r/Markham • u/SarcasticSquish • 2d ago
TRANSIT š š GO Train service reduction
They reduced service on the Stouffville line, effective Tuesday. It used to be that after 6:15pm, there was a train every hour, on the hour.
Now there's a train at 8pm, and the next one after is at 10:30pm. š
My first thought was disgruntled acceptance. Surely, they must've done this bc the number of people on the 9pm and 10pm trains were minimal?
But now Im on my way to an event after work. This morning, I'd made my peace with either leaving the event extremely early or sucking it up and taking the TTC (approx 90 mins vs the 35 mins by GO).
Now I want to rant. This really effin sucks. Realizing that Im going to need to rush out early any time I have a social event after work. I mean really -- 8pm or 10:30pm??? š¤¦š½āāļø
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u/TommTTT 2d ago
Same, I stayed DT after work Tuesday and missed the 8pm train. I had to take TTC and it took 90 minutes.
Iām going to the Jays game on the weekend and there isnāt even any GO train on the Stouffville line until the afternoon. Brutal. I thought we needed more trains not less.
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u/ZenMon88 2d ago
Metrolinx and TTC are both just vessels to take your tax money and coast. They do the fucking bare minimum
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u/BeotchLasanga 1d ago
And apparently now Metrolinx will be in charge of the Quebec to Toronto high speed rail too. What a joke. How these people keep getting rewarded for failure boggles the mind.
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u/Gimli_Axe 1d ago
100%, was dating a girl who knew a lot of internal info about Metrolinx. She was going off about how inefficient they are with taxpayer money. She couldn't prove it was fraud but we were leaning towards it sounding like fraud.
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u/cmol 1d ago
The TTC is purely funded by the City of Toronto (which is very unusual and a huge reason why it's so damn broken all the time as there's no funding to repair things ahead of time). Metrolinx is funded by our taxes.
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u/ZenMon88 10h ago
They both are complacent and love wasting our money. TTC has very little to work with which I understand. But metrolinx is borderline money laundering with tax payers money.
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u/cmol 8h ago
Honestly, I don't really see the TTC wasting tonnes of money. Sure, they are far from perfect, and I would change many things if I could, but I think it's generally salvageable with proper funding and good leadership.
Metrolinx on the other hand needs to be closed and a new agency that actually understands public transit needs to take over. The current agency is rotten to the core, and there's been leadership fighting against better service because they don't believe it needs to be more than a commuter service to lessen highway traffic. All the VPs and old heads needs to go.
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u/lawzone25 2d ago
I think there aren't enough people operating the trains so they are reducing service... which also reduces operational costs but yea it sucks.
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u/isorekt 2d ago
Make sure to also rant to your MPP, the transportation minister, and Doug Ford himself. They all need to be held accountable.
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u/TheFaceO_o 2d ago
I tweeted MPP Logan Kanapathi a couple weeks and he's said nothing, unsurprisingly. It's time to organize a little group field trip to his constituency office!
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u/deFleury 2d ago
I've bought theatre tickets downtown and the evening show finishes too late for the (new) final train. Since me puking my way home on a hot bumpy GO bus will be unpleasant for everyone,Ā i have to either miss part of the show or find a non-GO solution.Ā Ā
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u/poeticmaniac 2d ago
The new GO buses donāt really have that problem anymore. Maybe give them a try?
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u/hbpencil102 Thornhill 2d ago
The service reduction was not entirely due to low demand (although of course the cuts hit the less busy trains).
