[Northern Light]

Here's my annual summary of Canadian commuter rail service:

Improvements since January 2020 in green, deteriorations in red. Lines continue to be ordered by 2019 weekday frequency.
View attachment 291196

Full writeup:
https://ontariotrafficman.wordpress.com/2020/12/27/canadian-commuter-rail-summary-2020/

Even when the info is disappointing, its always insightful.

Many thanks for your efforts!

 

[ShonTron]

As of January 2021, the Exo Deux Montanges will not operate on any of its route, for RTM conversion. There will be bus replacement service until the north/west RTM branches open in 2023-2024.

I was really pleased with my decision to ride the entirety of the Mascouche Line in February while it was still running in the tunnel. My friend and I even got to stand in the cab on the return trip for a bit.

 

[anb]

I really wish the kitchener line would just start their weekend train service already. The setup they have for the train buses feel terrible. One station i do feel bad for is the passengers that have Etobicoke North as their primary station. At least with most Toronto go stations, there is at least one or two corridors of any priority ttc variant serving nearby, while EN only has the kipling corridor (mostly just the 45 bus). It gets absolutely no go service (not even UP service for obvious reasons) during the weekends, thus making it a complete deadzone

As for the rest of the stations, malton and bramalea needs better weekend service. If there is still no weekend train service, but they extended that branch to downtown brampton, that would honestly work out a whole lot better tbh. They could try pushing every hour or at least 90 minutes going to guelph, while every 30-45 minutes going to georgetown depending on the guelph branch. Oh and of course, having the 30 bus running on weekends or make a new route that has a weekend like service to KW, preferably through Guelph and on highway 7 to Kitchener, but if that can’t happen then the same route we have for the 30 is just fine. But train service on weekends to bramalea or mount pleasant/georgetown is what i’d be hoping for to happen

 

[Allandale25]

Here's my annual summary of Canadian commuter rail service:

Improvements since January 2020 in green, deteriorations in red.
View attachment 291197

Full writeup:
https://ontariotrafficman.wordpress.com/2020/12/27/canadian-commuter-rail-summary-2020/

A great annual tradition.

 

[robmausser]

I really wish the kitchener line would just start their weekend train service already.

1. Wont happen until this pandemic is over.
2. Won't happen until the 401 tunnel is finished.

 

[Allandale25]

^ and assuming CN agrees to it (they may already have and its not public).

 

[robmausser]

^ and assuming CN agrees to it (they may already have and its not public).

True, I was meaning weekend service at least to Bramalea, maybe Mount Pleasant. The Kitchener Line, not specifically to Kitchener.

 

[Allandale25]

^ Potentially CN needs to agree even to Bramalea since Metrolinx doesn't own the tracks right up to the platforms, even the south one.

 

[robmausser]

^ Potentially CN needs to agree even to Bramalea since Metrolinx doesn't own the tracks right up to the platforms, even the south one.

Ive heard differently again and again here, that MX owns a pocket track into the station.

 

[Allandale25]

^ It may indeed. Here's the only thing I can cite. It's the Railway Association of Canada's Rail Atlas where blue is CN and green is GO's ownership.

 

[crs1026]

^Why ML hasn’t fixed its trackage, I don’t know.... but the way the tracks are connected at Halwest, at present, even use of the Bramalea pocket track creates an interface with CN.

- Paul

 

[reaperexpress]

^Why ML hasn’t fixed its trackage, I don’t know.... but the way the tracks are connected at Halwest, at present, even use of the Bramalea pocket track creates an interface with CN.

- Paul

Well, yes and no.

Yes access to the south platform does interfere with the southernmost main track, but in practice there's not much reason for CN to ever use that track anyway, since it doesn't lead to the York Subdivision, and there are two other tracks to the north which do.

But the track configuration certainly does cause unnecessary conflict between eastbound and westbound GO trains, since there's only one track to the south of the main CN pair. It's quite a frustrating situation considering how Bramalea is a key turnback point for counter-peak service.

Here's a diagram I made a couple years ago showing the existing layout and its primary track users (not necessarily the track owners), as well as the modest change it would take to resolve the conflicts for counter-peak trains.

Here's the 2018 track layout in real life, with tracks highlighted:

 

[ShonTron]

Do you expect that, when GO/CN haven't even fixed the West Harbour track connection to the east?

 

[robmausser]

Do you expect that, when GO/CN haven't even fixed the West Harbour track connection to the east?

Its stuff like this that make me worried about GO RER, cant even build a simple connection track.

 

[Garuda]

Well, yes and no.

Yes access to the south platform does interfere with the southernmost main track, but in practice there's not much reason for CN to ever use that track anyway, since it doesn't lead to the York Subdivision, and there are two other tracks to the north which do.

But the track configuration certainly does cause unnecessary conflict between eastbound and westbound GO trains, since there's only one track to the south of the main CN pair. It's quite a frustrating situation considering how Bramalea is a key turnback point for counter-peak service.

Here's a diagram I made a couple years ago showing the existing layout and its primary track users (not necessarily the track owners), as well as the modest change it would take to resolve the conflicts for counter-peak trains.

Here's the 2018 track layout in real life, with tracks highlighted:
View attachment 291275

I really how we’ll see weekend service on the Kitchener line in 2021. Even if service is to Bramalea it’s a great start.