[smallspy]

Not sure if you know this, but when GO schedules their employees and assign them trains, do they take into consideration where the employees live? Do they typically try to assign their staff to work the line closest to where they live? Or are there scenarios where a staff member lives in Scarborough, and is assigned the first morning train out of Kitchener, and expected to drive all the way from Scarborough to Kitchener? Then once their shift is done, that same staff member would have get back to Kitchener to pick up their car and drive in afternoon rush hour traffic on the 401 back to Scarborough.

They can't, nor are they allowed to.

Just like the transit agencies, rostering and the jobs you get are based on how senior you are. I know crews that are quite senior and so are able to pick jobs that allow them to, in one case, walk to work, while in another is able to manipulate his schedule in order to be home to receive his kids when they come home from school.

But the more junior you are - and especially if you are just arriving on the proverbial scene - you will be forced to work wherever the company deems that they need you. and that may mean working out of a base or division on the opposite side of the city.

EDIT: I think what's not being talked about enough here is that fact that Federal regulations around rest periods, overtime, & safety for railroad staff essentially made it extremely difficult for DB to implement European best practices for GO. At which point the service can't really be change much from what GO currently offers. Metrolinx must have figured there's little they can do to really shake up GO service because they're hamstrung by federal railroad regulations, therefore it made sense to cut ties with DB.

I don't think that's specifically true - for instance, I don't believe that the work and rest rules are substantially different there than they are here. A lot of the operational differences are technological.

What they were trying to do was get the regulator to revise the rules in order to maximize their profit. And thankfully, they got zero traction with that.

The question is, why didn't Metrolinx, or the Ontario government, consult with the Federal railroad regulators before bringing in DB and signing these massive contracts? Making grandiose promises about European style passenger rail in Toronto.

Why would Metrolinx or the Ontario Government's business to try and maximize the profit and aid OnXpress's business case? It certainly shouldn't have been their business to know about all of the details of how they were going to go about their objectives, just that they had plans to meet those objectives.

Dan

 

[crs1026]

The question is, why didn't Metrolinx, or the Ontario government, consult with the Federal railroad regulators before bringing in DB and signing these massive contracts? Making grandiose promises about European style passenger rail in Toronto.

Who is to say they didn't? And who is to say that Ottawa hasn't quietly reached a "bright line" - ie knows what conditions they would require to be comfortable with allowing any operator to proceed to 2-person crews with one person in the cab? Ottawa may not be making this prerequisite package public, especially since the railways do not appear likely to meet their terms any time soon. Let a sleeping dog lie with the freight railways and VIA and the unions until there is an actual proposal package that approximates their wishes on the table.

The obvious prerequiite would be having some form of ETCS. Install that, and the regulatory landscape might shift.... but until that happens, the feds will not approve. There may be others, but ETCS is the showstopper that rides over all others. ML is said to be implementing, but clearly it's still years away.

If somebody (at any level) made decisions that crewing regs could be radically shifted before ETCS is up and running, they have been eating the wrong edibles. And clearly not doing their due diligence.... I suspect the feds might be willing to (privately) steer the discussion in that direction, if anybody bothered to ask.

Again, speculating, but with some obvious logical presumption.

- Paul

 

[rbt]

I don't think that's specifically true - for instance, I don't believe that the work and rest rules are substantially different there than they are here.

Rules in Germany generally apply to all heavy industry and seem a little stricter than Canada's to me. 8 hours per day (average) with a maximum of 10. Minimum 11 hours between shifts for 6 days, 7th is 24 hours minimum rest. DB's union negotiated a standard 38 hour work-week and is moving to 35 hours: an employee [not DB] may ask for a maximum 40 hours. Extended shift hours are expected to be returned via a shorter shift in the same week. Overtime pay isn't really a thing; all hours are paid the same rate.

 

[SkylineHorizons]

I've never seen any GO train exceed any speed limit. I've seen trains reach 92 mph many times, but I've never seen 93, let alone 94

 

[Northern Light]

Andy Takagi over at The Star is following up on the OnExpress Saga as the Liberals have moved to request the Auditor General do a value-for-money audit on the deal and its un-doing.

Ontario Liberals ask for audit into cancelled GO expansion deal by Metrolinx

Deutsche Bahn and Canadian construction firm Aecon were supposed to operate and maintain the province’s GO train and UP Express network for a multi-decade-long term starting on Jan. 1, 2025, but the contract was cancelled with little details.

www.thestar.com

From the above:

The AG is apparently busy.....

The Minister and Mx continue to stonewall:

 

[Sunnyside]

Andy Takagi over at The Star is following up on the OnExpress Saga as the Liberals have moved to request the Auditor General do a value-for-money audit on the deal and its un-doing.

Ontario Liberals ask for audit into cancelled GO expansion deal by Metrolinx

Deutsche Bahn and Canadian construction firm Aecon were supposed to operate and maintain the province’s GO train and UP Express network for a multi-decade-long term starting on Jan. 1, 2025, but the contract was cancelled with little details.

www.thestar.com

From the above:

View attachment 654308

The AG is apparently busy.....

