Ready, set, GO!
GTA Bus Transit service set to extend routes to KW this fall, train service could follow
By Jacqueline McKoy, IMPRINT, Friday, May 15, 2009
Commuters between the Region of Waterloo and Toronto will soon have another way to travel since the announcement was made Friday, May 9, that the GO Transit bus service will be extended to the KW region this fall. A new bus service will connect Kitchener/Waterloo with current stops along GO Transit’s existing stations along the Milton line and Mississauga’s City Centre Transit Terminal at Square One.
Initial funding announced last Friday includes $2.5 million for the construction of four “park ‘n’ ride” bus stops along the Highway 401/8 corridor to accommodate the new bus service. The location of the first stop will be in Milton at the junction of Highways 401 and 25; the locations of the remaining three stops are to be determined.
Notably absent from Friday’s announcement is the location of stops in the City of Waterloo, particularly those near UW itself. However, Vanessa Thomas, GO Transit’s media relations and issues specialist, said that “other [dropoff] locations [...] along the service to major educational and business locations are to be determined” later this summer.
Railway future still uncertain
Ideally, the GO Bus service will build ridership such that a rail connection to Toronto will have significant demand. Said Thomas, “Typically, GO Bus service helps to build ridership in corridors that could merit future GO rail service. For commuter areas generally, as passenger demand increases on our buses, and track capacity and funding allow, there is the potential that trains could replace those buses.”
Inquiry into GO Transit’s expansion into the Waterloo region began in 2000, and it is a major goal of GO 2020, GO Transit’s 15-year strategic plan. A series of Public Information Centres (PICs) were held during February in Kitchener, Cambridge and Georgetown to consult with the public about the environmental impact of expanding service into the region, as well as to assess ridership interest.
The final results of the environmental assessment study are to be released at the end of May, and available for public review for 45 days thereafter. Based on additional public consultation, available funding, and the study itself, the provincial government is expected to make a final decision on expanding rail service later this year.
The four preferred rail stations presented to the public will be located, from east to west, in Acton near the Old Hide House, Guelph, Breslau, and at downtown Kitchener’s VIA Rail station. These stations will connect to GO’s existing Georgetown line with stops throughout Milton, Brampton, and Toronto.
However, optimal GO Train service in the future is largely based on the government of Ontario’s ability to pay access fees to ensure all-day rail service. Presently, rail lines used by GO Transit are owned by the provincial government, Canadian Pacific, and CN Rail. The provincial government pays access fees for use of the portions of the line they do not own, and runs bus service along rail corridors when rail routes are being used by other parties. Currently, rail service along the Georgetown line only runs during the weekday rush hour periods, but a goal of GO 2020, along with the expansion to KW, is to provide all-day, two-way rail service along the line rather than resorting to slower bus routes.
Benefit to students to be proved
GO Transit service might be of greatest benefit to members of the UW community travelling to the most westerly portions of the Greater Toronto Area.
Currently, the Fed Bus service is the only mass transportation option that offers a direct route between KW and Mississauga, Brampton, or Etobicoke; unlike the proposed GO service, however, it only operates on weekends. Except for stops in Guelph, both Greyhound and VIA Rail limit passengers to drop-off points in Guelph and at Toronto’s Union Station, both of which lead to circuitous transit connections to the Peel Region and Hamilton area.
An important aspect of the usability of GO Transit service in KW is its connection with Grand River Transit routes.
According to Region of Waterloo Manager of Transit Development John Cicuttin, a “meeting next Friday [GRT] is going to start looking at routing and integration,” in hopes that GRT will be able to provide connecting service between GO stops and existing KW transit hubs as soon as GO service is introduced.
Thomas says that the fare structure is still to be determined, but that GO Transit fares are typically based on distance of travel. A
s a reference point, a single bus fare from Union Station to the University of Guelph, GO Transit’s western terminus at present, is $11.45. GO Transit provides a 10 per cent discount on 10 single-ride tickets, as well as an additional 10 per cent discount for student fares to students from eligible schools.
There is no current information on whether GO Transit is participating with UW, WLU, or Conestoga College to provide discounts to their students. As of press time, there was no information from either GO Transit or UW administration indicating any plans to participate in a student discount program.
However, a 20 per cent discount could make GO’s service provide a per-ride savings over VIA’s student 6PAK ticket ($14.00/ride), Greyhound’s 10-ride ticket ($13.50/ride) or potentially even the current bargain of a round-trip Fed Bus purchased with a Feds Card ($9.50/ride).
Despite this potential, Thomas said that it is important to note that “GO Transit’s services are meant to complement, rather than compete with” Greyhound, VIA Rail, and Fed Bus offerings.
http://www.imprint.uwaterloo.ca/inde...ate=2009-05-15
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