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Wednesday, October 7, 2015

GO'ing on home on Friday is going to suck

With the Blue Jays game starting at 12:45 pm on Friday, this means thousands of people will be trying to get home around the time most of us leave work (3:45 pm to 4:45 pm).

GO just sent out a media advisory where there was no mention of extra trains during this peak period, so plan accordingly, folks. Here's hoping that the majority of these fans go out and eat afterwards which would lessen the volume.

The game times are as follows:

  • 3:37 p.m. EDT on Thursday; 
  • 12:45 p.m. EDT on Friday 

GO's media statement:

TORONTO: October 7, 2015 – Metrolinx staff have been busy planning for our Toronto Blue Jays playoff games! With the first games now scheduled, we want to help our customers get to and from the game safely. We’ll have all hands on deck this Thursday and Friday—transit safety officers, GO Transit ambassadors, ticket sales, station and operations staff—to help ensure customers get to where they need to go.
Both Thursday and Friday’s games are scheduled for the afternoon and will finish during rush hour. Crowds of happy fans are expected to arrive at Union Station during peak hours from Rogers Centre. Friday is also one of our busiest travel days with many students and commuters eager to get home for the holiday. We will be monitoring our ridership and will do our best to accommodate everyone to get them home safely.

Here are a few tips to help make your commute safe during the playoffs:
·         Consider adjusting your travel plans during playoff games so that you are not arriving and leaving during peak hours (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)

·         Load your PRESTO card ahead of time

·         When leaving the game, consider staying downtown until rush hour is over (Toronto has so many great restaurants!)

·         When arriving at Union Station, look for GO staff if you need assistance or directions

·         If you are arriving at Toronto Pearson to see the game, UP Express will get you within a 5 minute walk to the Rogers Centre with trains running every 15 minutes for the 25-minute trip (and it’s only $19 with your PRESTO card)

We’ve waited 22 years for this so please continue to be patient when waiting for trains and buses before and after games. Remember: safety is always our first priority.!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ridership, as it says in the release, will be monitored. It is premature for GO Transit to assign a crew at this stage. If at 3:30 on Friday volume demonstrates a need for service, extra trains will be added. This is how it works.
If you had read the release how it was intended, you would have understood.

Anonymous said...

yup...consider adjusting your travel plans.....
now you tell that to your boss....
"Hi boss....um.....Can I leave work early so I'm not on a train with all the Jays fans?"

C.J. Smith said...

In no way could I possibly glean from that information that monitoring means "extra trains". Really?

DO WE LOOK LIKE TRANSIT PLANNERS TO YOU? DO I LOOK LIKE ONE?

C.J. Smith said...

yup...consider adjusting your travel plans.....
now you tell that to your boss....
"Hi boss....um.....Can I leave work early so I'm not on a train with all the Jays fans?"


Doesn't fly where I work. I like how it's assumed all of us work flex hours.

Anonymous said...

its not question of extra trains, 2 extras is all you will see. Where are we going to slot them in during the PM rush hour??
Lakeshore East and West trians during a rush hour period is roughly running around a 30 minute interval. Expect to see overcrowding for sure.

there ya GO

Unknown said...

Unfortunately GO does not have the crews or equipment to run a lot of extra service during the rush hour. They can run extra train before or after the rush hour by using the existing equipment for an earlier or later service. Major league baseball does not care about any inconvenience it cause average people as long as it maximizes it revenue return from television. I suggest that you arrange for a liquid dinner and go home later. There is really not much that GO can do.

C.J. Smith said...

Barrie. Stouffville. Kitchener. Milton. The system doesn't revolve around LSE and LSW People on those lines could use extra trains and not just on game days

Anonymous said...

Why are you leaving out Richmond Hill passengers CJ???

Anyways my repsonse was to your comment about Fridays situation extra trains if any will be used will elivate the passnegers that will come down on GO trains prior to and after the game. With the exception of the Kitchener mid day service most fans will be riding the LSW and LSE trains. As the branch line trains dont run past 9am.

thanks

C.J. Smith said...

You read my mind Robert!
Who's in???

Bicky said...

I could be persuaded to go. My arm is made of rubber some days. :D But where? The places on Front could be packed with peeps who couldn't get tickets to the game.

C.J. Smith said...

I'm probably gonna get a ride home. I'll let you know

Ali Gator said...

Let's not forget it's the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend. University and college students will be heading home; the frosh with luggage loaded with laundry. There will be increased WMA pax. All of this is shaping up for the perfect storm on the GO. I hope it's no worse than this trip was: http://bit.ly/19AQOVn

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Anonymous said...

In my opinion I don't think it's appropriate for GO Transit or Metrolinx employees to be commenting on this website.

Skin Man said...

I like it when transit employees of all stripes comment!

I agree CJ, that media release should not be read to mean that additional equipment would be deployed on an as needed basis. If that sentiment was intended then the foregoing language would be the way to communicate that plan. I can't even say it was cryptically implied. Anon @3:50pm is wrong.

Gemma said...

And...I'm booking the afternoon (if not all day) out. Thank you for the heads up!

Tal Hartsfeld said...

The bosses will STILL expect you to show up (and leave) at your usual times regardless of circumstances.
Those-in-charge ALWAYS expect their underlings to behave and perform "as prescribed" unconditionally, regardless of (underling's) condition or of whatever else may be going on in (underling's) life.
Oh, and with penalties for noncompliance as well.

"Those-in-charge" can be anyone from bosses to landlords to the police to business owners ...and so forth...