Major delays
hit GO’s Lakeshore rail line last week, when the eastern section was
closed on Monday for a pedestrian fatality and again on Thursday for
a major fire next to the tracks near Danforth station. The ripple
effect was felt into Friday when some railway personnel reached
their federally-mandated work hour limits and several trains were
cancelled.
During the
disruptions some riders coped by staying downtown later than
planned; others travelled by subway and connecting GO bus service
into Durham region. Still others were stuck waiting aboard trains or
in stations.
Brad Leveille
of Whitby writes that he was caught on a train for two hours as
officials at the fire repeatedly closed and opened the Lakeshore
rail line on Thursday. “We all understand emergency situations are
outside of GO Transit control,” he writes. “However, the completely
unorganized GO response to these situations is what riders find most
frustrating.”
PC leader John
Tory stated earlier this year that GO Transit managers should be
accountable for late trains. He said in June, "If they don't meet
their own standard they'll suffer the same fate that other people
suffer in business, which is you lose your job."
Tory later
tempered his comments, acknowledging that GO is subject to train
traffic, weather and other factors, but told In Transit there needed
to be “a reasonable, and reasonably high, standard of performance
that the traveling public would have the right to expect.”
From my
perspective, Tory’s initial plan to dismiss transit managers
unfairly tapped the frustration that many riders feel, and showed
too little research into the realities of what GO can, and cannot
do. Holding up the private sector as a benchmark was also off the
mark, at least where transport providers are concerned. This summer,
US airline passengers endured widespread delays and complained
bitterly of inadequate treatment by air carriers, but there have
been little or no reports of any company executives being let go for
poor on-time performance or sloppy communication.
Nonetheless, we
need an extensive and open discussion about accountability for
public transit providers in the GTA. Riders should have access to
credible third-party assessments of how well our services are being
run, planned and how officials are responding during emergencies.
The committees that oversee the region’s transit agencies can then
develop performance standards. But these bodies must do a better job
of connecting with riders, particularly GO’s board.
If Ontario
politicians want to take a responsible approach instead of pandering
to votes, then promise specific funds for accountability and
communication. Set up formal advisory committees drawn from actual
transit riders, to meet directly with managers and deal with ongoing
complaints -- and put the details online.