welp... this ruined my year
Don't let it.
As utterly disappointing as it is it wasn't hard to foresee. For years Metrolinx has not been able to articulate a clear vision of precisely what it was trying to achieve - Emus? Top frequencies? Electrification extents? Etc. etc. The
standard stuff we see around the world has probably been pushed off further into the future, largely due to analysis paralysis among other predictable issues.
But heres the reality . . . imagine if we just had UP Express level service on every corridor. You could already do through running diesel FLIRTs like the ones in Ottawa running at 15 minute frequencies in the next several years (the main limit is probably getting the trains and training crews). The UP Express
already runs the level of service we are looking for (at a minimum). Worth recalling (not that its a
good thing) but parts of the London Overground ran for years without being electrified.
Its ok to be disappointed that things will come slower than we'd have hoped, but its also the case that they can get much better than most people appreciate much sooner than most people realize -
if a vision for that is articulated. Every just standard locos and bilevels every 15 or every 30 with counter peak trains (Barrie and Stouffville) would be a lifechanger for so many people (we can and should do better than this as well, and with all the new nicer stations, grade separations, etc. the network
is already better than it was 10 years ago).
Ultimately what I come back to as the ultimate impetus for the necessary organizations getting their act together on technical matters is just ridership. Nothing screams FIX ME like trains that are overcrowded and stations bursting at the seams - higher frequency, as well as density around stations are what will make that happen. It's simply the case that eventually our antiquated signalling and lack of electrification will need to be addressed to provide more service, and usually when things are a political imperative that suddenly manage to get done (or at least get moving).
TLDR: It sucks, but we can and probably will have much better service in the next few years. It's not unlikely that if ridership keeps going the way it is, and is accelerated by the additional service that the need for electrification will only become more obvious.
Edit: Not to mention that better links between GO and urban transit in Toronto (there are 5 very important GO / subway / rail interchanges on just OL and Eglinton, not to mention the proper connection between L2 and GO at Bloor is finally happening) should send a lot more people onto and off of GO trains.
