[just east of the creek]

The downside of relocating it is it could nix any London-Niagara transfers. Not sure if that's a large amount of riders, and I highly doubt it outweighs serving Hamilton, but it's a good bureaucratic excuse.

You could be quite right. I am just not sure of the numbers myself, or maybe more importantly, what the numbers could be at some point in the future.

 

[smallspy]

I doubt it. VIA – which operates that Amtrak train within Canada – would surely prefer having just one station within the Hamilton area. That was the whole point of consolidating the stations in Aldershot.

VIA has stated multiple times that they intend to stop at Hamilton once the track is completed - provided Metrolinx will allow them to.

Dan

 

[Bordercollie]

VIA has stated multiple times that they intend to stop at Hamilton once the track is completed - provided Metrolinx will allow them to.

Dan

Would be nice to increase trips to more than two a day. It's much faster than the GO train.

 

[Yeltsa Kcir]

Metrolinx put up a new Youtube short yesterday titled "New connecting track at West Harbour GO Station". No new information. Would have liked a longer video on the topic with additional footage, explanation dialogue for those not in the know and an associated written article (coming soon hopefully?). But at least some new drone footage perhaps and something official from their end albeit a little cryptic.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Would be nice to increase trips to more than two a day. It's much faster than the GO train.

It doesn’t make sense for VIA and GO to compete in the same corridor and cannibalize eachother’s ridership.

 

[Bordercollie]

It doesn’t make sense for VIA and GO to compete in the same corridor and cannibalize eachother’s ridership.

Via is a premium service. It's about an hour faster than taking the GO.

 

[nfitz]

Via is a premium service. It's about an hour faster than taking the GO.

And on average how many hours later arriving in Toronto?

 

[Bordercollie]

And on average how many hours later arriving in Toronto?

I rode the maple leaf about a month ago to Niagara and we left Toronto about half an hour late due to train issues and congestion.

We maintained the schedule to st Catharines so I wouldn't think it would be delayed getting to Niagara. Coming from NY on the other hand is another story.

 

[nfitz]

Coming from NY on the other hand is another story.

It's the only story that I enquired about.

 

[Corktownie]

Via is a premium service. It's about an hour faster than taking the GO.

Huh? Via/Amtrak from Union to Niagara Falls is 2 hours; GO is 2:16.

 

[PShells]

There have been three pieces of railroad equipment parked on the unused platform at Unionville for more than a week.

Does anyone know if this weekend’s upcoming Stouffville/LSE construction closure will include more construction than the LSE track shift.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1909301548095578475

This tweet states new rails will be installed on the Stouffville line. I am guessing either finishing the missing second track around Milliken station or installing a switch to finish the second track between Kennedy and Agincourt (except the bridge over the creek).

 

[Sauga89]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned anywhere, but Metrolinx has announced that construction of the Heritage Rd layover on the Kitchener line is starting this month.

From the construction notice:

Metrolinx is bringing faster, more frequent service to the Kitchener Line. Construction is now underway on projects that will make way for improvements to rail infrastructure along the line. This includes the Heritage Road Layover (train storage), a vital project supporting GO Expansion on the Kitchener Line. Once complete, the facility will provide storage for three 12-car GO trains, allowing for longer trains during peak periods. This will increase seat capacity and accommodate future ridership growth.
WHAT IS HAPPENING?
In April 2025 crews will mobilize at the project site to prepare for the construction of a new train storage area. The work involves:

• Installation of storm sewers, a watermain, concrete surfacing and asphalt paving
• Construction and erection of a crew/staff building, a waste disposal building, an electrical
  sub-station and associated electrical components and yard lighting

 

[reaperexpress]

@Allandale25 made note of this in the GO Service thread as well, but it has a place here.

The province's Hamilton presser this morning is for completion of the West Harbour related works (including new track-tie in)

Ontario Newsroom

news.ontario.ca

From the above:

View attachment 642684
View attachment 642685

I see that they have quietly rolled their "20 minutes saved per round trip" promise back to 15 minutes. Based on my measurements, the reverse move did genuinely take 10 minutes, so maybe there have been 3 minutes of additional slow zones added on the Grimsby sub at the same time that they saved 10 minutes at West Harbour.

It's also worth that the time saving is only for the one trip per day that did the reverse move. For the rest of the trips the benefit is a stop at West Harbour. Hopefully they remove the stop at Aldershot when they add it, otherwise the trip will actually be slower than before.

And totally unrelated but since West Harbour is Hamilton's primary train station, it should have 'Hamilton' in its name. So "Hamilton Harbour" station, in contrast to "Hamilton Centre" station on the other branch. Plus that name is less likely to be confused with "East Harbour" station in Toronto, a mistake I have already made a couple times.

 

[Bordercollie]

Huh? Via/Amtrak from Union to Niagara Falls is 2 hours; GO is 2:16.

2:41 vs 2:03

 

[Corktownie]

2:41 vs 2:03

I don’t know where you’re getting those numbers from. The GO trips that don’t reverse out of West Harbour only take 2:16 to 2:28, depending on the day and time.