GO riders on Lakeshore East were late to work Thursday as frozen track switches again delayed trains leaving commuters standing and shivering on platforms and tracks. The cold weather interfered with service only three days after a Monday storm crippled GO service on the Lakeshore West and Milton lines with delays and cancellations that cascaded east…
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Screw you snow! I'm a train!
Funny how CN trains seem to run JUST FINE in this weather - this weather being New Brunswick which got something like a metre of snow dumped on the province.
Meanwhile, on GO Transit...
Life support, the fare increase, the supposed better service ... and the drama it causes
@GOtransit The system is a mess. Bravo. pic.twitter.com/OkMkHhRnKH
— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) February 5, 2015
@GOtransit $20 a day in fare & what do #gotransit customers get for the average price of a half tank of gas? No bus. No train. No refund.
— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) February 5, 2015
And this text exchange:
Hi Cindy - did you catch today's classic example of GOs customer service? Thought I'd share this morning's boondoggle with ya: I drive a ways to the Whitby station and I knew I was tight on time this am to make the 721. I parked as quickly as I could, with one minute to spare. I raced through the lot - climbed the 397 stairs to the bridge at a run (ok I the number may be exaggerated), hustled along and down the other stairs and...waited. no 721. At 726 the attendant announces it's stopped at Oshawa. At 735, the Whitby 734 pulls in going east bound. I've been through this before so I get on figuring I can stay warm and hit oshawa before making a return trip Whitby. They announce the 721 finally left oshawa about 17mins late so I get off the east train. Wait another 5 minutes for the 721 (it's now 740ish) and I get on it. No seats cuz it's two trains combined. The attendant(s) announce the 734 is right behind. (now - do you feel my critical mistake coming!?!) I trust them and!
get off to wait. 2 mins more and the 751 express from Whitby pulls in on track two. But they advise 734 is any minute here and that is not the next train. 5 mins later they have their final "gotcha giggle" and tell us the 734 is cancelled and the 751 (which is sitting here) is next train. We'll screw me for trying to believe they'd changed. I was here at 720. I'm on 751 and...yup...we are sitting at Ajax waiting on a signal. Now I wonder about that service guarantee. I tapped on for the 721 at 720. It (I assume) arrived at union a minimum of 17 mins late....but I'm actually on the 751 which is within the time Window for delay. do I get the refund or not? Sigh. Thanks GO for being SO bad with your announcements that I actually am laughing at it. (btw - checked mobile status update - no real news other than 17 mins late, but details will be added when it's more than 10 mins delayed...and received my email notices re 721 and 734 and 758 and 755 respectively!)
get off to wait. 2 mins more and the 751 express from Whitby pulls in on track two. But they advise 734 is any minute here and that is not the next train. 5 mins later they have their final "gotcha giggle" and tell us the 734 is cancelled and the 751 (which is sitting here) is next train. We'll screw me for trying to believe they'd changed. I was here at 720. I'm on 751 and...yup...we are sitting at Ajax waiting on a signal. Now I wonder about that service guarantee. I tapped on for the 721 at 720. It (I assume) arrived at union a minimum of 17 mins late....but I'm actually on the 751 which is within the time Window for delay. do I get the refund or not? Sigh. Thanks GO for being SO bad with your announcements that I actually am laughing at it. (btw - checked mobile status update - no real news other than 17 mins late, but details will be added when it's more than 10 mins delayed...and received my email notices re 721 and 734 and 758 and 755 respectively!)
I'm with you on this. I wanted to strangle the CSA on this train (around the ankles just so we're clear). I'm on what was the train you hopped off while you clenched your fingers around the thing we call trust when dealing with GO TRANSIT. The 728 OSH train was advised at 7:25 to leave Oshawa IMMEDIATELY. We didn't roll out until 7:32 while the CSA giggled into the PA system with each update she made. As well, she made 12 doors are closing announcements over a 5-minute span.
