GO Transit

Yeah, there's not much going on to the east anyways. The Greater Golden Horseshoe megaplex tends to have a more westbound and northbound orientation of growth anyways.

[urbanfan89]

"The province has some priorities in different parts of the province and different parts of the (GTA)," the MP for Whitby-Oshawa said. "I found over the years that we really had to push the province to look east of Toronto."

Says the guy who was a finance minister in the Tory government and was MPP/is MP for an exurb in the east of the GTA.

[jcollins]

GO studies Guelph-Toronto rail service

Trains could run as often as every 20 minutes during rush hour, GO Transit says

May 13, 2008 09:04 AM
Magda Konieczna
Guelph Mercury

GUELPH-GO rail service could be coming to Guelph.

GO Transit decided last week to start a study of what it would take and how big the customer base would be.

There could eventually be a train every 20 minutes during rush hour - heading to Toronto in the morning and back to Guelph and beyond in the evening - and every hour outside of rush times.

But it would take years to get to that point. For now, GO Transit has hired engineering consultant R.J. Burnside to do an environmental assessment, which could take until early 2009.

GO Transit could initially add two trains from Guelph to Georgetown, where passengers could transfer into the existing GO service, said Greg Ashbee, GO Transit's manager of rail expansion programs.

"It would be very significant" if Guelph got GO service, said Rajan Philips, a transportation planner with the city.

When GO Transit launched rail service to Barrie in December, the service was packed almost right away.

But Guelph is a bit different, Philips said, because we don't have the same proportion of people leaving for work. The bigger trend here is the double-income family with one person working outside Guelph, often heading down Highway 401 to get there, he said.

GO Transit offered rail service to Guelph from 1990 to 1993. It didn't do too well because it didn't offer commuters the option of staying at work later if they needed to, Ashbee said.

"When there were cutbacks, you lop off the ends of the lines, especially in corridors that don't have significant ridership."

It's unclear whether the city would have to pitch in for the service. None of the municipalities serviced by GO Transit pay operating costs, but they help pay for expansions to service. When GO came to Barrie, the city paid a third of the cost for the new station and for track improvements, Ashbee said.

In the meantime, all stripes of politicians seem supportive of the potential for new service.

"There's a huge pent-up demand for commuter rail service to Toronto," said Mayor Karen Farbridge.

"We're playing catch-up on work that didn't happen when it should have," Guelph MPP Liz Sandals said.

"It's something the provincial government should give serious consideration to given our population growth and the increasing number of people making the commute to Toronto," said Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott, who said it can take up to three hours for him to get to the legislature from his home in Fergus.

We better be next for GO service.
If nothing else, if this goes through, KW needs to improve our train/bus service to Guelph to take advantage of this until GO ends up here.

[DHLawrence]

Page A8 of the Guelph Mercury had a notice for an environmental assessment for an extension of the Georgetown Line to Guelph AND to Kitchener.

See here (warning: link opens a PDF).

[waterloowarrior]

^

[DHLawrence]

Committee wants to GO with Palvetzian's expertise

By Ray Martin

Officials from the City of Cambridge will be assisting Waterloo Region's transportation planners put together a case for bringing GO bus and train service to the region.

At Wednesday's economic development advisory committee (EDAC) meeting, planning commissioner Janet Babcock told the meeting that three senior members of city staff will be joining a regional steering committee tackling the issue. Babcock said director of engineering Cathy Robertson, director of policy planning Dan Currie and director of planning operations Jim Kirchin would all be involved.

Craig Bailey, a member of EDAC's Go train subcommittee suggested the region also invite Lee Palvetzian to join the working group.

"I think he would be a real asset," Bailey said. "He has all the information they're looking for."

Babcock said the region is looking for city staff involvement and that opening the committee up with additional representatives might make it "unwieldy".

Committee member David Smart agreed with Bailey.

"He could be a real resource," Smart said. "It would be a benefit to the process to have Lee involved. He is uniquely qualified as he has been fighting for rail service here for more than 20 years."

The committee agreed and are now asking the city to request Palvetzian be included on the committee.

[waterloowarrior]

http://www.city.waterloo.on.ca/Porta...il_Meeting.pdf

p. 434.. GO Transit proposing extension to Kitchener with stops in Guelph and Kitchener... consider various spots for stations including existing VIA Stations.

Longterm Goal is 20 min peak period service, 1 hour off peak including weekends

Completion goal for EA and preliminary design report is March 09

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

http://www.city.waterloo.on.ca/Porta...il_Meeting.pdf

p. 434.. GO Transit proposing extension to Kitchener with stops in Guelph and Kitchener... consider various spots for stations including existing VIA Stations.

Longterm Goal is 20 min peak period service, 1 hour off peak including weekends

Completion goal for EA and preliminary design report is March 09

What's strange is that they want to extend it to Baden for some reason.

[KitchenerBitcher]

Yeah, I can't believe they even talk about extending GO to Baden. It would never be worth their while, as there is likely only 50 or so people from Baden who commute to Toronto or Guelph.

[jcollins]

Maybe they see Baden turning into a bigger development then is happening now with all the new houses out there. They're wrong, but maybe thats what the thinking is.

[waterloowarrior]

If you look at the study area outline, it goes up to New Hamburg.... with the plans that are out there now, New hamburg and Baden are basically going to become become one contiguous town (NewBadenburg).

check out the RGMS (p. 12)

OP Baden
OP New Hamburg
(doesn't include everything in RGMS/ROPP yet)

here's current developments in Baden.




and in New Hamburg




remember that GO doesn't just have to GO to Toronto? People can go to Kitchener (connect to LRT), Guelph, G-Town, or Mississauga as well. Offpeak rail can be an important connection between communities. And why not study it anyway for future implementation?