View attachment 654309

The Minister and Mx continue to stonewall:

View attachment 654310

I would say ONExpress being audited is at first strange, seeing as it seemed worthwhile- unless of course you consider how little was actually pinned down for service plans. The lack of specificity, and then saying no to a tear-down rebuild you asked for, does seem wasteful.

Here’s what gets me though- that comes back somewhat to the Liberal’s own GO RER, no? And if not them, then certainly Metrolinx…

 

[jackhauen]

Hi everyone,

Hoping not to spam, but figured it would be good to post in this thread as well since ONX discussions are here, too. I'm Jack Hauen, a reporter with The Trillium in the Queen's Park Press Gallery. I'm pursuing a story about the ONxpress situation, since Metrolinx, as I'm sure you all know, won't say much. I'd like to explain to our readers what happened and what MX should learn from the breakup.

To do that, I need to speak with people who have worked or currently work for ONX or MX about their experience, anonymously. If you choose to speak with me, I'll need to verify your identity, but I would be the only one who would know it. While I know that can be scary, and I can't promise that you will never be found out, I've written several articles this way and haven't had a case of a discovered identity yet.

Please feel free to DM me here or send me an email at jack@thetrillium.ca. My number is 647-216-6071, and it's the same on Signal. And if you know of anyone who might want to chat, please pass along my information.

Thanks, everyone, for your time.

Jack

 

[ownthesky]

Hi everyone,

Hoping not to spam, but figured it would be good to post in this thread as well since ONX discussions are here, too. I'm Jack Hauen, a reporter with The Trillium in the Queen's Park Press Gallery. I'm pursuing a story about the ONxpress situation, since Metrolinx, as I'm sure you all know, won't say much. I'd like to explain to our readers what happened and what MX should learn from the breakup.

To do that, I need to speak with people who have worked or currently work for ONX or MX about their experience, anonymously. If you choose to speak with me, I'll need to verify your identity, but I would be the only one who would know it. While I know that can be scary, and I can't promise that you will never be found out, I've written several articles this way and haven't had a case of a discovered identity yet.

Please feel free to DM me here or send me an email at jack@thetrillium.ca. My number is 647-216-6071, and it's the same on Signal. And if you know of anyone who might want to chat, please pass along my information.

Thanks, everyone, for your time.

Jack

Hey Jack, you should consider posting on /r/gotransit if you have the time, there's quite a few employees active on there that have spoken candidly in the past.

 

[WillTo]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/go-train-service-1.7538263

"GO trains are now running more frequently between Niagara Falls and Hamilton after a new track was added at the West Harbour station.

As of Saturday, the line has six additional trips on weekends between the two stations and four more trips on weekdays, said Metrolinx in a recent news release. "

Where are these new trips on the schdules?

 

[Northern Light]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/go-train-service-1.7538263

"GO trains are now running more frequently between Niagara Falls and Hamilton after a new track was added at the West Harbour station.

As of Saturday, the line has six additional trips on weekends between the two stations and four more trips on weekdays, said Metrolinx in a recent news release. "

Where are these new trips on the schdules?

These aren't 'new trips' overall.

They are the existing trips now stopping at West Harbour that used to bypass it.

 

[rdaner]

^These additional trips to West Harbour are a great improvement as Hamilton now was its own version of regional rail. Also Canada has gotten around to some fundamental zoning reform, especially around stations, so the opening of a new GO station in 2025 will have much more significance than in previous decades. Maybe now I can make it to SuperCrawl and The Cotton Factory!

 

[Metroscapes]

These aren't 'new trips' overall.

They are the existing trips now stopping at West Harbour that used to bypass it.

This was something I noted earlier up.

Sorry if this was posted already, but schedules for Niagara trains through West Harbour effective May 17 are up. (before, after)

Comparing trips 1960 (TO-bound) and 1977 (Niagara-bound) suggests, officially, a 7-8 minute time savings. Plus, two more Niagara trains stop at West Harbour now each day.

 

[Sunnyside]

^These additional trips to West Harbour are a great improvement as Hamilton now was its own version of regional rail. Maybe now I can make it to SuperCrawl and The Cotton Factory!

Are you in Niagara? If so, you might appreciate that I’ve thought GO should add some service from West Harbour to St. Catharines.

No Bayview, no Canal. Just a long straight track that CN is already willing to share, with decent population along the entire run. Could easily turn into an hourly train- it might only require one or two trainsets.

 

[Metroscapes]

Confused by this article. Goreway and Zahavy correlates with the UPX spur to Pearson. The nearest MX yard is the UPX service track east of Highway 27.

Police, labour ministry investigating after man dies in accident at Metrolinx rail yard in Mississauga

The yard is in Mississauga, just northwest of Highway 427 and Highway 409, near Goreway Drive and Zahavy Way.

www.thestar.com

 

[PL1]

Confused by this article. Goreway and Zahavy correlates with the UPX spur to Pearson. The nearest MX yard is the UPX service track east of Highway 27.
]

Other news outlets are reporting the address as 6211 Goreway, which is at Zahavy Way. No idea what they do there. Google Maps shows a trailer and some parked cars/pickups.