AND...they just announced we are now ALL stops - so it's obviously a bigger issue - according to status update the west/east / kitchner and milton
All had delays. Hummm. Name one reason we don't trust them?! I left the house at 645 am. At 825 I am somewhere between pickering and rouge...
Ohhh! Now at Rouge they say a train is following us so if they can't get a seat, just trust 'em....another one is on its way. Someone got off and I had to fight not to yell...."dont do it...lies...lts all lies..."
45 minWednesday, February 4, 2015
Traffic chaos after Highway 401 shutdown - should GO Transit hold trains for bus passengers?
Last night, an alleged impaired driver caused a fatal collision on Highway 401 near the Brock Street exit in Whitby which brought all westbound traffic to a stand still until about 8:30 am this morning.
This morning was nothing short of a nightmare. I had noticed that Highway 2 was busier than usual and my bus driver was 11 minutes late (but she's always late so technically she was on time). Once we hit Stevenson Road on our way to Oshawa GO Station, it was quite apparent we were going nowhere fast. I'm pretty sure this was apparent to every passenger on the bus - except for one woman.
She was seated in front of me. As we crawled along in a sea of traffic she began to fidget and bounce in her seat. She would sigh, look anxiously out the window, and check her watch. After 10 minutes of the bus idling in traffic, she got up and approached the driver. She asked if there was an alternate route the driver could take to the station, because she had a nine am meeting she couldn't reschedule.
Because you've all enjoyed my bad ass map skills in the past, here's a crude drawing of what traffic was like this morning. This woman got on at the Oshawa Centre, which is just north of the 401 on Stevenson Road. Its parking lot stretches to Gibb Street.
Believe me when I say there was no where else to go except stay on course.
This woman could have walked to the station in the time it took us from where our bus was stopped (shown on map) and when we finally got to the bus loop (24 minutes). The map isn't to scale. It's a 1.6 km walk to the station from Stevenson Road cloverleaf and Bloor. I've walked it in 18 minutes.
She begged the driver to radio someone and hold the 7:28 am GO train. God bless her, right? But this begs the question, should a traffic jam hold up a train? And make thousands of others late? I say no. The fact that the highway was shut down wasn't news. And even if there was an alternate route, they were all jammed.
This woman wasn't happy. She sat back down and fumed. I didn't see her try to phone anyone. In fact, I didn't see her email or use her phone in any way to attempt to reschedule her meeting. She had a phone. She was holding it in her hand. Maybe her battery was dead?
I will tell you this. If I had some place to be and it was clear I wasn't going to get there, I'd be asking anyone on the bus if I could borrow a phone to make a call.
Once we arrived at the station, I wasn't behind her to hear what she said to the driver. Some words were tossed out as she got off. I held back and asked the driver what the woman said to her. Apparently she asked if the driver could have the 96 driver hold his bus so she could take it to Whitby and catch the train there.
I just rolled my eyes. Some people just don't give up.
This morning was nothing short of a nightmare. I had noticed that Highway 2 was busier than usual and my bus driver was 11 minutes late (but she's always late so technically she was on time). Once we hit Stevenson Road on our way to Oshawa GO Station, it was quite apparent we were going nowhere fast. I'm pretty sure this was apparent to every passenger on the bus - except for one woman.
She was seated in front of me. As we crawled along in a sea of traffic she began to fidget and bounce in her seat. She would sigh, look anxiously out the window, and check her watch. After 10 minutes of the bus idling in traffic, she got up and approached the driver. She asked if there was an alternate route the driver could take to the station, because she had a nine am meeting she couldn't reschedule.
Because you've all enjoyed my bad ass map skills in the past, here's a crude drawing of what traffic was like this morning. This woman got on at the Oshawa Centre, which is just north of the 401 on Stevenson Road. Its parking lot stretches to Gibb Street.
Believe me when I say there was no where else to go except stay on course.
This woman could have walked to the station in the time it took us from where our bus was stopped (shown on map) and when we finally got to the bus loop (24 minutes). The map isn't to scale. It's a 1.6 km walk to the station from Stevenson Road cloverleaf and Bloor. I've walked it in 18 minutes.
