-digit off-peak weekday trips added in 2015-2016 on the Kitchener line, then weekend service a year later. I'd assume this is a result of the Georgetown South corridor project finishing? It must push it closer to all-day two way along that part of the Kitchener line (I'd assume within Brampton to Union).

It also shows Barrie & Stouffville getting lots of off-peak service in 2017-2018.

 

[salsa]

5 move years? Doesn't that (fuzzy) photo above show that 18 more weekday trains are added this year (2015-2016) and 6 more next year. So that will be 34 within a year, and 40 within 2 years. Along with 28 weekend trains within 2 years.

Not sure where you are getting the 5 more years bit.

What I want to know though, is when will we start seeing AM trains arriving in Kitchener itself. All I ask for is one!

The best thing about GO improvements is that unlike subway construction, tangible progress will be made year after year towards the ultimate goal.

 

[ehlow]

I absolutely love how advertising about RER now features GO Transit EMUs, signalling what is yet to come. Very European. Very futuristic.

I noticed this too. Even though it's just a graphic it's exciting to see some sort of visual rendering of GO EMUs. They look like double deckers.

 

[TOareaFan]

5 move years? Doesn't that (fuzzy) photo above show that 18 more weekday trains are added this year (2015-2016) and 6 more next year. So that will be 34 within a year, and 40 within 2 years. Along with 28 weekend trains within 2 years.

Not sure where you are getting the 5 more years bit.

What I want to know though, is when will we start seeing AM trains arriving in Kitchener itself. All I ask for is one!

Are we looking at the same fuzzy picture? I see one that adds 4 trips in 3 years and 6 by year 5.

My eyes may be failing me but if their not I am seeing 6 trips by year 5 that means 26 in total and not quite yet at the 29 promised by this year.

EDIT: sorry...my bad...went back and looked....hadn't noticed that the fuzzy chart was broken down into Peak and off peak....will re-look at it.

 

[ehlow]

The best thing about GO improvements is that unlike subway construction, tangible progress will be made year after year towards the ultimate goal.

Totally agree. Incremental improvements every year starting this year making people's lives better or easier is easier for me to be excited about that something that may happen 15 years later.