[metropolis]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

remember that GO doesn't just have to GO to Toronto? People can go to Kitchener (connect to LRT), Guelph, G-Town, or Mississauga as well. Offpeak rail can be an important connection between communities. And why not study it anyway for future implementation?

Exactly, and bear in mind this is simply an environmentla study. This means that GO is after knowing if additional tracks will need to be installed and if so, are there going to be environmental issues such as disturbances of endangered flora or fauna. Its a study that is designed to look at an eventuality not an actual plan of where the trains will actually run.

[mark76]

interesting, when gov`t have to raise a tax or something ,there is no delay ,but when this stuff comes up ,EA study ,this and that,etc.

I might be a bit sour ,but just count how many cars during rush hour are on highway 7 ,8 and 401.who is gonna make EA study for that???damage to environment -huge!!!!

waterloo region needs some sort of transport linkage to toronto but seems we are in mediocre century.

if they want less cars on our streets ,then implement mass rail transit system in whole province.

Then will come salamanders,rare species,dogs and cats and everything will fall into water.

society driven by cars will end up in junkyard

[metropolis]

Originally Posted by mark76

interesting, when gov`t have to raise a tax or something ,there is no delay ,but when this stuff comes up ,EA study ,this and that,etc.

I might be a bit sour ,but just count how many cars during rush hour are on highway 7 ,8 and 401.who is gonna make EA study for that???damage to environment -huge!!!!

waterloo region needs some sort of transport linkage to toronto but seems we are in mediocre century.

if they want less cars on our streets ,then implement mass rail transit system in whole province.

Then will come salamanders,rare species,dogs and cats and everything will fall into water.

society driven by cars will end up in junkyard

[dunkalunk]

^^Why isn't there a sad nod emoticon, unless that is a sadistic grin nodding emoticon, in that case...

Waterloo Warrior, well said. I see the possible GO extension into New Hamburg as an opportunity for people to commute into Kitchener or Guelph, or as a local train service for people to then transfer to a VIA train for Toronto. Unlike toronto, I wonder if Baden/New Hamburg has enough density to warrant such a service, or if could be better served by coaches. The most feasible option I see for a line with a few self propelled rail cars to be run in both directions between New Hamburg and Guelph with these possible stops.

New Hamburg -> Baden - Fischer-Hallman - Downtown Kitchener - Breslau - Guelph

I'm also worried that GO-esque service to Wilmont will help encourage more cookie cutter suburban sprawl like Vaughan or Milton or Barrhaven (South-West Ottawa). But, I do believe that the western part of our region is underserviced by transit and either GO or GRT should at least provide some service to these areas.

In any case, with the Baden New Hamburg GO acting as a case study, it would entertain the possiblity of the reactivation of the Elmira Line.

Also, What does this announcement mean for the Cambridge GO extension from Milton?

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by dunkalunk

Waterloo Warrior, well said. I see the possible GO extension into New Hamburg as an opportunity for people to commute into Kitchener or Guelph, or as a local train service for people to then transfer to a VIA train for Toronto. Unlike toronto, I wonder if Baden/New Hamburg has enough density to warrant such a service, or if could be better served by coaches. The most feasible option I see for a line with a few self propelled rail cars to be run in both directions between New Hamburg and Guelph with these possible stops.

New Hamburg -> Baden - Fischer-Hallman - Downtown Kitchener - Breslau - Guelph

I'm also worried that GO-esque service to Wilmont will help encourage more cookie cutter suburban sprawl like Vaughan or Milton or Barrhaven (South-West Ottawa). But, I do believe that the western part of our region is underserviced by transit and either GO or GRT should at least provide some service to these areas.

Also, What does this announcement mean for the Cambridge GO extension from Milton?

it could always start as GO Bus instead.... many of the small towns around the outer GTA have GO bus service like Rockwood, Action, Beaverton.... many connect to the nearest GO Train. It will be interesting to see how the Elmira GRT trial goes. Your idea sounds good, something like the O-Train in Ottawa would be nice.

I agree, it's a big danger that it will increase growth pressure in those places and pressure the Region to expand the urban growth boundary. the province has talked about expanding the greenbelt if municipalities wish, so hopefully most wilmot land would be added to that. However I think increasing people's transportation options is important, so there should be some sort of service out there at least.

the Region is doing its own study, not sure about GO.

[metropolis]

Originally Posted by dunkalunk

^^Why isn't there a sad nod emoticon, unless that is a sadistic grin nodding emoticon, in that case...

The was meant to represent agreement more than anything. Unfortuantely there is no sad but nodding smiley

[0sprey]

I'm trying to decide if i would prefer to link to the Georgetown line via Guelph or to the Milton Line and head down through Mississauga.

I only have experience with the Milton line and they recently added the faster/stronger engines which are neat.

Personally, I'd rather have access on the Milton line and have stops through Milton and Mississauga than go through Georgetown and then Brampton just for the access to Guelph.

Besides, it would be much more fun to pass all the cars on the 401 heading to Milton (and wave!) than to head across to Guelph and not see them at all.

But that's just me.

[mark76]

Originally Posted by 0sprey

I'm trying to decide if i would prefer to link to the Georgetown line via Guelph or to the Milton Line and head down through Mississauga.

I only have experience with the Milton line and they recently added the faster/stronger engines which are neat.

Personally, I'd rather have access on the Milton line and have stops through Milton and Mississauga than go through Georgetown and then Brampton just for the access to Guelph.

Besides, it would be much more fun to pass all the cars on the 401 heading to Milton (and wave!) than to head across to Guelph and not see them at all.

But that's just me.

doesn`t matter, lets make damn thing work!!!this thing is way too much delayed!!

[DHLawrence]

Maybe we'll get both some day!