March 31 2009 — if the deadline holds true — we will have a better understanding of the requirements and feasibility of the expansion of service on the Georgetown line to Kitchener/Waterloo and Guelph.

GO Transit responded to my question regarding their expected completion date and this is what they have told me.

Back in in June, GO Transit and the Province announced a new streamlined EA Process to help fast track certain GO projects. The GO KW-Guelph train expansion EA is not under the fast tracked process yet — even if it was applied under the new process GO has gone ahead to say it would not push the date any earlier. March 31 2009 is already quite agressive as it is.

- Steve Host
Guelph

Starting June 29, GO Transit is adding much new bus service across it’s network:

• Extension of bus service to Stoney Creek on weekdays, starting June 30. Will run to Burlington GO train station. (Note: actual pickup location is Nash & Barton in *Hamilton*!
• Additional weekday bus service between Milton and Bronte, connecting to train service
• Additional weekend bus departures to be added for Guelph, Acton, Georgetown and Malton (Georgetown line bus service)
• University of Guelph bus loop will now add Georgetown corridor bus service on weekends. The additional departures will start at U of G, run to the downtown Guelph terminal , then head east to Georgetown and beyond.’

There are additional schedule changes  — all GO transit users are encouraged to check the updated GO schedules at http://gotransit.com

To all users of Greyhound commuter service — a  notice from Greyhound stating

NEW KITCHENER LOCATION: The new Kitchener ticket sales location will be at SportsWorld, with service beginning June 15, ticket sales start July 21st.

Downtown pick up and drop-off will continue at Charles St. Terminal

Effective July 21, tickets can no longer be purchased at Charles St. Terminal only at the new SportsWorld location.

You may board the bus downtown Kitchener and purchase your ticket at SportsWorld

[editors note — what is the impact of this for Guelph highway 7 commuters who don’t want to go to Sportsworld to get tickets?]

Thanks to Aidan Kelley for supplying the information for this post..

- Steve

An Environmental Assessment for GO Train expansion has been announced in the local newspapers, in the least, the Guelph Mercury, May 28 edition.

“The study will review potential sites for construction of new rail stations and layover facilities, and will also identify possible improvements to the existing rail line between Georgetown and Kitchener”

The announcement also invites public participation into the Environmental Assessment Process. Now, I don’t have the timing of the expansion of service in front of me, but I have a funny feeling the timing of this may have something to do with the Region of Waterloo’s accelerated approval of the Rapid Transit plans.

I also note that the Study Region is ONLY Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph. Breslau is not included. Earlier indications pointed to a layover facility in Breslau…

What happened? Did Waterloo region wake up, or did the province give them a nudge?

Either way, in my opinion, the fact they  are studying GO expansion to Waterloo Region, and furthermore, the coincidence the Rapid Transit system and GO Trains may arrive at the same time are very welcome news. It would be very hard to imagine a Rapid Transit system without some form of reliable inter-city rail service to Toronto…

- Steve Host

By 2013 Waterloo region residents could be gliding along Rapid Transit light rail systems between Waterloo and Kitchener as part of a plan to fast track municipal and provincial approval for the system.

According to the K-W Record, on May 24, the Province, who is paying 2/3 the cost of the system, invited the Region to fast track their approval, where in turn, the Province would fast track theirs. This shaves 2 years of the approval times required.

The routes and technology (Trains, Bus, etc) will be selected by this fall, said the article.

.. the timing of this is also interesting… GO Transit is pushing Trains into Kitchener and Guelph. See the next post for more.

Read the full article here:

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/355321

- Steve Host

Guelph

If you live in Waterloo Region, you should be livid to hear that yet again, it would appear GO Transit is looking to extend GO Train service to Guelph and leaving Waterloo region clearly in the cold.. from the Guelph Tribune, with MPP Liz Sandals and Mayor Karen Farbridge contributing:

“”GO is starting to wonder if it can get service to Guelph without having to do track improvements from Georgetown to Guelph,” [Liz Sandals] said.

