Having been out
of the country in September, I decided to drop in on GO Transit’s
monthly meeting last Friday and catch up on the latest news at the
regional commuter agency. While the funds for big-ticket expansion
projects remain elusive, GO continues to make regular announcements,
heralding new or renovated train stations, the expansion of parking
lots or the addition of new rail or bus service.
The big changes
are still a few years away. Even though there is considerable
uncertainty over funding, a raft of major projects are scheduled to
open in 2007, 2008 and 2009. If all goes to plan, that’s when riders
may see the extension of GO trains to Barrie, increased rail service
through Brampton, longer trains on the Milton line, and the addition
of a third track on crowded portions of the Lakeshore line, east and
west of Toronto. Over the next few years, transit officials also
hope to separate some their trains from some very busy freight
lines.
Getting the
latest on these projects was one reason to sit in on GO’s board
meeting last Friday -- the other was to find out what they’re doing
about delays. In August, GO buses boasted a 99% on-time performance,
while the rail system was lower, at 91%. That’s not a big drop from
August of last year, but one reason for the delays caught my eye --
locomotive failures. Those hardy green and white engines are showing
their age, and reliability is a concern.
GO is in the
market for newer, stronger locomotives -- in part because they are
more dependable, but also for their ability to haul longer trains.
Replacements can’t come soon enough -- just ask the 85 passengers
stranded on a train hours before GO’s meeting. Shortly after 5 a.m.,
the locomotive on a Toronto-bound train from Oshawa lost power far
from the nearest road. 85 people were stuck aboard for hours, and
the trickle-down effect of the missing train affected commuters all
morning. After being pushed to a nearby station by another train,
the riders eventually made it to Union Station by 8:30 a.m. Ouch.
It may not have
helped the folks on that train, but a planned email alert service
could be in place by early 2005 to warn riders of possible delays.
Currently, riders wishing to check on their trains or buses before
they leave for the station can do so by visiting the Service Updates
page at www.gotransit.com.
Because serious
delays are relatively rare, most riders may not bother checking
online every day. The email service would be customized to send
alerts only if there are problems along a specific route. A low-tech
electronic mailing already goes out to 5,000 recipients, and GO
needs to upgrade their computer system before adding more
subscribers.
But what if
you’ve already arrived at the station? Over the last year, GO has
received a lot of scrutiny over the way it communicates with
customers during slowdowns. Officials promised to increase their
ability to deliver timely updates to riders aboard trains and inside
Union Station, so look for improvements shortly.
Last winter the
combination of snow and cold temperatures caused havoc on the rails
-- and elicited a lot of grumbling among riders and in the
provincial government, which is responsible for GO. One out of five
trains were delayed in January 2004, or just 79% on time -- compared
to 92% in January 2003. To spare railroad workers from having to
clear icy track switches by hand -- which occurred often last winter
-- new hot air blowers should be installed at crucial junctions by
the end of the month.
Send e-mail to
transit@eddrass.com. Include
address and phone number.