[micheal_can]

I'm not sure which five you're referring to, but Bloor and Mt Dennis will have higher order transit connections. Liberty Village and St Clair will have awkward connections to streetcar lines, if that counts. Weston and Etobicoke North connect to buses (barely).

Currently it is Union - Weston - YYZ. Mount Denis will be added. Then adding Liberty Village. There is 5 stations. Adding St Clair to it might be good as well.

How would those connections be awkward? Why can't they be improved?

 

[torontocolin]

You've missed Bloor in there, so that would be six.

The streetcar connections from the GO stations will be awkward because they're street level connections. You cannot have streetcar stops in the middle of the underpass beneath the GO lines, so customers who are transferring will have to walk to the nearest stop. At St Clair, that means a 200 m walk uphill to either Keele or Old Weston, after already walking to the southernmost end of the platform. At King-Liberty, the situation is slightly better, but still not as ideal as a grade-separated, weather protected connection as will be at Bloor or Mount Dennis. They're more like the current connection at Bloor.

And Weston has no higher order transit connections. Just buses that you can access by walking across the GO parking lots.

 

[Streety McCarface]

It is essential that GO makes TTC-like transfers from heavy rail to other means available for their services or RER will fail since they are less convenient than the existing services.

 

[torontocolin]

I think it's important that they find ways to make the transfers as easy and convenient as possible, but there will be plenty of instances where it's just not possible with the infrastructure we have. They can build the tunnel from Bloor to Dundas West, for example, but they can't move Danforth station further north, or make King-Liberty fit where it won't fit. They could spend millions widening the St Clair underpass to make it wide enough to not only add a lane of traffic, but also a streetcar platform, but that would likely not be a good use of money.

Some stations will be like Kipling, Kennedy, or Downsview, but some will be like Danforth/Main (or like the existing Spadina TTC station, which we live with).

 

[Streety McCarface]

I think it's important that they find ways to make the transfers as easy and convenient as possible, but there will be plenty of instances where it's just not possible with the infrastructure we have. They can build the tunnel from Bloor to Dundas West, for example, but they can't move Danforth station further north, or make King-Liberty fit where it won't fit. They could spend millions widening the St Clair underpass to make it wide enough to not only add a lane of traffic, but also a streetcar platform, but that would likely not be a good use of money.

Some stations will be like Kipling, Kennedy, or Downsview, but some will be like Danforth/Main (or like the existing Spadina TTC station, which we live with).

Oh, there's no doubt about that, however, there are instances where stations can be moved closer together (oriole/Leslie). The issue I was mainly referring to was of bus connections to stations not near the subway (ie Weston Station, it could easily do with a small bus loop and significantly increase ridership of the station.

 

[dowlingm]

One thing to note about Oriole is that the track at Leslie Station is curved, which isn't a big deal, but may have been the deal breaker.

And yet West Harbour GO seems to have a decent sized kink in the platform...

 

[mdrejhon]

And yet West Harbour GO seems to have a decent sized kink in the platform...

Platform 27 at Union too.

GO will adapt stations to small gentle curves when unavoidable. There are limits but tradeoffs are sometimes acceptable (e.g. mere existence of a platform becoming possible!)

 

[innsertnamehere]

Newmarket GO has a gigantic curve on it.

 

[Leo_Chan]

Newmarket GO has a gigantic curve on it.

That might be why Metrolinx isn't focusing on that station (no double platform nor Viva Rapidway station integration), and instead focusing on East Gwillimbury and Mulock.

 

[TransitBart]

I just took the 14:45 train. 75% of the seats on a three-car consist were full from Union. Balls to posters about half-empty trains.

 

[rankman]

I just took the 14:45 train. 75% of the seats on a three-car consist were full from Union. Balls to posters about half-empty trains.

This should no longer be a surprise. I spoke with a customer rep on my last UPX ride back in March (at the same time in the afternoon) and he said this is the normal time for increased ridership as a lot of flights depart in the late afternoon.

I wish passengers would use the luggage racks and stop hogging seats with their luggage and backpacks, though.

 

[TransitBart]

This should no longer be a surprise. I spoke with a customer rep on my last UPX ride back in March (at the same time in the afternoon) and he said this is the normal time for increased ridership as a lot of flights depart in the late afternoon.

I wish passengers would use the luggage racks and stop hogging seats with their luggage and backpacks, though.

To be clear, the seats were full of people, not bags.

 

[felix123]

I just took the 14:45 train. 75% of the seats on a three-car consist were full from Union. Balls to posters about half-empty trains.

Standing room only when I boarded a 2-car consist at Bloor shortly after 15:30 last Thursday. 8-9 passengers alighted at Weston. On the way back from YYZ 2 hours later on a 3 car, again, standing room only for a small handful of passengers.

 

[W. K. Lis]

3-car trains should become the standard.

How many years before they think about going with 4-car (or more) trains?

 

[rbt]

How many years before they think about going with 4-car (or more) trains?

I expect the service will be phased out before that happens; replaced by a people mover extension and the Malton stop.

7 to 10 minute frequencies is a far more interesting question. IIRC, it's just a rolling stock order rather than station/track modifications.