GO Transit

[Articulated]

17 hours ago, yrt1000 said:

Does anyone know if the two hybrids 3000 and 3001 are still active?

3000 is done; has been gone for most of 2019.

3001 was in service on July 15th (rode it) but I heard a week or two later it was sitting in the back of Steeprock; unsure if it has also been removed from service.

[Doppelkupplung]

Are a lot of the retired MCIs being bought by second owners or scrapped?

I wonder what the future holds for the 3000s, being hybrids.

[Bus_Medic]

1 hour ago, Doppelkupplung said:

Are a lot of the retired MCIs being bought by second owners or scrapped?

I wonder what the future holds for the 3000s, being hybrids.

It’s been my experience that almost all of them are snapped up at auction and live second lives all over North America. Being sold off reasonably early in their designed service lives helps, and I think there’s a broader market for them vs. a transit coach of the same vintage.

having said that, prospects are bleak for the two hybrids, being rather rare configurations, and most churches, sports teams and independent operators don’t have deep enough pockets to keep something like that roadworthy, never mind their local maintenance provider not having any hands on experience with them.

[Shaun]

On 8/23/2019 at 1:49 PM, Bus_Medic said:

It’s been my experience that almost all of them are snapped up at auction and live second lives all over North America. Being sold off reasonably early in their designed service lives helps, and I think there’s a broader market for them vs. a transit coach of the same vintage.

having said that, prospects are bleak for the two hybrids, being rather rare configurations, and most churches, sports teams and independent operators don’t have deep enough pockets to keep something like that roadworthy, never mind their local maintenance provider not having any hands on experience with them.

Wonder if MCI (New flyer) would "buy them back" if there was an order for D4500's?

[TTC Guy]

37 minutes ago, Shaun said:

Wonder if MCI (New flyer) would "buy them back" if there was an order for D4500's?

I would majorly doubt this because if a company wanted used D4500’s they could just buy them directly from GO instead of going through MCI. 

[newflyerinvero]

About a week ago, I received an email with a follow-up regarding the Tim Horton's at various GO stations along the Lakeshore Lines.
I was told that a new Time Horton's trailer was just set up at Oshawa GO Station which will be open year round. At this point in time, there aren't plans for the other stations that once had previous Tim's trailers (Like Oakville), but if there are plans, I will be given follow-up on it.

[Turtle]

On 8/22/2019 at 10:26 AM, Ed T. said:

I would think that this kind of issue would be very rare.

Your suggestion about headphones is merely that, a suggestion, and not a very satisfactory one at that.

Why not? It was the first thing I thought of, since he would have no control of what the passengers around him do, or what kind of perfume they wear, or how much fabric softener they used in the laundry.

 

None of the articles about this mentioned any other sensitivities that would stop him from wearing a decent fitting set of headphones, or even hearing protectors.  He doesn't need to sit near the front of the bus, he doesn't need to sit within smelling distance of the operators mouth, he doesn't need to be in a spot where he can see the operator chewing.

 

I'm happy to accommodate people in any way that would make their lives a little easier, but this seems unreasonable when there are simpler solutions that don't require rules for others. 

 

[Ed T.]

11 minutes ago, Turtle said:

Why not? It was the first thing I thought of, since he would have no control of what the passengers around him do, or what kind of perfume they wear, or how much fabric softener they used in the laundry.

Well, that assumes that you have headphones, something to plug them into, and want to listen to them in the first place.

While I'm not a complainer about anyone chewing, I don't bring headphones or anything to plug them into. When I'm in a car for 8 hours a day, when asked what my preferred radio station is, my answer is "off". (So I get to listen to Roz and Mocha, or Democracy Now, or Boom, anyway. )

Many people do like wearing headphones on transit and elsewhere. I suppose for them, noise would not be a bother. (Some are a bother with their noise, of course.) Assuming that everyone could, should, and would want to wear headphones is not, in my opinion, realistic.

Personally, I really enjoy a ride where the stop announcements are not working. If the door beep-beep or ding-dong-dang aren't working either, so much the better. (Mr Lepofsky will now sue me.)

[Turtle]

7 hours ago, Ed T. said:

Well, that assumes that you have headphones, something to plug them into, and want to listen to them in the first place.

While I'm not a complainer about anyone chewing, I don't bring headphones or anything to plug them into.

I also mentioned hearing protectors. I would assume that in his case, if he required something to shield himself from some form of irritation/over-stimulation, then he would carry a pair around with him in his paralegal briefcase. While you are not a complainer, you are also not claiming to be disabled from it like this guy is. 

[Xtrazsteve]

The point of the memo was to make the GO more attractive to the disabled and to show that they care for their customers. Unfortunately the wrong message got out.

[Wayside Observer]

On August 22, 2019 at 10:26 AM, Ed T. said:

I would think that this kind of issue would be very rare.

Your suggestion about headphones is merely that, a suggestion, and not a very satisfactory one at that.

Autism was tough on this B.C. pair. This is how they're making it easier for others

Actually, as it turns out, it appears that was a pretty satisfactory suggestion after all.

12 hours ago, Turtle said:

I also mentioned hearing protectors. I would assume that in his case, if he required something to shield himself from some form of irritation/over-stimulation, then he would carry a pair around with him in his paralegal briefcase. While you are not a complainer, you are also not claiming to be disabled from it like this guy is. 

