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Tuesday, January 20, 2015

What does $60 get you? Why, standing room only!!! Yaaaaaaaaay!

So we can pick up and drop off TTC donkeys during the week, GO Transit has adjusted the LSE and Stouffville trains.

Going home the currently crowded to all hell LSE 4:10 pm train will become the 4:07 pm train beginning February 1 and will stop at Danforth GO Station. Arrival times at subsequent stations remain unchanged.

Nothing changes for the morning. All this panic on Twitter and on various newspaper sites was all for nothing. NOTHING!

However, that's not the case for our friends coming in from Stouffville, GO Transit decided to hose you guys down something fierce - TWO MINUTES HAS BEEN ADDED TO YOUR COMMUTE!

TWO MINUTES!

  • The weekday southbound 5:18 a.m. trip from Lincolnville GO to Union will now also stop at Danforth GO at 6:15 a.m.  Times at all other stops will remain the same including arrival at Union.
  • The weekday southbound 6:35 a.m., 6:44 a.m., 7:16 a.m. and 7:42 a.m. trips from Lincolnville GO to Union will now also stop at Danforth GO at 7:36 a.m., 7:48 a.m., 8:20 a.m. and 8:46 a.m. and will arrive at Union two minutes later, at 7:48 a.m., 8:00 a.m., 8:32 a.m. and 8:58 a.m.  Times remain the same at all other stops.
  • The weekday southbound 9:15 a.m. trip from Unionville GO to Union will now also stop at Danforth GO at 9:46 a.m. and arrive at Union at 9:58 a.m.  Times remain the same at all other stops.
  • The weekday northbound 4:18 and 4:48 p.m. trips from Union will now also stop at Danforth GO at 4:29 p.m. and 4:59 p.m. and times will be a little later at all stops from Kennedy onwards with arrival at Lincolnville GO now at 5:34 p.m. and 6:04 p.m.
  • The weekday northbound 6:00 p.m. trip from Union will now also stop at Danforth GO at 6:11 p.m. and arrive at Lincolnville GO at 7:16 p.m.  Times will be a little later at all stops from Kennedy onwards.
I suggest we riot.

Sarcasm aside, what does a "little later" mean? In what class of transportation planning is this acceptable in an essay?

13 comments:

FRED said...

The way people carrying on you'd think it was two hours.

Squiggles said...

Thank you for this information! I heard the announcement this morning and all I could think was A) this defeats the purpose of an EXPRESS train! and B) I take the 5.10 because it gets me into my station in time to walk onto my DRT bus home; and are the DRT buses going to adjust their schedule, etc.

But still, there are enough other options for the TTC people to take a non-express train that already stops at their station: the 5.05 and 5.20 spring to mind. The 4.30 as well. There are more trains that stop at their stop than express trains. They should be happy with what they are getting without inconveniencing the rest of us more.

/grumbling

Sarah said...

I get that you were being sarcastic CJ but as a Stouffville passenger why should I be made to sacrifice those two minutes?

C.J. Smith said...

I didn't make the decision. That's best posed to the head of GO Transit's planning divison.

Anonymous said...

but think about the amount of extra people that will go through the GO concourse...it's bad as it is trying to get from the GO concourse to the TTC station/Path.

Bicky said...

Ha! Just wait til the Bay St. concourse is closed and we all have to use the York St. concourse for our GO business.

Ooh, it's gonna be so much funnnnn!!!! (/end sarcasm)

Robert Wightman said...

In the past when GO has added a stop it adds 3 to 4 minutes to the travel time. If the train leaves Union at the same time but adds a stop then you will be about 3 minutes later at all the other stations beyond that.

This is more for show than benefit as no one is going to get off the subway at Main Station and walk to the GO train and the number who live nearby is not great. This reminds me of NATO; No Action Talk Only.

George said...

Bicky, I for one can't wait for the GO concourse to be closed and renovated. It's like walking into a bathroom from the 1970s with all those ugly tiles and flooring.

I saw a preview of the York concourse and it's beautiful (so far). How it stands up to the crowd while the regular concourse is closed is yet to be seen.

I'll gladly put up with the inconvenience if the VIA and GO concourses get updated before I have to retire.

C.J. Smith said...

George
It's interesting you wrote that because it's what my husband mused the first time he saw it.

Anonymous said...

I find it problematic that the 410 will be leaving 3 minutes early - that will force a lot of 410ers onto the 4:25. Many of us can make the "run" in 10 mins if we get off work at 4. I can't leave work consistently 3 minutes early to make up for it and the difference between that and the 425 is incredible once you hit the eastbound highway in terms of how long it takes me to get home. I'm saddened - doesn't cost me "2 mins" but instead 20+ (15 between 4:10 and 4:25 + add'l highway time)

C.J. Smith said...

Well. When you put it that way, yep, three minutes does make a big difference if you always leave at 4 and the distance you need to cover to make it to the platform takes a certain amount of time.

Bicky said...

I won't be able to get the 4:10 much anymore either. Likely will be on the ever-increasingly packed 4:25.

On the plus side, it might be fun to watch the Ajax/Whitby/Oshawa door donkeys fight for space with those riding to Danforth.

Anonymous said...


I don't think GO Transit thought much far ahead when they did this for the morning trains. The last 2 minutes (I'm sure it will be!) will essentially kill the last train leaving Lincolnville, as it arrive too late into Union; it will cause people to double up on the prior route. The stouffville route also is awful, as there are no high speed routes, as there are for other lines.