Why can't GO do this for TFC?

[Oldtimer]

Since 2007, we've had to struggle with terrible train times, that often means people arriving late for the game, some people leave early, if you don't leave early, you have to wait nearly an hour for the train.

Imagine my surprise when I read this email from GO:

This year the Honda Indy comes to town from July 16th to the 18th providing 3 days of on-track and off-track activities with the final race being held on July 18th.
For race fans attending the event on July 18th, GO Transit will operate an additional train from Oshawa, arriving Exhibition GO Station at 11:16 as well as an additional trip from Aldershot to Union that will arrive Exhibition at 11:30 and Union at 11:40.
We will also operate an additional train trip from Exhibition Station on both our East and West rail lines to help you get home after the race has been completed.
For details please visit our What's New page at www.gotransit.com or click on the link
http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/news/whatsnew.aspx

So... how come the many thousands who come by GO to TFC matches can't get this kind of service?

[rocker]

Isn't GO planning more service once the third rails (westbound lakeshore) are completely done? I thought they were gonna do every half an hour service at some point.

[Oldtimer]

You're thinking of rush-hour service.

Right now, the number of rails only restricts rush-hour service. They can do 2 runs an hour without clogging the tracks. They would like to do more during rush-hour. That has no relevance to trains for TFC games.

So, if GO can put on an extra train for a race, why can't they do it for TFC? It's like footie fans in Toronto are always second-class, behind every other sport.

[Joe Kool]

As far as I remember from when I used to attend the race they used to announce 25,000 people attending per day so not really any different as far as crowd size so they can't say that it is because of a bigger crowd either.

[CoachGT]

So... how come the many thousands who come by GO to TFC matches can't get this kind of service?

Race fans are not considered hooligans..............

[nfitz]

Isn't GO planning more service once the third rails (westbound lakeshore) are completely done? I thought they were gonna do every half an hour service at some point.

Yes. The third rail in the east has been completed, and in the west in Mississauga should be just about complete now.

But GO has been talking about this since the 1960s, with serious promises of increased off-peak service since the 1970s.

I expect with the recent provincial budget cuts for transit, that this might be delayed again.

[Hitcho]

Since 2007, we've had to struggle with terrible train times, that often means people arriving late for the game, some people leave early, if you don't leave early, you have to wait nearly an hour for the train.

Imagine my surprise when I read this email from GO:



So... how come the many thousands who come by GO to TFC matches can't get this kind of service?

This is an excellent point, and good spot OT. I had heard that GO was not able to put on extra trains because CN controlled the tracks and timetables and GO was stuck with it, but this makes it clear that's a load of crap.

If we want some real push behind this then we need MLSE on board. I suspect that neither they nor GO will be interested because if they put on extra trains for TFC then all the Leafs and Raptors fans will demand the same, not to mention Jays fans and Argos fans. However, TFC is in a different category for me because of it's location - there's no subway alternative and it's not based out of Union station which as the central hub of the city's transit system offers plenty of options to all the other fans.

GO put on extra trains for the Ex as well come to think of it, or at least have extra trains stopping at Exhibition instead of ploughing straight through. So why the fuck can't they at least have an extra stop made by TWO trains on match days, one for kick off and one for departure? I think we'd have more success with that argument than demanding extra trains which would probably require a much bigger shift in timetables and resources than simply making an extra stop.

mlsintoronto - time to fight for your fans and take on the might of GO Transit buddy!

[Seen]

It was a long time ago, and my memory may be a little foggy, but when the Jays played at the Ex, didn't GO have trains waiting at the Ex for Jays fans when the game ended?

[rocker]

It was a long time ago, and my memory may be a little foggy, but when the Jays played at the Ex, didn't GO have trains waiting at the Ex for Jays fans when the game ended?

something like that. I was a teen during the 92/93 world series phenomena, and there were special trains after the games. Of course they had something like 50000+ per game back then. What a crazy time... ohhhhh the memories....

[deltox]

the GO is the reason for people coming late and leaving early.

and if you stay til the end, you have to wait for an hr to get the east bound train. basically for me to go to a game, im out of my house for about 7 hrs. i could save 2 hrs with better GO service.

now...it could better if the games started 30 mins after the hr.

[Bloor West FC]

Why hate on GO. Why not ask MLS to move the games to fit with there schedule?

[sulfur]

Why hate on GO. Why not ask MLS to move the games to fit with there schedule?

TV. Can't be done.

[dow117]

There is no train service from the North ( Newmarkt, Barrie etc ) at all on the weekends. It must be the only city that I have seen that does not cater to "events" in the city. Piss poor !!!

[Fort York Redcoat]

Not everyone uses GO. But GO benefits from the matches.

They should show the initiative.

[dow117]

"If we want some real push behind this then we need MLSE on board. I suspect that neither they nor GO will be interested because if they put on extra trains for TFC then all the Leafs and Raptors fans will demand the same, not to mention Jays fans and Argos fans"


Your argument reminds me of a cafeteria worker who said " Christ !!, they're eating these as fast as we make them !!"

Isn't that the friggin point ????

[Carts]

Back in the days of the Blue Jays at Exhibition Stadium, GO service was awesome...

The Eastbound Train would leave exactly 30-mins from the final out - they'd even announce it in the post-game announcements...

It truly is a shame that GO doesn't work more cohesively with events in Toronto...

It appears they're doing it for the Indy, which is odd that they then don't do it for TFC...

Is it possible that Indy organizers are paying GO transit a fee for the extra service...???

Carts...

[drexel10]

Back in the days of the Blue Jays at Exhibition Stadium, GO service was awesome...

The Eastbound Train would leave exactly 30-mins from the final out - they'd even announce it in the post-game announcements...