“However, the same doesn’t apply to extending GO train service to Kitchener-Waterloo, because there are track issues between K-W and Guelph that would need to be addressed for GO trains to operate there, she said.”

“What to do about extending GO trains west of Georgetown is “sort of an evolving discussion,” and no final decisions have been made, she said.

Double-tracking west of Georgetown would be very expensive, Sandals has said in the past, because a lot of the bridges and grade build-ups involved have been designed for single-tracking.”

The Mayor of Guelph who is very supportive to GO Transit, had the following to say

“She said her letter included information on demand in Guelph for GO trains, work the city is doing towards building a new transit station downtown, and the city’s plans to get more people to live in the downtown area.

When GO trains were extended to Barrie, the business case there called for sufficient ridership to develop over a period of two years, but “the ridership was there within two weeks,” Farbridge said.

Great stuff from Guelph — a very proactive coordination of Government and lo and behold things are moving along… but what of Waterloo Region? … again, if you are from Waterloo start asking your politicians the same question.. it is not too late to get things started.

- Steve Host, Guelph

“Magda Konieczna
Guelph Mercury

GUELPH-GO rail service could be coming to Guelph.

GO Transit decided last week to start a study of what it would take and how big the customer base would be.

There could eventually be a train every 20 minutes during rush hour - heading to Toronto in the morning and back to Guelph and beyond in the evening - and every hour outside of rush times.”

A link to the full article:

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/424865

From 1990 to 1993, Guelph had GO Train service. This consisted of a singular departure from downtown Guelph with a stop at Acton before latching onto the regular Georgetown schedule. This would have been the fourth and last departure from the Georgetown rush hour trains.

____________ GO #146 _ GO #145
Guelph ______ 07:13 ___ 18:51
Acton _______ 07:28 ___ 18:34
Georgetown __ 07:43 ___ 18:17
Brampton ____ 07:57 ___ 18:02
Bramalea ____ 08:04 ___ 17:54
Malton ______ 08:09 ___ 17:48
Etobicoke N _ 08:15 ___ 17:42
Weston ______ 08:20 ___ 17:37
Bloor _______ 08:27 ___ 17:29
Toronto _____ 08:38 ___ 17:20

Source: GO Transit 27 October 1990  Timetable, transcribed from Canadian Passenger Rail and Tom Box.

Low ridership numbers and budget cuts by the NDP Government of the time cancelled this service in 1993.

….. As a commuter, I get the impression that the 401 was a much better place to commute in 1990 than it is today. Almost 20 years have passed, populations have grown significantly, and the commuters have continued to move further and further west from Toronto/GTA into Cambridge, Guelph, and Waterloo Region. To compare 1993 to today is comparing apples and oranges, but it is interesting to reflect. I am interested in recieving ridership numbers from Guelph and Acton — please contact me if you have this information handy.

- Stephen C. Host

Above — the plans for the Hamilton Lakeshore West layover facility. It does not get any cheaper than this, folks. Both existing tracks will be utilized, essentially with power and maintenance connections, a new building (substation/maintenance), and the trains will  just sit there, quietly, overnight. (Engines will be shut down due to fact they will be connected to power). Mainline CP trains will pass on the third track which will not be used by GO Transit.

Information provided by Bob Brattina, Ward 2 (Hamilton) Councillor. Thanks!

- Steve

A local Tour operator in Guelph, Ontario has announced a Tourist Train which will operate from Guelph to Guelph Junction, Ontario. While this does not bring any commuter benefit, it makes one wonder what ‘could be’ given the fact it will be a passenger train operating close to the Milton GO Line.

The Guelph Historical Railway Association has picked up a press release by Destiny Tours International discussing details of the tourist operation, which will feature full service meals “view(ing) the rolling scenery of the environmentally protected Greenbelt of Ontario.”.

It’s not everyday a new passenger train is announced in our region, therefore I thought it interesting to post here.