Quote:
Originally Posted by swimmer_spe
Very true. However, there is a point that the commuter rail lines extend far enough that they start to look like something more akin to regional rail. Going to Niagara Falls, Barrie, Kitchener and soon London with GO is more like a regional rail.
|
Agreed. GO began as Toronto's commuter rail network but it is increasingly becoming more of a regional rail system for the Golden Horseshoe and, more broadly, Southern Ontario. Especially with more frequencies and all-day service.
Quote:
Originally Posted by someone123
I agree but this thread is about regional rail and I find sometimes that gets mixed in with transit when it's really something different.
Vancouver has good transit but if you want to travel around the region it can be painful. People exchange stories about 6 hour delays and how many times they've been rear ended on the bridges or Highway 1 or who got stranded by what summer snow storm on some mountain pass. The "user experience" is much much worse than it would be in Western Europe where these trips would be done on trains including places like Switzerland which have the same kind of challenges as we do here.
|
Totally. I'd argue that the only city in Canada where it is somewhat decent to get to areas in the hinterland without a vehicle is Toronto. And even then, nobody is really going to Algonquin Park by bus,
even though options exist which are more expensive than driving. But at least nearby cities are relatively well connected, as well as Niagara Falls and Gananoque (to the Thousand Islands). By extension, Hamilton also has ok access to hinterlands, largely due to using the same infrastructure as Toronto.
Vancouver is one that really shocks me, considering how popular and (by driving) accessible the stunning natural geography is, literally at the doorstep of the metropolitan area. Whistler is decently connected, at least, but somewhere like Golden Ears and Harrison Hot Springs is basically pointless to get to without a car. It's weird too because a lot of people in Vancouver don't drive.
For Montreal, Mont Tremblant is available by transit but takes a lot longer. Places like Magog and Mount Orford you need a car. Again, surprising as many Montrealers don't drive.
While Banff and Canmore do have bus service (and Banff National Park has a public transit system), it could be better. I think the passenger rail will be a game-changer in that regard, though. That being said, areas like Drumheller don't have any non-vehicular access to Calgary, which is kind of shocking.
Edmonton experimented with bus service to Elk Island, but I don't think it's running anymore. There is the VIA train to Jasper but once you're there you still need a car. Again, a missed opportunity.
Winnipeg used to have rail service to Winnipeg Beach and Grand Beach and now they (along with all the other beach communities on Lake Winnipeg) are inaccessible without a car or bike. Birds Hill is at least looking to get bus service. There is an overpriced bus into Kenora but it really isn't something people use.
Does Ottawa at least have decent transit access to Gatineau Park? That city is always a bit of a grey area for me.