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+--- Thread: GO Transit (/showthread.php?tid=12)
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RE: GO Transit - neonjoe - 10-16-2025
(10-16-2025, 04:51 PM)ac3r Wrote: Does anyone know what they anticipate the schedule to be like? Hopefully it isn't like...2 trips a day to start.
It’s 4 new trains all weekend. The people on Urban Toronto are suggesting it’s just one train in and out each day.
RE: GO Transit - taylortbb - 10-16-2025
There's a claim on Reddit that departures will be 7:49am and 3:49pm towards Toronto and 4:48pm and 10:48pm towards Kitchener. I think that's generally consistent with how Metrolinx counts, four weekend trips meaning two round-trips per day.
RE: GO Transit - KevinL - 10-16-2025
A Reddit comment claims insider knowledge of the planned times:
Quote:7:49am and 3:49pm towards Toronto and 4:48pm and 10:48pm towards Kitchener.
RE: GO Transit - westwardloo - 10-17-2025
(10-16-2025, 07:53 PM)taylortbb Wrote: There's a claim on Reddit that departures will be 7:49am and 3:49pm towards Toronto and 4:48pm and 10:48pm towards Kitchener. I think that's generally consistent with how Metrolinx counts, four weekend trips meaning two round-trips per day.
That is kind of a disappointment, I was thinking it was 4 round trips per day. These times are not the most convenient times. Basically confirms you can not use GO trains for concerts. Still something is better than nothing. With 40km of dedicated track beside the CN track we could easily see 2-way all day by 2030. about a decade late in my opinion, but again I am happy to see expanded service being talked about finally after a decade of the Conservative Government ignoring our Region.
RE: GO Transit - MidTowner - 10-17-2025
Realistically the big market will be students. I don't know when they're likely to travel (the buses just seem busy to me all the time), but Metrolinx probably chose this carefully based on bus ridership data.
This wouldn't allow for a day trip to KW from Toronto, sadly, but it would allow a reasonable day trip the other way- get into Toronto at 9:30, stay for about seven hours and head back 4:48.
RE: GO Transit - danbrotherston - 10-17-2025
(10-17-2025, 12:48 PM)MidTowner Wrote: Realistically the big market will be students. I don't know when they're likely to travel (the buses just seem busy to me all the time), but Metrolinx probably chose this carefully based on bus ridership data.
This wouldn't allow for a day trip to KW from Toronto, sadly, but it would allow a reasonable day trip the other way- get into Toronto at 9:30, stay for about seven hours and head back 4:48.
I am quite sure that ridership data was only one of many considerations (and not the highest, cost probably being the highest).
RE: GO Transit - MidTowner - 10-17-2025
(10-17-2025, 02:02 PM)danbrotherston Wrote:(10-17-2025, 12:48 PM)MidTowner Wrote: Realistically the big market will be students. I don't know when they're likely to travel (the buses just seem busy to me all the time), but Metrolinx probably chose this carefully based on bus ridership data.
This wouldn't allow for a day trip to KW from Toronto, sadly, but it would allow a reasonable day trip the other way- get into Toronto at 9:30, stay for about seven hours and head back 4:48.
I am quite sure that ridership data was only one of many considerations (and not the highest, cost probably being the highest).
Sure, okay, based in part on bus ridership data.
They do care about cost recovery. Which is influenced by ridership and revenue, but of course also cost.
RE: GO Transit - ac3r - 10-17-2025
Ah well that's utterly useless unless you plan to spend a whole day there.
RE: GO Transit - nms - 10-18-2025
I expect that the added weekend trips were limited by the spots available due to VIA traffic, and CN weekend traffic. Similarly. any train that travels west of Georgetown and back is potentially disrupting the other travel slots east of Georgetown as it tries to slot back in.
Should VIA adjust their schedule (or possible drop their northern line service altogether), or improvements allow CN and GO trains to travel simultaneously in the corridor, more trains will likely be added.
RE: GO Transit - danbrotherston - 10-18-2025
(10-18-2025, 08:25 AM)nms Wrote: I expect that the added weekend trips were limited by the spots available due to VIA traffic, and CN weekend traffic. Similarly. any train that travels west of Georgetown and back is potentially disrupting the other travel slots east of Georgetown as it tries to slot back in.
Should VIA adjust their schedule (or possible drop their northern line service altogether), or improvements allow CN and GO trains to travel simultaneously in the corridor, more trains will likely be added.
What is Via's schedule these days? Are they still running only one train each way?
Bah...what does it matter, Via' is working so hard to make it unpleasant to use their service it's barely worth considering.
RE: GO Transit - dtkvictim - 10-18-2025
(10-18-2025, 11:03 AM)danbrotherston Wrote:(10-18-2025, 08:25 AM)nms Wrote: I expect that the added weekend trips were limited by the spots available due to VIA traffic, and CN weekend traffic. Similarly. any train that travels west of Georgetown and back is potentially disrupting the other travel slots east of Georgetown as it tries to slot back in.
Should VIA adjust their schedule (or possible drop their northern line service altogether), or improvements allow CN and GO trains to travel simultaneously in the corridor, more trains will likely be added.
What is Via's schedule these days? Are they still running only one train each way?
Bah...what does it matter, Via' is working so hard to make it unpleasant to use their service it's barely worth considering.
Yes, noon to Toronto and roughly 5:30pm back to Kitchener. Neither of the Toronto bound GO trains line up well with the schedules for VIA trains continuing east to Ottawa or Montreal. Plus at least taking VIA rail for both legs of the trip allows them to delay the connection when 2 hours behind schedule... No need to make an already painful trip even worse (or even impossible with a pet if you now have a 6+ hour layover).
