GO/VIA Transit

[ChildishGavino]

This is one of the stupidest ideas I've ever heard.

But, when your funding is cut I guess you need to make up the difference somehow.

[drpgq]

More GO trains finally coming to Hamilton’s West Harbour station. But when?

The connection of a new rail track into Hamilton should make it easier to run more trains to a station so underused that one of its entrances and half the parking are closed all the time.

Work on a third rail track into Hamilton is primed to finally bring more GO trains to West Harbour station — a $45-million building so underused that half of it is closed.

Metrolinx has confirmed work is underway to complete a "third track" to add capacity on the busy rail corridor between the Desjardins Canal and West Harbour GO station. That work, plus testing and commissioning could continue through late 2019.

The James Street GO station opened with much fanfare in 2015 for the Pan Am Games.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by drpgq

More GO trains finally coming to Hamilton’s West Harbour station. But when?

More clickbait, which you can read sans paywall at the St. Catharines Standard.

Not holding my breath, especially after the Ford government cut $146 million out of Metrolinx's 2019-2020 budget while prioritizing low-ROI projects like the Niagara ghost train and the Scarborough subway.

[SteelTown]

Metrolinx stalls Confederation GO station, while enhancing West Harbour

https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9...-west-harbour/

As Metrolinx adds additional GO train service to the West Harbour station, the provincial agency is “scaling back” the Confederation GO project on Centennial Parkway.

Metrolinx’s President and CEO Phil Verster described the new facility as a “self-serve” station based upon a “market-driven approach for delivering new infrastructure.”

“It is still our plans to provide rail and bus service to Confederation station,” he said. “With the adoption of a market-driven approach for delivering new infrastructure across the GO Transit network, we are adjusting our plans for the development of Confederation station.”

Ward 5 Coun. Chad Collins, who represents the area, confirmed the GO bus service will remain as originally intended, but the province is reducing rail service at the expense of the West Harbour station. Collins, who questioned the decision to adopt a “self-service” station model, had several questions about the change in policy for Confederation.

Verster said the original $150-million station announcement made by former Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne “was made prior to Metrolinx adopting a market-driven approach” that is supposed to “respect” taxpayers and is based on customer demand and ridership growth.

Wynne made the announcement as part of the $1-billion capital funding for the light rail transit project in 2015 at McMaster University.

The Confederation station is estimated to cost about $35 million while $115 million will be used to improve the existing rail service.

In 2016, Metrolinx purchased about 1.5 acres of land at 395 and 397 Centennial Parkway for the station and parking area.

The station will not have ticket booths but will have self-serve PRESTO reload machines and ticket vending machines so customers “are able to pay their fares and load their cards easily and quickly,” said Matt Llewellyn, spokesperson for Metrolinx.

Other GO stations, such as Burlington and Kennedy, already have self-serve operations.

“We are adjusting our plans for the development of Confederation station,” said Llewellyn.

Verster said by the end of 2019, the GO bus Route 12, as well as city buses will begin providing service to the Confederation station. About 60 parking spots will be available on the north side of the site of Goderich Road.

“It is still in our plans to provide rail and bus service to Confederation Station,” said Llewellyn.

He said the station’s revised design, which will be tendered out later this year, will include island platform, with canopies and accessible platform; pedestrian tunnel; direct stair access from the platform to Centennial Parkway; and additional parking spaces.

Llewellyn said the construction timeline will be established once the contract is awarded.

The original timeline for the project was to finish the Confederation station in 2019, with service scheduled to begin in 2021.

Metrolinx is in discussions with CN for railway access to Confederation.

Currently, there are four nonrevenue trains passing through the future Confederation station. Starting Aug. 31 there will be eight nonrevenue trains passing through the station.

Early on Thursday, Metrolinx and provincial government officials announced that the existing Lakeshore West GO train trips will now extend to the James Street North Station. A new 4:45 trip from Union Station to West Harbour will run express to Clarkson before serving all stops to the West Harbour station.

Currently, West Harbour, which opened in 2015 in anticipation of the Pan Am Games, offers weekday rush-hour train service between West Harbour and Union Station.

Metrolinx will offer year-round weekend GO train service between Niagara Falls and Union Station.

[thistleclub]

a “self-serve” station based upon a “market-driven approach for delivering new infrastructure.” ...
"a market-driven approach” that is supposed to “respect” taxpayers and is based on customer demand and ridership growth.

In other words, if you want better service for Hamilton or event to hang on to existing service, use the GO Transit we have, despite its limitations.

[drpgq]

So will this new third line be grade separated from the freight ones to allow higher speed between Hamilton and Aldershot?

[king10]

So whats changing?

He said the station’s revised design, which will be tendered out later this year, will include island platform, with canopies and accessible platform; pedestrian tunnel; direct stair access from the platform to Centennial Parkway; and additional parking spaces.

Based on the above looks like the actual station building is scrapped and no actual employees, just presto and ticket vending machines with covered platforms?

[Treplow]

Does the recently announced increase in GO train service include any weekend trips to or from Hamilton? It's not very clear to me.

[thistleclub]

Hamilton's expanded GO Train service is unidirectional and weekday-only.

[King&James]

Metrolinx article on the intricacies of delivering all day GO Train service.

https://blog.metrolinx.com/2019/09/2...mpression=true

[SteelTown]

That was a good read. So one could assume all-day GO Train service by 2020 or 2021?

[Dengler Avenue]

I read the article too and I couldn’t tell.

If all-day service is rolled out though, does that mean the 16 Express can be taken out?

[SteelTown]

^ hmm I doubt, however probably a lot less frequency.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by King&James

Metrolinx article on the intricacies of delivering all day GO Train service.

