[sportsnet]

Toronto doesnt have any fancy suburban transit, basically just a push/pull system using locomotives and it cant run high frequency trains because the track is owned by freight compananies but they do a very good job with what they have. Ridership on the trains is about 40-45 million per year. They also have an extensive bus system the also carries a few million.

Here are some pics.

the locomotive

it is quite large

blasting through the snow

 

[Nouvellecosse]

The locomotives just look like VIA rail. I wonder if they'll ever go advanced with a high tech electricTGV-like system running on deticated lines. Or even something like the Calgary C-Train. So what is the frequency on these. My Mother said that when she used them that if you missed one that you had to wait a whole hour. But that was 20 years ago.

 

[Jayayess1190]

I like GO transit. Been on it once a while ago while in Toronto.

 

[snoopy]

soon i'll have to take these everyday once i move out of the ttc's range... =_='' markham.

 

[DrJoe]

The locomotives just look like VIA rail. I wonder if they'll ever go advanced with a high tech electricTGV-like system running on deticated lines. Or even something like the Calgary C-Train. So what is the frequency on these. My Mother said that when she used them that if you missed one that you had to wait a whole hour. But that was 20 years ago.

The frequency at peak times is roughly 20-30 minutes because as said GO doesnt own much track so they have to work within what the freight companies tell them. They are slowly building more track to help this problem but it will never get to the point where it becomes a high frequency service. Back in the 70's or so there was talk of making some ALRT lines but nothing ever came of it.

 

[nikko]

Toronto should consider investing into a 'fancy suburban system' because I can imagine the Loco-pulled double deck carriages would be somewhat inefficient and slow.

A good suggestion would be some single deck DMU's, you don't need to worry about electifying the system and the speed, frequency and efficiency could be upgraded from there.

 

[vc15nets]

Nice double decker trains!

 

[samsonyuen]

Nice pictures! Look at them trains go through that blizzard!

 

[doady]

Go Trains seems fast enough to me despite being pulls by locomotive. The real proper is lack of service and the high fares. It is a pathetic transit system overall.

 

[crazyjoeda]

From what I've heard GO is one of the best comuter trains in North America, but it looks like crap compared to the trains London and its suburbs have.

Toronto should consider investing into a 'fancy suburban system' because I can imagine the Loco-pulled double deck carriages would be somewhat inefficient and slow.

If you mean somthing like an LRT I don't think that would work for Toronto's since its so sprawling the cost would be astronomical.

 

[addisonwesley]

All lines lead to Toronto.

 

[FOLK]

Its good but not is unic...

 

[doady]

If you mean somthing like an LRT I don't think that would work for Toronto's since its so sprawling the cost would be astronomical.

So sprawling? Is that why it has heavy rail now which is even better than light rail? Those are heavy rail trains in those pics.

The cost for building LRT is same pretty much everywhere regardless of how sprawling a place is anyways. Operation costs are not an issue either since Toronto area is very dense and transit ridership is very high.

 

[crazyjoeda]

So sprawling? Is that why it has heavy rail now which is even better than light rail? Those are heavy rail trains in those pics.

What? I know they are heavy rail. Nikko said

Toronto should consider investing into a 'fancy suburban system'

. So I was woundering if he ment somthing like an LRT and if so it wouldn't happen because it would cost so much.

The cost for building LRT is same pretty much everywhere regardless of how sprawling a place is anyways. Operation costs are not an issue either since Toronto area is very dense and transit ridership is very high.

It costs more to build a larger system, to replace GO with an LRT would cost several billion dollars. For example in Vancouver an 11km LRT is being built for 2009 and it will cost 600million, GO has several hundered km of track it really adds up.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

^Actually, GO does not really have much track at all. They "rent" the usage of rail lines from the big rail corporations.

 

[Isan]

 

[nikko]

From what I've heard GO is one of the best comuter trains in North America, but it looks like crap compared to the trains London and its suburbs have.


If you mean somthing like an LRT I don't think that would work for Toronto's since its so sprawling the cost would be astronomical.

If you read my post fully, you would see that I mentioned a DMU(diesel multiple unit) as a viable option

Example(Melbourne Vlocity):

Of course it would need to be 8-10 carriages, but you get the idea.

 

[nikko]

What? I know they are heavy rail. Nikko said . So I was woundering if he ment somthing like an LRT and if so it wouldn't happen because it would cost so much.



It costs more to build a larger system, to replace GO with an LRT would cost several billion dollars. For example in Vancouver an 11km LRT is being built for 2009 and it will cost 600million, GO has several hundered km of track it really adds up.

And not to mention it would be a hell of a lot slower. LRT is definately not for longer distances.

 

[doady]

It costs more to build a larger system, to replace GO with an LRT would cost several billion dollars. For example in Vancouver an 11km LRT is being built for 2009 and it will cost 600million, GO has several hundered km of track it really adds up.

But why pay so much money to downgrade GO Transit to LRT in the first place? This is what I don't understand.

 

[Arpels]

the train is fantastic