Speaking of unpleasant, recently a VIA employee at the Kitchener station took it upon herself to have everyone stand up in lines based on our car # in the cramped room 20 minutes before departure to pre-scan everyone's tickets. So we're all just standing there for 20 minutes for no reason instead of using the seating...
RE: GO Transit - dtkvictim - 10-18-2025
Also not entirely a GO problem, but the situation at the train station when a GO train lets out can't be sustainable. It's gotta be the single most unpleasant and depressing place to be in the region. The new light has enabled pedestrians to cross more easily, but ironically might have still made the situation more dangerous. Go watch it for 20 minutes after a GO train arrival and you'll see: blatant red light running, 20-30 near collisions, constant honking, violently angry drivers, completely shameless drivers forcing their way across oncoming lanes, gridlock, every single businesses parking spaces filling up with non customers (spoke with a couple of them about this). Literally had a car driving on the sidewalk and refusing to make eye contact with me a few days ago.
I bet aligning the station exit with Water St to form a single signalized intersection would be a big improvement, but would also mean a significantly longer pedestrian crossing. Closing vehicle access to Water St from Victoria St and instead forcing vehicles to turn at Weber St could also help.
Hopefully this is tackled proactively at the new station, because I can see it being even worse there.
RE: GO Transit - danbrotherston - 10-18-2025
(10-18-2025, 01:49 PM)dtkvictim Wrote:(10-18-2025, 11:03 AM)danbrotherston Wrote: What is Via's schedule these days? Are they still running only one train each way?
Bah...what does it matter, Via' is working so hard to make it unpleasant to use their service it's barely worth considering.
Yes, noon to Toronto and roughly 5:30pm back to Kitchener. Neither of the Toronto bound GO trains line up well with the schedules for VIA trains continuing east to Ottawa or Montreal. Plus at least taking VIA rail for both legs of the trip allows them to delay the connection when 2 hours behind schedule... No need to make an already painful trip even worse (or even impossible with a pet if you now have a 6+ hour layover).
Speaking of unpleasant, recently a VIA employee at the Kitchener station took it upon herself to have everyone stand up in lines based on our car # in the cramped room 20 minutes before departure to pre-scan everyone's tickets. So we're all just standing there for 20 minutes for no reason instead of using the seating...
And why would they, while I think ridership was considered at a low priority in the decision of what timetable to run...I guarantee you that Via rail connections were not considered at all.
---
Lol...of course they are...honestly it's really just crazy how bad Via is at running their service.
Like, sure they have no money, they don't own the tracks, the fact that the service is delayed and infrequent they don't really control...but the parts they DO control, they're no better. I hate to say it, but I think Amtrack is less bad than Via...
RE: GO Transit - danbrotherston - 10-18-2025
(10-18-2025, 02:14 PM)dtkvictim Wrote: Also not entirely a GO problem, but the situation at the train station when a GO train lets out can't be sustainable. It's gotta be the single most unpleasant and depressing place to be in the region. The new light has enabled pedestrians to cross more easily, but ironically might have still made the situation more dangerous. Go watch it for 20 minutes after a GO train arrival and you'll see: blatant red light running, 20-30 near collisions, constant honking, violently angry drivers, completely shameless drivers forcing their way across oncoming lanes, gridlock, every single businesses parking spaces filling up with non customers (spoke with a couple of them about this). Literally had a car driving on the sidewalk and refusing to make eye contact with me a few days ago.
I bet aligning the station exit with Water St to form a single signalized intersection would be a big improvement, but would also mean a significantly longer pedestrian crossing. Closing vehicle access to Water St from Victoria St and instead forcing vehicles to turn at Weber St could also help.
Hopefully this is tackled proactively at the new station, because I can see it being even worse there.
Oh...is this traffic leaving the Via station?
I'll be honest, I've never driven to the station before, I've only arrived on foot, which is a garbage situation (although probably better than it was, last time I did it I had to climb over a metal guard rail and slide down a hill to get to Weber St.
As for parking...yeah, they don't do a good job of letting anyone know about the GO parking lot on Victoria St. I don't even know where it exists, and there was almost no documentation of it before so I don't even know where I'd check. And yes, any sane traffic planner would close Victoria and Water (and Victoria and Ahrens), unfortunately we don't have those in North America.
Part of the problem is that they planned to close this station years ago. I mean, I don't really believe they'd do much better with the new station...it is the same planning process that brought you this mess, but at the end of the day, they really just don't want to spend money on a dead station. Of course that would have made sense if the new station had actually been built.
Ugh...I'm gonna rent a fucking car this winter...I'm so sick of this bullshit.
RE: GO Transit - Momo26 - 10-18-2025
Okay so it's BTN, but barely. 2 round trips only and if ridership isn't there, I could see them scrapping it. I know there is talk of two way all day... funny thing is we dont necessarily need 2 way all day, we need PLENTIFUL options throughout the day. Although there is a lot of 401 traffic into Waterloo region in the weekday mornings so I'm sure it would be worth while.
Shit though they should do something like a 9am, 10 30am, 12noon and 2pm to Union and 3 30pm, 5 30pm, 7 30pm, 9 30pm and midnight to KIT.
Alas, as many mentioned, still a major parking clusterfuck.
We need lots where your GO ticket for that day validates the parking, within 10min walk to station and a family day pass that is competitively priced relative to gas+parking equivalent.