She begged the driver to radio someone and hold the 7:28 am GO train. God bless her, right? But this begs the question, should a traffic jam hold up a train? And make thousands of others late? I say no. The fact that the highway was shut down wasn't news. And even if there was an alternate route, they were all jammed.
This woman wasn't happy. She sat back down and fumed. I didn't see her try to phone anyone. In fact, I didn't see her email or use her phone in any way to attempt to reschedule her meeting. She had a phone. She was holding it in her hand. Maybe her battery was dead?
I will tell you this. If I had some place to be and it was clear I wasn't going to get there, I'd be asking anyone on the bus if I could borrow a phone to make a call.
Once we arrived at the station, I wasn't behind her to hear what she said to the driver. Some words were tossed out as she got off. I held back and asked the driver what the woman said to her. Apparently she asked if the driver could have the 96 driver hold his bus so she could take it to Whitby and catch the train there.
I just rolled my eyes. Some people just don't give up.
I emailed you something - you didn't publish it. I texted you something - you didn't publish it. I phoned you and you didn't record our call
Okay, the last bit isn't true but it would be nice if people did phone me. Nobody phones me.
I have to make a confession. Sometimes I forget stuff. I forget people have emailed me even though I star it, flag it and forward it - I forget. I get a lot of texts. Sometimes it's hard to keep up. And when it comes to photos, most of the time, I either smell bullshit or have to be careful that the photo isn't lifted from somewhere else (thank god for imgur.com, Twitter and Instagram - open forums rule!). International photos are harder. People send me all kinds of things and when I write back asking for the credit - crickets!
This part is painful to write. Sometimes I didn't publish what you sent because I couldn't see the humor in it. Or, it doesn't really fit with my content. Or, I don't feel the same way about Asian people as you do. I won't tolerate racism. I don't find making fun of how people dress or their weight humorous. It's just not who I am. However, if someone decided to ride the GO train dressed as Batman, that's totally blog-worthy. If someone is wearing Pac Man socks, I totally want to see that because that's cool.
This post isn't meant to deter you from writing to me. It's meant to explain why you don't see your submission on the website. I hope this clears things up.
I have to make a confession. Sometimes I forget stuff. I forget people have emailed me even though I star it, flag it and forward it - I forget. I get a lot of texts. Sometimes it's hard to keep up. And when it comes to photos, most of the time, I either smell bullshit or have to be careful that the photo isn't lifted from somewhere else (thank god for imgur.com, Twitter and Instagram - open forums rule!). International photos are harder. People send me all kinds of things and when I write back asking for the credit - crickets!
This part is painful to write. Sometimes I didn't publish what you sent because I couldn't see the humor in it. Or, it doesn't really fit with my content. Or, I don't feel the same way about Asian people as you do. I won't tolerate racism. I don't find making fun of how people dress or their weight humorous. It's just not who I am. However, if someone decided to ride the GO train dressed as Batman, that's totally blog-worthy. If someone is wearing Pac Man socks, I totally want to see that because that's cool.
This post isn't meant to deter you from writing to me. It's meant to explain why you don't see your submission on the website. I hope this clears things up.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Calm down now, no need to flip your lid
If only there'd been a sign to indicate the end of the bus lane...
But ... But it looked so happy ...
So the #TTC removed this sign at Downsview station this morning. Wonder why? #RideTheRocket #topoli pic.twitter.com/YtxjoxHvMX
— Toronto Sun (@TheTorontoSun) February 3, 2015Someone forgot how to clock
What's the actual time again? #FinchStationProblems #TTCProblems pic.twitter.com/ClZEARup1u
— yashar davari (@omgitzYASHAR) February 2, 2015
Maybe one day PRESTO will stop holding our money hostage
5 days in queue to be approved for a Go Transit refund and another 24-48 hours to receive a credit. @MichaelSuddard pic.twitter.com/ZAnywbYTLb
— Commuters United (@commutersunited) February 2, 2015
The GO Transit website limps along on life support
Yesterday, it was thought that the storm and thousands of people looking for information about train and bus cancellations brought down the GO Transit website.
