04-04-2022, 01:26 PM
(04-03-2022, 04:18 PM)tomh009 Wrote:(04-02-2022, 06:47 PM)Bytor Wrote: Though, oddly, in spite of that reason for not resuming prepandemic schedules to Kitchener, they also say this:
https://kitchener.citynews.ca/around-sou...ne-5221838
"Metrolinx, Stratford mayor expecting increased ridership on expanded Kitchener GO line
Stating it will take time to build a ridership for the expanded GO train service, as the holiday season saw the highest ticket sales"
As quoted in the article...
For Stratford they are willing to spend now to increase ridership in the long term with a "build it and they will come" mentality, something we all know pays out well when it comes to transit projects anywhere.
But for Kitchener, where the spending on restoring increased service would mean a much, much quicker increase in ridership, the excuse instead is that there's not enough ridership to warrant doing so.
This inconsistency is especially aggravating given that they had restored virtually all pre-pandemic service to Kitchener back in October, citing both ridership increases in spite of covid-19 and a certainty that ridership beyond pre-pandemic levels was a given. But then they axed everything in mid-January during the midst of the delta/omicron wave and that, if anything, is the real cause of low ridership today.