It truly is a shame that GO doesn't work more cohesively with events in Toronto...

It appears they're doing it for the Indy, which is odd that they then don't do it for TFC...

Is it possible that Indy organizers are paying GO transit a fee for the extra service...???

Carts...

That is pretty amazing when you think about it. Baseball is very unpredictable with how long it takes to play, whereas here they are basically 10-15 minutes off/too early for the westbound train and about 5-10 for the eastbound train. I haven't been able to understand this, because it is quite obvious that people have been leaving in the last 10 minutes to catch their train!!!!!!!!

[Beach_Red]

This is an excellent point, and good spot OT. I had heard that GO was not able to put on extra trains because CN controlled the tracks and timetables and GO was stuck with it, but this makes it clear that's a load of crap.

It's really amazing how often we're given these bullshit excuses for everything - remember the crap reasons why we couldn't have grass?

[James17930]

The OP has an excellent point, but:

has anyone called GO and asked them? TFC fans have been pretty good with rallying to get other things done -- maybe we need a campaign to get GO to change their service.

We can talk all we want about 'them taking the initiative', but of course that's not how these things work -- if there are no complaints they just assume there's no problem.

Start sending the e-mails, start getting reporters to ask the pertinent questions etc etc.

[nfitz]

There is no train service from the North ( Newmarkt, Barrie etc ) at all on the weekends. It must be the only city that I have seen that does not cater to "events" in the city. Piss poor !!!

Neither Montreal nor Vancouver run extra commuter trains for sports events downtown. I can't think of any other city in the country doing this.

GO has said they would expand to 2 trains an hour on all existing routes off-peak by the end of their 10-year plan. Though given how anti-transit the PC party are, this could all change if they get elected next year.

[Derko]

There is no train service from the North ( Newmarkt, Barrie etc ) at all on the weekends. It must be the only city that I have seen that does not cater to "events" in the city. Piss poor !!!

I come down from Orangeville, and have to drive to Port Credit to get the GO train, or take the Bus from Brampton to either Union or Yorkdale, the rail service to Toronto from the north is horrible and a disgrace, Brampton has the line to Union, and I would gladly hope the train or streetcar to BMO, something must be done. If we use the 'Green' argument, it is the only way something will be done, because 'Green' is the flavour of the decade, if we dont use that argument, fuck all will get done!!!
MLSE has clout get us the fucking service we deserve.

[shaggingscot]

I come down from Orangeville, and have to drive to Port Credit to get the GO train, or take the Bus from Brampton to either Union or Yorkdale, the rail service to Toronto from the north is horrible and a disgrace, Brampton has the line to Union, and I would gladly hope the train or streetcar to BMO, something must be done. If we use the 'Green' argument, it is the only way something will be done, because 'Green' is the flavour of the decade, if we dont use that argument, fuck all will get done!!!
MLSE has clout get us the fucking service we deserve.

I feel your pain. I usually drive right down Trafalgar from Hillsburgh and catch the Oakville train in. If the Georgetwon line ran on weekends it would be great!

[jabbronies]

Why hate on GO. Why not ask MLS to move the games to fit with there schedule?

TV. Can't be done.

Don't believe this. Before the season starts, they can totally make this happen. TV, at least for TFC, doesn't come into play until after the schedule is made.

[sulfur]

Don't believe this. Before the season starts, they can totally make this happen. TV, at least for TFC, doesn't come into play until after the schedule is made.

Certain TV is set. Thursday night games (for example) have to start at a certain time for ESPN. Certain other games during the season have set times that cannot easily be changed for TV (like during the hockey playoffs when CBC holds the rights, since the rights are generally determined well in advance of the NHL's playoff schedule even coming close to being decided).

The rest? Sure, those can be changed without too much difficulty. Before the season starts.

[nfitz]

Don't believe this. Before the season starts, they can totally make this happen. TV, at least for TFC, doesn't come into play until after the schedule is made.

Don't believe this. Our start times are primarily controlled by TV. Look at all the changes we've seen this season ... all a function of TV.

[sulfur]

The other thing you have to remember (when it comes to TV) is that TV companies dislike starting sporting events on the half-hour unless it is going to finish on the hour.

[james]

i must say Toronto has horrible transit. I know we arent in Europe but once you do go there and travel there transit routes its makes it seem rediculous that the west and east bound rails only goes to Union once an hour when you consider the millions of people who live East and West of the city. I was about 3 hours North West of London before and had to get a train to London....they had a train every 15 mins to London and thats 3 hours away in a small town of like 50,000 people yet say Oakville a city of 170,000 and half an hour away and yet a train comes once a hour. Makes you wounder how we could be that far behind some other places in the world. This may not be London but come on its the biggest city in Canada and has a metro population of 5 million which is pretty dam big.

Also is stupid they cant add a single extra train for big sporting events such as Blue Jay game, Leaf games and TFC exc.

[JonO]

^ Try going north of the city - service is pretty much non-existant... (and they wonder about traffic on the DVP)

[DichioTFC]

Has the team and / or mlsintoronto said anything in the past about coordinating with GO?

[nfitz]

i must say Toronto has horrible transit.

I keep hearing Torontonians spout this stuff. And while there are cities in Europe that may have better transit (though you wouldn't believe it if you read a local discussion forum over there, about how bad their transit is), it's hard to find anywhere in Canada with better transit. This isn't Europe; it's only in recent decades that we've been approaching the densities that make this kind of service reasonable.

Even in the USA, transit is often horrible. Major cities such as Washington have suprisingly infrequent off-peak subway service. Even in Manhattan you can have a 20-minute scheduled wait for a subway train at midnight; and their bus frequencies are a long-standing issue.

GO service could be more frequent; but they are spending $billions to upgrade it over the next few years.