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+--- Thread: GO Transit (/showthread.php?tid=12)
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RE: GO Transit - bgb_ca - 03-24-2021
Yea, not surprised at them closing that stop. It didn't really make much sense there with the terminal shuttered.
And with Greyhound "gone" (I would be really surprised if they restart up again to be honest), once the covid center wraps up, I would not be surprised to be the building demo'd shortly after.
RE: GO Transit - ac3r - 03-24-2021
(03-24-2021, 12:48 PM)bgb_ca Wrote: And with Greyhound "gone" (I would be really surprised if they restart up again to be honest), once the covid center wraps up, I would not be surprised to be the building demo'd shortly after.
I've heard that Greyhound is pretty much done at this point. Apparently they were looking for a way to pull out of Canada for good and the pandemic gave them a great opportunity to finally do so. They could have restarted service months ago if they wanted because GO Transit is still able to operate their buses, but they've chosen not to. I won't be surprised if they come out publicly to announce a closure at some point in the next few months. It's a shame because if you're not going somewhere serviced by GO Transit or VIA, they're the only real option to get around the province.
RE: GO Transit - danbrotherston - 03-24-2021
(03-24-2021, 12:13 PM)KevinL Wrote: GO has announced that construction in downtown Kitchener has led to them moving the Charles and King/Victoria bus stops to new places on Weber. In a way, this is the final death of the Charles terminal as a location for intercity service.
Quote:GO Bus Route 25 will follow a different route in downtown Kitchener and some stops will be moved due to upcoming road construction projects in the area.
In downtown Kitchener, buses will run along Weber St. The stops on Victoria St. @ King St., Joseph St. @ Ontario St., Charles St. @ Queen St., and King St. @ Montgomery Rd. will be removed and relocated to Weber St., and will be an approximate five-to-ten minute walk from the stops being removed.
Route 25 will no longer serve the on-street stop near the Kitchener Bus Terminal. The replacement stop is located on Weber St. @ Queen St.
Well as someone who lives right next to the stop, it's a pain (although I haven't used the bus in over a year), but it's not a surprise. I think the bigger reason is the impending construction on Joseph to add cycle tracks. There would be no room for a GO Bus to stop without blocking traffic, so it makes sense that they must move the stop.
RE: GO Transit - danbrotherston - 03-24-2021
(03-24-2021, 12:48 PM)bgb_ca Wrote: Yea, not surprised at them closing that stop. It didn't really make much sense there with the terminal shuttered.
And with Greyhound "gone" (I would be really surprised if they restart up again to be honest), once the covid center wraps up, I would not be surprised to be the building demo'd shortly after.
The building is in use for COVID testing, but even after that, I doubt there is an incentive to demolish the building until a new use is found/planned, as we've seen having the building can be useful.
RE: GO Transit - danbrotherston - 03-24-2021
(03-24-2021, 12:59 PM)ac3r Wrote:(03-24-2021, 12:48 PM)bgb_ca Wrote: And with Greyhound "gone" (I would be really surprised if they restart up again to be honest), once the covid center wraps up, I would not be surprised to be the building demo'd shortly after.
I've heard that Greyhound is pretty much done at this point. Apparently they were looking for a way to pull out of Canada for good and the pandemic gave them a great opportunity to finally do so. They could have restarted service months ago if they wanted because GO Transit is still able to operate their buses, but they've chosen not to. I won't be surprised if they come out publicly to announce a closure at some point in the next few months. It's a shame because if you're not going somewhere serviced by GO Transit or VIA, they're the only real option to get around the province.
I have little doubt that GO Transit is operating their buses at a loss, something that Greyhound, a for profit company cannot do. Whether transit should be operated for profit is a discussion in itself, but it is clear that just because GO is operating, does not mean Greyhound could.
That being said, I suspect you are right, and I think that it is hard to demonstrate a worse failure of transportation policy than the near complete collapse of all intercity bus service (with the exception of Calgary<->Edmonton and Montreal<->Toronto, possibly others I'm not thinking of). I don't know what the solution is, but there is nothing redeemable about the current situation.
RE: GO Transit - tomh009 - 03-24-2021
(03-24-2021, 01:47 PM)danbrotherston Wrote:(03-24-2021, 12:48 PM)bgb_ca Wrote: Yea, not surprised at them closing that stop. It didn't really make much sense there with the terminal shuttered.
And with Greyhound "gone" (I would be really surprised if they restart up again to be honest), once the covid center wraps up, I would not be surprised to be the building demo'd shortly after.
The building is in use for COVID testing, but even after that, I doubt there is an incentive to demolish the building until a new use is found/planned, as we've seen having the building can be useful.
And COVID testing will not necessarily be "done" soon, either. Will wait and see on this one.