That article that just came out that I linked to above is about British Columbia.  I don't know, maybe the abdication of personal responsibility has gotten so extreme in Ontario that the idea of carrying what you need to make it through the day with you has gone out the window in Ontario in 2019.  I don't know, all that time working out west and up north where adults are expected to behave like adults really soured me on the place.

[G.A]

8199 is refurbished. Is there any reason why the 2015 batch is being done before the batch previous to them?

[Shaun]

I think that this Ontario Northland and Go transit partnership should continue year round. Who wants to drive the 400 in a snow storm? I dont! It would be nice if they could have connecting bus service to Collingwood and other cities in cottage country. 

https://blog.metrolinx.com/2018/08/07/bus-service-to-muskoka-sold-out-to-start-new-go-transit-and-ontario-northland-partnership/

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

On 9/6/2019 at 9:53 PM, Shaun said:

I think that this Ontario Northland and Go transit partnership should continue year round. Who wants to drive the 400 in a snow storm? I dont! It would be nice if they could have connecting bus service to Collingwood and other cities in cottage country. 

https://blog.metrolinx.com/2018/08/07/bus-service-to-muskoka-sold-out-to-start-new-go-transit-and-ontario-northland-partnership/

I would agree! Not many people who don't have a car (and wanted to hit the slopes at Blue Mountain ski resort in Collingwood) really wanted the Ontario Northland/GO Transit partnership to continue!

As for Uber from the Barrie South and/or Allandale Waterfront to the ski resort, the cost can be very prohibitive. It would be nice if the Blue Mountain ski resort should offer bus trips through bus.com to shuttle the winter sports revellers from the Allandale Waterfront (or Barrie South) GO station. That's my wish list - unless I launch a petition demanding such a service to be offered!

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

8 hours ago, 110B West Pickering said:

Doesn’t Simcoe County now operate a Linx bus from Barrie to Collingwood?

It does, but you have to transfer to two different buses.

Also, one of their routes only operates during the weekdays (IIRC, the Barrie-Wasaga Beach bus).

 

Posted from my Samsung Galaxy S9

[Wayside Observer]

String of wheel thefts targeting trucks at GO stations extends along Lakeshore West route

I honestly hope that since Metrolinx appears to be hell bent on running what amounts to a large in-house police department between the special constables and revenue protection squads that, as an organization, they're taking this seriously and doing some aggressive patrolling of the parking lots to deter criminals doing things like this.

[Bus_Medic]

Did they ever get a handle on the tweakers with sawzalls stealing catalytic converters in the ‘Shwa?

[Wayside Observer]

17 hours ago, Bus_Medic said:

Did they ever get a handle on the tweakers with sawzalls stealing catalytic converters in the ‘Shwa?

I've been wondering the same thing.  Oshawa's also had problems with car thefts outright.  One lady I work with and her husband have gotten off the train in Oshawa twice now only to discover their car's been stolen, and they had a catalytic converter stolen out of another car.

[DavidH]

On 9/17/2019 at 3:05 PM, Wayside Observer said:

String of wheel thefts targeting trucks at GO stations extends along Lakeshore West route

I honestly hope that since Metrolinx appears to be hell bent on running what amounts to a large in-house police department between the special constables and revenue protection squads that, as an organization, they're taking this seriously and doing some aggressive patrolling of the parking lots to deter criminals doing things like this.

This wasn't posted earlier, but arrests were made the next day after your post.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5917787/arrest-tire-rim-thefts-go/

 

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

ICAMI (In case anyone missed it):

The Lakeshore East line will be closed on the weekend of October 26 and 27 for maintenance work.

The GO Transit route 90B buses will run between the Union Station Bus Terminal and stop at Pickering to Oshawa GO stations. For those who live between the Danforth and Rouge Hill GO stations, they can use the TTC.

 

Not sure how the 96B GO bus will play a role on the closure...

 

Posted from my Samsung Galaxy S9

[Shaun]

They need to close the whole line? Why not in stages?

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

18 hours ago, Shaun said:

They need to close the whole line? Why not in stages?

We don't know nor understand why they have to close the entire line, but here are the reasons:

We’re performing maintenance work and upgrading our infrastructure to help keep service consistent and comfortable for you. The work can only be completed when trains aren’t running. We’re coordinating the projects to occur during a single weekend to minimize the disruption to you.

When we’re finished, there will be several benefits to Lakeshore East passengers including:
 

• repairs to the Danforth Avenue bridge that will ensure your safety;
• repairs of two railroad crossings in Pickering and Scarborough that will help minimize delays and help ensure you get to your destination on time;
• track maintenance so we can continue to provide you with a comfortable commute;
• upgrade of our signals equipment, which will improve train performance and prevent delays; and
• installation of tactile yellow tiles on the platform at Ajax GO to remind passengers how far back to stand for their safety.

While it may be sound to close the line in stages, it would have added years to the upgrade work. If GO wanted to have more frequent service on that line sooner rather than later, they have to close the entire line. 

[Doppelkupplung]

I guess it’s like ripping a bandaid, may as well get it done, and quick. 

[Shaun]

Once this current order of doubled Decker's is finished, is that it for new buses? 

They will continue to retire MCI coaches, and is there a need to replace them with single level busses where double deckers are not needed?

[Doppelkupplung]

I’m actually curious about this as well, because well over half of the 23xx MCIs have silently disappeared. The wiki calls for another 52 or so SuperLos. How many MCIs will get axed going forward, or is it mileage based retirement? 

Also just scared my ISM MCIs might get chopped sooner than I think....