Not so - read on.
This morning, it was still limping along on life support - service updates were AWOL.
Despite a full system restore, service updates didn't come back online. This caused people on Twitter to berate Metrolinx's PR.
The problem, apparently, was "deep in the backend".
Sounds dirty.
There's no word on when the site will be fully restored.
Not so - read on.
This morning, it was still limping along on life support - service updates were AWOL.
Despite a full system restore, service updates didn't come back online. This caused people on Twitter to berate Metrolinx's PR.
Sounds dirty.
There's no word on when the site will be fully restored.
This be your cah?
Ye forgot it at Whitby GO Station.
Yer window is down.
Yer backseat be full of snow.
Yer window is down.
Yer backseat be full of snow.
Monday, February 2, 2015
GO Transit February 2, 2015 Winter Weather Service Changes
TORONTO: February 2, 2015 – Due to ongoing signal and track issues as a result of recent extreme weather, GO Transit is adjusting afternoon train service to ensure customers get to their destination safely. Service adjustments will allow us to provide the best possible service to all GO Transit customers as we work to repair track infrastructure.
The GO Transit website will be available; however work to repair technical issues with online service updates is ongoing. Customers looking for service updates are encouraged to go to https://onthegoalerts.gotransit.com/en/Subscribers/SubscriberRegistration.aspx and register for On the GO alerts, which will provide immediate information via email or text message on major delays and cancellations. The GO Transit Twitter account (@GOtransit) will continue proactively communicating service change information and responding to customer questions. We ask that media share service change information.
February 2, 2015 afternoon GO Transit service changes:
Milton, Kitchener, and Barrie lines are operating normally.
Lakeshore East cancelled trains
16:25 eastbound from Union to Oshawa
17:22 westbound from Oshawa to Union
17:35 eastbound from Union to Pickering
18:25 westbound from Pickering to Union
Lakeshore West cancelled trains
16:10 westbound from Union to Burlington
16:43 westbound from Union to Oakville
17:35 eastbound from Oakville to Union
Lakeshore West modified trains
16:47 westbound from Union Station will be operating all stops from Union to Aldershot
18:30 westbound from Union Station will be operating all stops from Union to Hamilton
Stouffville cancelled train
15:18 northbound from Union to Unionville
Richmond Hill cancelled train
15:10 northbound from Union to Richmond Hill
Metrolinx is currently investing in new infrastructure that will limit service disruptions due to extreme weather.
The GO Transit website will be available; however work to repair technical issues with online service updates is ongoing. Customers looking for service updates are encouraged to go to https://onthegoalerts.gotransit.com/en/Subscribers/SubscriberRegistration.aspx and register for On the GO alerts, which will provide immediate information via email or text message on major delays and cancellations. The GO Transit Twitter account (@GOtransit) will continue proactively communicating service change information and responding to customer questions. We ask that media share service change information.
February 2, 2015 afternoon GO Transit service changes:
Milton, Kitchener, and Barrie lines are operating normally.
Lakeshore East cancelled trains
16:25 eastbound from Union to Oshawa
17:22 westbound from Oshawa to Union
17:35 eastbound from Union to Pickering
18:25 westbound from Pickering to Union
Lakeshore West cancelled trains
16:10 westbound from Union to Burlington
16:43 westbound from Union to Oakville
17:35 eastbound from Oakville to Union
Lakeshore West modified trains
16:47 westbound from Union Station will be operating all stops from Union to Aldershot
18:30 westbound from Union Station will be operating all stops from Union to Hamilton
Stouffville cancelled train
15:18 northbound from Union to Unionville
Richmond Hill cancelled train
15:10 northbound from Union to Richmond Hill
Metrolinx is currently investing in new infrastructure that will limit service disruptions due to extreme weather.
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