The infrastructure part, anyway. Ridership volume and provincial operating subsidies (32% cut in 2019-2020) also play a role.

There's at least one reason that Niagara-Toronto weekend service stops at Burlington, Oakville and Port Credit but not West Harbour.

[matt602]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

That was a good read. So one could assume all-day GO Train service by 2020 or 2021?

You could, but notice how they're very careful not to commit to an actual timeline even still. Theoretically with the extra track from Bayview Junction all the way to West Harbour, they *should* be able to enhance the existing service but I think it'll still come in steps since the existing ridership at West Harbour is still pretty poor. I wouldn't expect any additional service to the Hunter Street station either since the tunnel bottleneck will always remain, regardless of the improvements they're making at Bayview Junction/Desjardins bridge. I'd guess that CP is damn near maxed out on traffic slots through that area.

[king10]

Drove by the Confederation GO. Theyve added another track that spans the bridge over Centennial Pkwy. For a couple of years the footings for the addition track/ bridge were in place, now its finally there.

[NortheastWind]

I noticed that yesterday morning. They are progressing, this is good.

[mishap]

Originally Posted by king10

Drove by the Confederation GO. Theyve added another track that spans the bridge over Centennial Pkwy. For a couple of years the footings for the addition track/ bridge were in place, now its finally there.

It looks like two spans were added.
I'm curious as to the gap in the middle left open. A middle track? A walkway? Or a centre platform above Centennial Parkway?

[LikeHamilton]

Confederation GO Station Bus Loop opens

November 4, 2019 Hamilton Today Transit

Over the weekend the new Confederation GO Station opened to buses.

Starting on Saturday morning GO bus route 12, which had been operating at the park and ride located at Barton Street and Nash Road, officially moved into the bus loop on the north side of the Confederation station site, off Goderich Road. Approximately 60 parking spaces are available. The completed bus loop has three bus platforms as well as room for additional buses to stop.

GO buses operate at Platforms 2 and 3 with buses bound for Burlington stopping at Platform 2 while buses heading towards Niagara Falls stopping at Platform 3. The final platform number 4 is currently unoccupied, which was likely left open for HSR bus service.

While Metrolinx’s President and CEO Phil Verster stated that by the end of 2019 local bus service would also serve the new GO station, it’s not known what capacity the HSR will service the new GO station.

Three bus routes are candidates to stop at the new station, with routes 44 RYMAL and 56 CENTENNIAL the most likely to pull through the station. Both of these routes currently stop at Confederation Plaza (Walmart) across the street. Pulling into the new GO Station is an obvious extension of these routes. With the bus loops close proximity to Barton Street (750m) it would also make sense to send the 2 BARTON bus to and from Confederation GO Station.

City of Hamilton staff are currently reviewing existing local transit service (timetable & routing) in the vicinity of the recently opened Confederation GO Park’n’Ride. Staff are examining efficient and effective approaches to enhance local inter-regional connections.

Recommended HSR service adjustments, if any, are expected to take place on December 29th, 2019.

http://www.hamiltontransit.ca/confed...ens/#more-6444

[LikeHamilton]

Not Hamilton but why not us?

Metrolinx approves business case for faster, two-way GO train service by 2025

Peak weekday service would include two trains per hour, and new train service on weekends

Nov 24, 2019 by James Jackson Waterloo Region Record

KITCHENER — The Metrolinx board of directors has unanimously approved a less costly expansion of GO transit that could bring two-way, all-day service to Waterloo Region by 2025.

Board members were presented with two options Friday — build a 30-kilometre bypass for freight trains between Bramalea and Georgetown, or negotiate a way for freight and passenger trains to continue to share tracks under new terms with CN Rail, which owns part of the track on the route.

The board opted for the second option, which will cost an estimated $927 million to buy land and upgrade tracks and facilities, and a further $970 million spent over six decades on operations and maintenance.

Last year, the Progressive Conservative government said it intended to shelve the bypass option, estimated to cost $3.7 billion to launch plus $1.1 billion to maintain and operate over 60 years.

The revised business case would include:

•Two trains per hour in weekday peak periods, morning and afternoon, running both ways between the Kitchener station and Union Station in Toronto.

•One train per hour in weekday off-peak periods, running both ways.

•One train every two hours on weekends, running both ways. There are currently no trains on weekends.

Metrolinx spokesperson Scott Money said in an email that the agency will now begin assessing the preferred option at a more detailed level, further refining the project's scope, service concepts, benefits and overall costs.

In a news release, Ian McLean, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, and Jan De Silva, president and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, said: "This new path, delivering two-way all-day GO by 2025, will bring communities and job creators together and help to unlock the full economic potential of this vital employment zone."

Planners estimate local ridership on GO trains would increase to more than 3,000 daily passengers by 2030. That's an increase from 282 daily passengers using the Kitchener station today, or about two per cent of all passengers at 11 stops on the commuter line.

https://www.therecord.com/news-story...ource=waterloo

According to Metrolinx, boarding from April to September 2019

Kitchener GO 38.7 K per year / 295 per day
Hamilton GO Centre 175.6 K per year / 1.3 K per day
Hamilton West Harbour 9.0 K per year / 69 per day
Aldershot GO 487.7 K per year / 2.7 K per day
Oakville GO 1.0 M per year / 5.5 K per day
Union Station 6.1 M per year / 75.8 K per day

There where 7 station that had a decrease in ridership in that time frame. Hamilton GO
Aldershot GO
Niagara Falls
Unionville
Lincolnville
Bramalea
Lisgar