(04-04-2021, 02:25 PM)Bjays93 Wrote: The problem now for example, is that the only efficient way of commuting to toronto is via the 401. Increasing the speed of GO trains dosen't solve this problem.
Yes, just speed would make a big difference. Currently the Kitchener Line is limited by a combination of having to for freight traffic That limit to an effective track class of 2 and roughly 50km/h.
If the tracks were recoditioned to class 4—roughly 129km/h, not high speed—and contention with freight were removed, the all-stops trip with 5 minute dwell times from Kitchener to Union Station would be about 1h48m (with no blockages due to freight trains). That's competitive with a car on good days. However, given that there's a lot of bad days with 401 congestion and 2+ hour commutes between Kitchener and Toronto are not uncommon and train times are much less variable from day to day, that makes the train the more reliable, very "feasible" choice even with all those stops.
(04-04-2021, 02:25 PM)Bjays93 Wrote: We need fast transit with limited stops connecting our major cities. There are obviously intercity options with more stops, but there should be a train, HSR or not, that runs stops kitchener, guelph, Pearson, and union station. That's a feasible train to take.
Reconditioning the tracks to better than class 4 doesn't do more than that for an all-stops run, because some of the inter-station distances are simply too short to make it up to speed. You only shave off 2 or 3 minutes with each class increase.
But it does make things better for an express run that doesn't to be just the very limited run you suggest.
Kitchener→Guelph→Acton→Georgetown→Mount Pleasant→Union Station, the proposed Kitchener Line express trip for #2WADGO, would take about 43 minutes if it could be run at class 5 speeds of ~153km/h. Or 39 minutes at class 6 speeds of 177km/h. Common European train speeds not considered to be "high speed".