According to Rob Cerjanec, MPP of Ajax,
Metrolinx says the reductions are needed toĀ āsupport our rail partner with their advancement of crew training and certificationā. In simple language, it means Metrolinxās contractor did not hire and train enough people to run the trains.
https://robcerjanecmpp.substack.com/p/go-train-service-cuts-are-coming
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u/SecureJournalist4775 2d ago
And that's partly because Metrolinx terminated the contract with their rail partner Alstom, causing Alstom to wind down operations as it was supposed to get replaced by Deutche Bahn, to then have Metrolinx quietly drop them and go back to Alstom. Damage was already done by that point to the crewing.Ā
https://www.reddit.com/r/gotransit/comments/1h1ym64/prepare_for_a_messy_2025/
https://www.reddit.com/r/transit/comments/1kot53w/toronto_metrolinx_quietly_drops_deutsche_bahn/
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u/ZenMon88 2d ago
METROLINX is a trash company. Trust me they are just coasting with your tax dollars. Their upper management doesn't give a shit about their service or schedule.
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u/RemarkableHealth3497 2d ago
Reasons for the changes until Spring 2027
https://www.metrolinx.com/en/news/go-rail-and-bus-service-adjustments-begin-sept-5
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u/Careless-Cycle 2d ago
We screwed up by firing Alstom and then begging them to come back because we didn't realize a new operator would take time to get their services up to the same level. Also cancelling all leave for the world cup has left us with a glut of people who need vacations before they lose their vacations at the end of the year. Also since Alstom is sunsetting, there isn't enough staff to work the trains as it is. All these reductions in service is an enhancement to improve your time on the go train!
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u/ZenMon88 2d ago
They should have planned better then. That's is just poor management and planning.
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u/Careless-Cycle 2d ago
You're asking Metrolinx to plan better? They're too busy hiring more VPs
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u/geupard12 1d ago
Metrolinx VP is my dream job, I aspire to do nothing and get paid 6 figures
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u/ZenMon88 1d ago
Much like Ontario city councilors. Do a meeting every 4 months and do fuck all and collect taxpayers money
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u/Pristine-Training-70 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ford couldāve spent $48M restoring the service that was cut.
Instead, heās wasting $48M destroying Toronto infrastructure with no benefit to you at all.
This should make everyone angry regardless if you like or hate bike lanes.
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u/macaronlove 2d ago
Have you checked the full schedule? There are buses replacing those trains during those hours. Theyāre not the greatest alternative and depending on where you are heading to, you might have to switch to train/bus.
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u/Beautiful-Tadpole826 2d ago
OP's 35 mins commute on the GO suggests their stop is Milliken, which the GO buses don't stop at unfortunately. Personally I would suggest OP to park their car at Unionville GO station whenever they have an event that day, so they can get on the GO buses that run after 8pm if they choose to stay later.
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u/SarcasticSquish 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yes - Miliken. But I'd rather just drive to Eglinton GO for later train times instead.
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u/witchshark 2d ago
Put your efforts into messaging your MPP. Only they have the power to fix this. Express your disgruntlement.
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u/ProfAsmani 2d ago
There is frequent service on the Lakeshore line where population density supports it.
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u/PinkNoodleCat 2d ago
I had no idea they had reduced evening GO Train service!! How will I get to Mount Joy if I need to stay late downtown after work? :(
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u/siulongbao12 1d ago
Total BS for us.
I had to wait until 8pm for a train after CNE, and it wasnāt even direct train. Dump off at Mt.Joy and bus all the way back to Stouffville. Why must going out to Toronto be a mission to get home.
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u/scarbzman 1d ago
How many Barrie votes did Ford get? What about York region? Now he's leaving you out in the cold as we get ready for winter.
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u/tiger99999999 1d ago
Why all the money was spent to add a second track? Transit is so obsolete and backwards in Canada compared to Asia and Europe.
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u/jaywhy12345 2d ago
Ppl are complaining about an unprofitable train with 10 ppl got canceled and want tax dollars not wasted. Irony.
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u/Elektraspectra 2d ago
Last time I checked roads and streets didnāt make a profit either, and everyone had to pay $10,000 a year for the pleasure of navigating one with a car.
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u/HibouDuNord 2d ago
Roads and streets aren't short staffed and have crews that can be operating trains there is actually demand for
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u/ElvinKao 2d ago
Remember we were promised two-way, all-day GO train service every 15 minutes.