GO/VIA Transit

[matt602]

My guess is GO doesn't want their special constables kicking people off the property when homeless people are freezing to death on the streets as is. If they'd open the station buildings for longer and extend the amount of time that people can access washroom facilities, there wouldn't be as much of it outside the station.

[Markus83]

Originally Posted by johnnyhamont

Welcome to your ideal world!


From St. Thomas:


From Sioux Lookout:

BoooYaa!!

[craftbeerdad]

In regards to WH and a sign of the times, maybe you want to put a fence around the infrastructure that can be stripped by scrupulous individuals?

[shoelessjoe]

I have no doubt Metrolinx is walking a fine-line with regard to it's facilities being used by homeless/substance-dependent people. I'm not sure moving them inside the station is a favorable option (see the blue lights in the Aldershot restrooms for reference). The TTC has found itself acting as a de facto shelter/social services agency and it has cost transit-users their lives. I'm not an unsympathetic person but these are transit agencies and their mandate is transit, not housing people with mental illnesses and addictions. At some point in society the rubber has to meet the road and we have to start having real conversations about what we are willing to abide in our day-to-day lives. So far so-called harm-reduction seems to be having the affect of amplifying these issues. The infrastructure stripping just reinforces the necessity of having these facilities more appropriately secured/monitored. If there is time to do that undetected there is time to do a lot more nefarious, destructive and potentially tragic things.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by shoelessjoe

I have no doubt Metrolinx is walking a fine-line with regard to it's facilities being used by homeless/substance-dependent people. I'm not sure moving them inside the station is a favorable option (see the blue lights in the Aldershot restrooms for reference). The TTC has found itself acting as a de facto shelter/social services agency and it has cost transit-users their lives. I'm not an unsympathetic person but these are transit agencies and their mandate is transit, not housing people with mental illnesses and addictions. At some point in society the rubber has to meet the road and we have to start having real conversations about what we are willing to abide in our day-to-day lives. So far so-called harm-reduction seems to be having the affect of amplifying these issues. The infrastructure stripping just reinforces the necessity of having these facilities more appropriately secured/monitored. If there is time to do that undetected there is time to do a lot more nefarious, destructive and potentially tragic things.

There are blue lights in the men's washroom at the Hamilton GO Centre as well.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by BCTed

There are blue lights in the men's washroom at the Hamilton GO Centre as well.

Getting off topic but The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) recommends against installing blue lights in public washrooms to
discourage injecting drug use. The argument is it won't do much to discourage an addicted person from using the washroom to inject, but will increase the risk of them harming themselves. We need to focus on the cause of the problem and not put Band-Aids on the symptoms as we may end up giving a tourniquet around the neck for a nosebleed.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by craftbeerdad

In regards to WH and a sign of the times, maybe you want to put a fence around the infrastructure that can be stripped by scrupulous individuals?

I wonder how much copper wiring or piping the thieves actually managed to take from that. Boggles my mind the lengths some people go to do this.

Also but unrelated, aside from the issue of effort, to dump something in a remote location to avoid taking it to a waste facility (especially appliances... which can be dropped off locally for free)

[Innsertnamehere]

The West Harbour GO track connection appears to have started construction as a part of the Confederation GO work. Looks like it'll be a new track beside the existing CN tracks to about Ferguson.

From James looking east:


From John looking east:

[matt602]

About time.

[Fruitloops]

there was actual construction happening at the Confederation station site today.

[Corktowner]

Metrolinx has posted a notice about the track work at West Harbour: https://twitter.com/Ward2Hamilton/status/1630609175477616643?cxt=HHwWhoCw_fuZi6EtAAAA. It’s supposed to be finished by early 2024, which seems pretty slow for such a tiny project. But still it’s great that this is finally happening for real.

[Innsertnamehere]

Given the utility relocations requirements, a year to do the work doesn’t surprise me. Most of the year will probably be spent waiting for the utilities to do their jobs.

[mikevbar1]

I am coming out of my slumber to share that GO has officially announced their Hamilton-Guelph-Waterloo bus. This news is absolutely massive, and I have been advocating for this for a long time. It may [have been] the most overlooked transportation link in the GTHA... until now.


https://twitter.com/VanishingUnder/status/1639269066820005900

[TheHonestMaple]

That's great news. Do we know when that will start?

Edit: Apparently April 8

https://www.gotransit.com/static_files/g...ing/FullSchedules/FS08042023/TABLE17.pdf

[mikevbar1]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

That's great news. Do we know when that will start?

April 8th!

Edit: You best believe I will be on this bus.

[TheHonestMaple]

I kinda wish they didn't include Aldershot in that route. That will add like 15-20 mins to the trip. There's really no need for it either, considering that there is already connections from Aldershot to Hamilton Centre.

[Dengler Avenue]

This is long overdue.
Back in 2015, when I had to take go bus between Waterloo and Burlington, I had to go through Mississauga.
Ridiculous.

[TheRitsman]

It's still an insanely long trip. I'd have preferred a bus every 2 hours that went direct between Hamilton and Kitchener LRT

[TheHonestMaple]

Originally Posted by TheRitsman

It's still an insanely long trip. I'd have preferred a bus every 2 hours that went direct between Hamilton and Kitchener LRT

I agree, it's pretty impractical for a commuter. The trip between Guelph and Hamilton is over an hour and a half. And the Waterloo Hamilton trip is over two and a half hours! I'm guessing the fare would also be around 15 dollars?

[mikevbar1]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

I agree, it's pretty impractical for a commuter. The trip between Guelph and Hamilton is over an hour and a half. And the Waterloo Hamilton trip is over two and a half hours! I'm guessing the fare would also be around 15 dollars?

I believe they have put in alot of padding to this schedule- there's no way the real travel time could ever add up to 2.5 hours. What I had initially heard was that the trip can be made in 1:45, but we shall see if the runtime is adjusted. Bear in mind going to Square One and backtracking to Hamilton from Waterloo will take you no less than 3.5 hours today.

Also, Aldershot makes complete sense imo. It is not that far out of they way, and makes the route useful for inbound riders to access the full breadth of Lakeshore West service- and without going all the way into Hamilton.

The utility of this route is less for Hamilton-KW, unfortunately, and more for KW-Guelph and Guelph-Hamilton. I'm sure we will see branches be introduced in the future as the route develops ridership patterns.