[micheal_can]

Why not just leave things as is and let the growth happen on it's own. Even every few years, a slight increased fare makes sense.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

Ottawa is getting the same faregate as is being installed on the Toronto subway system, but with an additional QR scanner for single-use tickets.

Interesting as the TTC is planning to just use RFID based single used tickets wouldn't adding a QR code redd to it be in effect as just adding something else to break down?

 

[mdrejhon]

8000 riders a day is a huge accomplishment. And when I ride the 192 it does not look like the UPX has cannibalized the bus ridership either.
That means there are 8000 fewer people in cars/taxis/limos coming downtown.

But now they have to figure out how to minimize the costs (and maximize revenue) without decreasing the quality of the service. Maybe re-configuring the stations to make the platforms a fare paid area (if I recall HK does this) & only doing spot checks on riders. How about eliminating the service counter at Bloor St and having an automatic Presto Card card dispenser?

From Steve Munro's page:

- Comparing perfentage rise/falls for summer/fall/winter (ignoring spring due to fare change) it seems there are seasonal oscillations. Interesting!
- A full week with a true 10,000 avg per day has already been achieved
- A peak of 12,000 has been achieved.

I wonder, if post-electrification it'll achieve breakeven -- by 2025ish

 

[dowlingm]

I would really like to see Weston's numbers.

 

[Contra]

I suppose an alternative option could be offering an express express that makes stops only at Union and Pearson and running a train that stops at Bloor and Weston as well, but less frequently.

 

[Megaton327]

I suppose an alternative option could be offering an express express that makes stops only at Union and Pearson and running a train that stops at Bloor and Weston as well, but less frequently.

That's a great idea. We could call this hypothetical train the Union Pearson Exp...hey, wait a minute!

Joking aside, I'm concerned about the attractiveness of the service once it's stopping at Weston, Mount Dennis, and Bloor. Even if it only pushes the trip time to 30 minutes (I find it's usually about 27 minutes currently, not 25) I think that those 3 stops in close proximity to one another, plus the extremely slow going not only where it splits off towards the airport but that entire stretch from a little past Etobicoke North, will make it feel slow to passengers. I've said this a thousand times but I wish Weston was never made into a UPX station--Bloor and Mt Dennis are reasonable given Lines 2 and 5, but even Mt Dennis will be questionable if the EC West ever gets built to Pearson.

 

[crs1026]

Well, if we called it Leonardo da Vinci Express, it would have alternating express and local trains ;-)

Actually, it's such a short run, and the station stops so brief, that I don't believe the average traveller would perceive the service as a milk run. But yeah, Weston should never have made the list.

My question - do the seasonal highs and lows correlate to ridership volumes at the airport? To convention activity in the downtown? To business travel volumes? To occupancy rates in downtown hotels? I'm hypothesising that families' use is lower (explains why March Break might not show as high demand) and trips involving multiple bags is lower (vacation vs business travel, Xmas travel) because these most tempt people to call a cab or limo.

- Paul

 

[christiesplits]

...I wish Weston was never made into a UPX station--Bloor and Mt Dennis are reasonable given Lines 2 and 5, but even Mt Dennis will be questionable if the EC West ever gets built to Pearson.

I would be terribly disappointed if there is no UPX stop at Mt Dennis, regardless of whether the EC West sees the light of day.

 

[jcam]

I've said this a thousand times but I wish Weston was never made into a UPX station--Bloor and Mt Dennis are reasonable given Lines 2 and 5, but even Mt Dennis will be questionable if the EC West ever gets built to Pearson.

I'm a Weston resident who loves it for my commute, but wouldn't have advocated for it to be a stop based on cost-benefit (didn't live here at the time so didn't have a bias). That said, I'd argue that as soon as Kitchener gets GO RER with 15 minute service, there's no longer a reason to slow down the Pearson-Mount Dennis-Bloor-Union UPX with a Weston stop (majority of local commuters use it for downtown, not the aiport).

But I'll miss my tray table.

 

[APTA-2048]

I'm a Weston resident who loves it for my commute, but wouldn't have advocated for it to be a stop based on cost-benefit (didn't live here at the time so didn't have a bias). That said, I'd argue that as soon as Kitchener gets GO RER with 15 minute service, there's no longer a reason to slow down the Pearson-Mount Dennis-Bloor-Union UPX with a Weston stop (majority of local commuters use it for downtown, not the aiport).

But I'll miss my tray table.

Ideally, I'd like to see UP only stop at Union, Bloor, and Pearson with RER serving people from Mt. Dennis and Weston and an Eglinton Crosstown extension to the airport.

 

[TOareaFan]

I'm a Weston resident who loves it for my commute, but wouldn't have advocated for it to be a stop based on cost-benefit (didn't live here at the time so didn't have a bias). That said, I'd argue that as soon as Kitchener gets GO RER with 15 minute service, there's no longer a reason to slow down the Pearson-Mount Dennis-Bloor-Union UPX with a Weston stop (majority of local commuters use it for downtown, not the aiport).

But I'll miss my tray table.

I was in the camp that it was a temporary stop....built to appease the vocal minority in Weston and to get the project going....once Mt Dennis was open, I thought, we would have ample evidence that Weston was not being used and it could cease being a UP stop and the "2nd" non airport stop would shift to Mt. Dennis.

Now I have used Weston on lots of ocassions and I kinda think it will keep going....for one, it is reasonably close to the 401 so affords us a chance to lure people off the highway to use the various services there....secondly, I think it is a nice piece of rail infrastructure that should be used as much as possible...and thirdly it is the closest point that people travelling to/from west of there can connect from GO trains to UP...the further east you push those people the less likely they are to consider using the GO/UP combo to get to/from the airport.

What does a stop add? 2 minutes? I would prefer they tried to find places to speed up the trains and make that 2 minutes up to keep the Union - Pearson trip time to 25 minutes than getting rid of the Weston stop.

 

[Allandale25]

What does a stop add? 2 minutes? I would prefer they tried to find places to speed up the trains and make that 2 minutes up to keep the Union - Pearson trip time to 25 minutes than getting rid of the Weston stop.

Also, when the line is electrified that'll save even more time I would think.

 

[Megaton327]

Now I have used Weston on lots of ocassions and I kinda think it will keep going....for one, it is reasonably close to the 401 so affords us a chance to lure people off the highway to use the various services there

Does it really take anybody, let alone a significant number of people, off the 401? Isn't the parking lot at Weston tiny and almost always full even in the early morning?

All of this is moot as I can't possibly imagine them ending UPX service at Weston within the next 50 years due to 1) the massive investment undertaken in building the UPX station there, and 2) political backlash from the local councillor and residents. But it would have been nice never to build it in the first place...

 

[TOareaFan]

Does it really take anybody, let alone a significant number of people, off the 401? Isn't the parking lot at Weston tiny and almost always full even in the early morning?

Off peak it is a great place to park and ride....quite popular from observation too.

 

[crs1026]

Judging from the blue jerseys I saw on Sunday, the airport is also a popular spot for out of town sports fans to park and take UPE into the city. Probably price competitive with downtown parking, and much nicer than the grind on the Gardiner and the Spadina ramp.

- Paul