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Originally Posted by acottawa
This isn't really commuter rail. This is rural rail designed to encourage people to live up to 100km from the city, well beyond the suburbs (which are at most 30-40 km from the city). These routes are longer than most GO routes (despite the GTA having 5x the population) and would be the outer reaches of commuting to New York (with a metro population 20x bigger).
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I'm not a fan, but here's a reality check. Distances from Ottawa:
- Wakefield, QC: 32 km
- Arnprior, ON: 55 km
- Montebello, QC: 61 km
- Bristol, QC: 64 km
- Smiths Falls, ON: 64 km
- Alexandria, ON: 80 km
Distances from Toronto:
- Richmond Hill: 26 km
- Lincolnville: 41 km
- Milton: 41 km
- Oshawa: 47 km
- Hamilton: 57 km
- Allandale Waterfront: 85 km
- Kitchener: 92 km
So yes the shorter lines are shorter on GO, but the longer lines are longer on GO. Overall, I think they are similar in distances.
Note: distances were measured with straight lines. Neither city has straight tracks though, so I think it will balance.
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It makes absolutely no sense for a mid-sized city with a modest growth rate and tonnes of available land, both outside and inside the greenbelt.
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On that I agree. Ottawa has a significantly smaller population than Toronto, and the cities served by GO are much larger than the towns Moose proposes to serve. It just doesn't make sense.
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People living that far out are not going to be integrated in the city or stick around to spend money, they're going to get on a train as fast as they can for a long, punishing commute.
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That's not the responsibility of a private organization, so why does it matter?
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I certainly hope it fails.
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A bit harsh IMHO. I would say I doubt if it will succeed.