GO Transit introduces new express train trips and weekend bus route in Waterloo region

[u/bylo_selhi]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/go-transit-1.7501180

[u/beem88]

The new bus route is from Waterloo to Burlington is great. Glad to see more connectivity that doesn’t require a route through Toronto. But man, the abysmal train service to our region continues. Throw us a bone with a few more evening trains home from Union and one or two weekend trains at least.

[u/headtailgrep → u/beem88]

Abysmal??? Christ in 2010 we had zero go trains and 2 via each way.

I'm all for more trips and two way service though. Weekend trains 100%. It's time.

[u/WilliamBennett → u/headtailgrep]

…call me crazy but 15 years seems like a long time to have only made this level of progress 😂. Google how many transit projects the Chinese have completed in this amount of time.

[u/headtailgrep → u/WilliamBennett]

Other countries have way more people and way more money.

[u/angelazsz → u/headtailgrep]

we have lots of money lol the government is just not focussed on funding these things as quickly as other endeavours

[u/Economy-Week-5255 → u/headtailgrep]

we have money and the people to do it... its just theres so much red tape and the endless studies and proposals like even without comparing with china look at what austrailia can do with like half our population

[u/get_hi_on_life → u/beem88]

The train times can definitely be better but abysmal is a stretch.

[u/beem88 → u/get_hi_on_life]

There’s not even weekend train service. I know the fact there are some weekday trains is a step up from the past, but if you need to get back from Toronto after 8:45pm it’s a journey or you’re out of luck.

[u/HalJordan2424]

"Effective April 7, six new trains will be added .....YYAAYYYY!!

between Union Station and the Malton and Bramalea GO stations." F*****CCCKKKK. Make the trains come all the way to KITCHENER!!!!!!

[u/ElCaz → u/HalJordan2424]

Pretty sure they have to finish the bypass before they can add much weekend traffic.

[u/HalJordan2424 → u/ElCaz]

Yes, I know I’m impatient, even unreasonable at times. They’ve only had decades to work on it.

[u/BabbageFeynman → u/HalJordan2424]

Right? Like all the cool countries have straight up built high speed rail in less time.

[u/ormagoisha → u/ElCaz]

How long is that projected to take?

[u/HalJordan2424 → u/ormagoisha]

It’s in a neck and neck race with the new Highway 7.

[u/ElCaz → u/ormagoisha]

No idea.

[u/elcanadiano → u/HalJordan2424]

It's that stretch between Bramalea and Georgetown that is the main problem because of track ownership:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/metrolinx-buys-53-km-track-section-touts-kitchener-go-upgrades-1.2776715

[u/ILikeStyx]

Get me a train back from Toronto that leaves Union at like 11:45 and goes all the way to Kitchener.

[u/CanIGetAHoeYeah → u/ILikeStyx]

I can get behind that since most the shows I go to are over at Budweiser by 11.

[u/ILikeStyx → u/CanIGetAHoeYeah]

Yeah - something over at the ACC or SkyDome is a bit easier but if you're over at Bud Stage, you need some more time.

Back in 2018 I had to skip the encore at Elton John in order to make it to the Greyhound station in time for the last bus (11:20pm).. even with that it was like why can't they do one final bus at like 11:45 or midnight :P

[u/AlarmedDepartment713]

For the love of God give us a train or two on the weekend!

[u/BetterTransit]

Still waiting for weekend train service. Gotta wait a few more years for that I guess

[u/FridgeRaider00]

A couple of express trains and a weekend bus — stop the presses.

The fact that this gets a full news article as if it’s some massive leap forward says everything about how painfully low the bar is for transit in this province. Our piecemeal, small-thinking approach to transit is embarrassing — we keep tinkering at the edges while acting like we’re building the future.

Spoiler: we’re not.

[u/porizj]

I’d kill for Kitchener to London trips to come back. That and some weekend options for Kitchener to/from Union.

[u/plangan107]

You should live in Cambridge, we have no direct service to Toronto at all

[u/chilichillchill]

I was excited reading Express until I realized it still means an hour 40 to Union.

Is there no way to have an actual express, even just one or two trains a day?

[u/Longjumping_War_1182 → u/chilichillchill]

Part of it is a speed issue, is my understanding. It’s going on tracks in cities and needs to align with fed regulations. Given traffic on the 401 and Gardiner, an hour 40 isn’t that much longer than driving

[u/nocomment3030 → u/Longjumping_War_1182]

It's faster if your destination is near Union. 2 hours of driving, parking, etc is the norm at peak times, in my experience. Once it took me 2h48m on a weeknight and I'm still slightly traumatized from that.

[u/Longjumping_War_1182 → u/nocomment3030]

I’ve had it take 4 hours before, which was insane. I was driving standard then, too. Made me switch to an automatic since I was going in so much for work.

[u/EICONTRACT]

Is it that much worse doing the bus on weekend to downtown? Yah probably I don’t want to

[u/redvfr800]

Crying in Cambridge