GO Transit Union Pearson Express

[mtuandrew]

UP fares have been cut by a lot:

• Fares between Union and Bloor or Weston will be reduced to the same price as current GO Transit prices
• Fares between Union and Pearson have been more than halfed, CAD12 without a Presto and CAD9 with a Presto

From: http://www.metrolinx.com/en/projectsand ... rport.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
These changes were effective March 9th. Hopefully this will encourage more ridership on UP Express.

Also, could one of the mods move this topic to the Canadian Passenger Rail forum?

Mod Note: Will do, thanks for the reminder.

Glad to see the UP fares are dropping.

[dowlingm]

So it seems the Sharyos are having some... er... issues.
http://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/go ... st-1098743" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can't even begin to list all the issues they've had so far. Many of the engine blocks have been replaced and the units aren't even a year old yet. Several consists have actually caught on fire while in service. And almost every day a revenue consist has to gets swapped out at some point for the spare. The team from Nippon, they still have employees from the company on site, are just praying that the units will hold up well enough until the one year date passes since apparently they'll be off the hook at that point. If not for the problems these unit have had, the on time performance of the line would be close to 100%, they do after all have priority over all other train movements in the corridor.

[electricron]

So it seems the Sharyos are having some... er... issues.

The basic Cummins engines and Voith transmissions are being used reliably with DMUs in Europe.

Maybe it isn't the equipment as much as who is maintaining the equipment?

[Tadman]

So it seems the Sharyos are having some... er... issues.

The basic Cummins engines and Voith transmissions are being used reliably with DMUs in Europe.

Maybe it isn't the equipment as much as who is maintaining the equipment?

That is my position. Nippon Sharyo is just buying engines from someone else who likely has thousands of them installed so there's an alternative cause here.


Also, 25 minutes versus 45 minutes to downtown in comparison to the subway? Most major metro areas have a hour-ish expectation to the airport. Not sure what the extra 20 buys you when people are fine with an hour.

[dowlingm]

They aren't using Voith transmissions. (See the rest of the thread). ZF Ecolife mechanical transmissions.

EDIT (Also, downtown options other than UP are more like 50-75 minutes. The subway does not reach Toronto Pearson Airport.)

[marquisofmississauga]

...
Also, 25 minutes versus 45 minutes to downtown in comparison to the subway? Most major metro areas have a hour-ish expectation to the airport. Not sure what the extra 20 buys you when people are fine with an hour.

One would be extremely fortunate to go between the airport and downtown in 45 minutes on the TTC. The change at Kipling Subway Station can take a while. The subway connection between the Yonge and Bloor lines is fairly convenient. Due to heavy road traffic the airport bus does not always run at the posted frequent intervals. It can be extremely crowded and it may be necessary to wait for the next one. There is little luggage space on the bus and it is best to use it only if the luggage can sit on your lap - assuming you can get a seat.

The subway has an advantage in that you can go to or from any stop and not just Union Station.

I have seen the UP Express standing room only during rush hour due to the cheap commuter fares to and from Bloor and Weston stations. This will not please airport-bound passengers even though there is plenty of luggage space.

[bdawe]

An over-emphasis on 'pleasing airport passengers' is what has driven this whole enterprise

[electricron]

An over-emphasis on 'pleasing airport passengers' is what has driven this whole enterprise

Without that over-emphasis this train service would never had been built. Can you name another GO line with a similar service? Nope, I didn't think so!

This brings up the question of whether it was wise to build it in the first place, with the train being empty most of the day except during rush hours, when standard GO trains are running anyways?

[bdawe]

No, but this was hastily rushed into place for the government to show-off during the Pan-Am games. If RER is implemented, UP Express will only be notable for having non-standard equipment, non standard platform heights, and consuming an inordinate amount of capacity for the ridership it carries

[electricron]

No, but this was hastily rushed into place for the government to show-off during the Pan-Am games.

This isn't the first time a transit line was built for political purposes, and it will not be the last.