RE: GO Transit - Acitta - 03-24-2021
(03-24-2021, 12:59 PM)ac3r Wrote:I hope that Greyhound comes back. I want to get to London for my mother's 100th birthday in May and Greyhound was the only way to get there. VIA schedules are rather useless.(03-24-2021, 12:48 PM)bgb_ca Wrote: And with Greyhound "gone" (I would be really surprised if they restart up again to be honest), once the covid center wraps up, I would not be surprised to be the building demo'd shortly after.
I've heard that Greyhound is pretty much done at this point. Apparently they were looking for a way to pull out of Canada for good and the pandemic gave them a great opportunity to finally do so. They could have restarted service months ago if they wanted because GO Transit is still able to operate their buses, but they've chosen not to. I won't be surprised if they come out publicly to announce a closure at some point in the next few months. It's a shame because if you're not going somewhere serviced by GO Transit or VIA, they're the only real option to get around the province.
RE: GO Transit - KevinL - 03-24-2021
You have another, though non-direct, option: Perth County Connect.
RE: GO Transit - bgb_ca - 03-24-2021
(03-24-2021, 06:34 PM)Acitta Wrote:(03-24-2021, 12:59 PM)ac3r Wrote: I've heard that Greyhound is pretty much done at this point. Apparently they were looking for a way to pull out of Canada for good and the pandemic gave them a great opportunity to finally do so. They could have restarted service months ago if they wanted because GO Transit is still able to operate their buses, but they've chosen not to. I won't be surprised if they come out publicly to announce a closure at some point in the next few months. It's a shame because if you're not going somewhere serviced by GO Transit or VIA, they're the only real option to get around the province.I hope that Greyhound comes back. I want to get to London for my mother's 100th birthday in May and Greyhound was the only way to get there. VIA schedules are rather useless.
I agree. I'm heading down in a few weeks and the only option is the 7pm via train.
RE: GO Transit - ac3r - 03-25-2021
Two-way, all-day GO service to become reality by 2025: https://www.kitchenertoday.com/amp/local-news/two-way-all-day-go-service-to-become-reality-by-2025-ontario-3573673
RE: GO Transit - danbrotherston - 03-25-2021
(03-25-2021, 10:15 AM)ac3r Wrote: Two-way, all-day GO service to become reality by 2025: https://www.kitchenertoday.com/amp/local-news/two-way-all-day-go-service-to-become-reality-by-2025-ontario-3573673
I've seen this, and I've seen this from the region.
AFAIK there is no concrete construction projects, nor agreements with CN in place at this point, I don't know what we're celebrating here. The government could promise me a unicorn in 2025, I wouldn't bother making hay about it.
RE: GO Transit - Bytor - 03-25-2021
(03-25-2021, 10:23 AM)danbrotherston Wrote:(03-25-2021, 10:15 AM)ac3r Wrote: Two-way, all-day GO service to become reality by 2025: https://www.kitchenertoday.com/amp/local-news/two-way-all-day-go-service-to-become-reality-by-2025-ontario-3573673
I've seen this, and I've seen this from the region.
AFAIK there is no concrete construction projects, nor agreements with CN in place at this point, I don't know what we're celebrating here. The government could promise me a unicorn in 2025, I wouldn't bother making hay about it.
Quite right. The biggest project on this brief, the freight bypass, was cancelled by them and there's been no new information for more than 2 years how they will be dealing with that. We're now at two and a quarter years since then-Transorptation Minister Yurek's December 2018 promise of "big news" in a year to a year and a half. The next biggest—the environmental assessment for electrification from Georgetown to Kitchener, and the tunnels under the 401/407—were both started under the Liberals. The few remaining projects that have been done on Kitchener Line between Union and Bramalea were also all planned out by the Metrolinx under the GO RER project of the Liberals. lso, in 2019, the Tories cut almost $200M from Metrolinx's budget.
Until I see some actual action and not just talk about budget "commitments", I'm going to view this as election fruit for next year.
RE: GO Transit - KevinL - 03-25-2021
Everything in this announcement was about Georgetown to Kitchener; they're noticeably silent on Bramalea to Georgetown, the actual bottleneck. :/
RE: GO Transit - KevinT - 03-27-2021
A fly-over or duck-under would help to get GO from the south side of CN's freights to the north and a lot cheaper than the complete freight bypass. Not nearly as transformative long term though, I'd still much rather have the bypass.
RE: GO Transit - danbrotherston - 03-27-2021
(03-27-2021, 06:33 AM)KevinT Wrote: A fly-over or duck-under would help to get GO from the south side of CN's freights to the north and a lot cheaper than the complete freight bypass. Not nearly as transformative long term though, I'd still much rather have the bypass.
Not just less transformative, more disruptive and politically difficult as widening would be happening in the middle of towns.
And worse in general as we will still have diesel freight trains polluting inside dense city areas, that could have moved out.