VIA Rail

[DHLawrence]

Can only do that here if you're going to be on the Lakeshore or Barrie lines. And if you're on the Barrie line you're going to have a long wait if you miss your train.

[kitborn]

I typically drive to Burlington and take the GO train, but that only works if you're going downtown.

Since we live close to two VIA rail lines, Kitchener and Woodstock, we find it more convenient on the Woodstock line because there are more trains.

[DHLawrence]

Same reason I go to Burlington. Far more flexible.

[Canard]

Yeah but, it takes about an hour to drive to Burlington (and then another hour on the train into Union), but it takes about an hour to drive to Toronto. So...

[DHLawrence]

Still worth it to not deal with the Gardiner or finding a parking space.

[Canard]

If you can afford the extra time and money, for sure.

[schooner77]

$10 might be a bit low. Parking in Toronto is ridiculous and the effort to find anything downtown during the week is painful and gas return is more than $10, unless you're driving electric.

[Canard]

The fuel cost for the 200 km return trip is actually less than $10. My lifetime average consumption (over the last 230 000 km) is ~4.5 L/100 km, and in the summer on a hot day on a long trip to TO and back it's usually around 3.7-4.0 L/100 km, depending on wind direction. Parking at our friends' house is free.

[DHLawrence]

If you can afford the extra time and money, for sure.

It'll cost just as much and take just as long to GO bus it. Plus I find the upper deck of the buses makes my ears pop; I don't think they have the windows sealed well.

[rangersfan]

I didn't realize how disconnected the Via station has become from the Weber and Victoria intersection, until using the station tonight. I'm very surprised there is not a path near the intersection to get station.

[DHLawrence]

They probably didn't want to spend the money on a pedestrian connection when they're planning to replace it anyway. A case of the cheap coming out expensive.

[rangersfan]

The pedestrian access to the station is not also very easy to find once you do realize that there is no connection at the corner but need to walk 70 to 80 ft down Victoria, overall bad design.

It's kind of crazy how much bigger the London Via station is compared to the Kitchener location. We can say that the Kitchener one is going to be replaced with the transit hub but the difference between the stations has existed I am pretty sure since at least when I lived in London last 2005.

[DHLawrence]

London also gets way more trains per day, even accounting for a lack of GO service. They're also on the Toronto-Windsor mainline.

[KevinL]

London is the common point for both train routes through the area- there are two branches west (Windsor and Sarnia) and two branches east (both to Toronto, but via Kitchener or Brantford).

[plam]

London is the common point for both train routes through the area- there are two branches west (Windsor and Sarnia) and two branches east (both to Toronto, but via Kitchener or Brantford).

I believe the Brantford train is an express, so it goes Toronto-London in the same time as it takes a train to go Toronto-Kitchener.