To quote Quagmire... Giggity

Make it $20 or less for UP Express: poll

A new poll suggests that $20 could be the most agreeable rate for a one-way ticket on the incoming Union-Pearson Express train. The results come a week after the Star conducted a reader survey online that produced similar findings. In the new telephone survey conducted by Forum Research on Monday, more than 900 randomly selected Torontonians…

My job is pretty stressful, does that entitle me to behave like this?

Who else can't wait for the CNE to be over?

Um. That's not how priority seating works on the GO bus

Who's Not Been Serving Us Lately? Part 6

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5
by Chris P. Bacon

In this installment of Who’s Not Been Serving Us Lately? I look at who has been serving you.  Previously, in this post and this one, ThisCrazyTrain dredged up some dirt and exposed the debacle that is Burlington station today.  One of the mainstream media followed suit with their article.  You're welcome Toronto Star.

Back in this post, I asked why Metrolinx hadn’t been pressured to operate hourly bus service between Burlington and Niagara Falls during the week, as is done on weekends.  Well, it appears Metrolinx picked up on that recommendation, because commencing with the next Board Period – August 30 – GO Transit will be operating almost-hourly buses on Route 12.  Here's the schedule.

This should "GO" a long way to alleviate those bus overflow situations, and the missed e-mail notifications that accompany them.

You’re welcome Metrolinx and residents of Niagara region, but there really is no need to thank us.  You see, with CJ as our mentor, we at ThisCrazyTrain pride ourselves with making your commuting experience better.  It’s our mission to serve you, and we do it pro bono.  That’s right, we work for free.  You won’t find our names anywhere on a SunshineList.  I’d like to thank CJ for allowing me to contribute – in a small way – to "The Cause".

Stay tuned for upcoming articles, including a long overdue exposé of St. Catharines, and who’s not been serving us there.  And remember folks, stay classy, and keep your feet on the floor

Feed it peanuts

Ugh

from:		MH
to:		"cj@thiscrazytrain.com"
date:		Fri, Aug 22, 2014 at 3:38 PM
subject:		Blog O'shame?

I was told you posted pictures of people disrespecting the commuter environment on the GO train?   Here is a picture of a lady painting her nails (gotta love the toxic smell of nail polish in a confined area!) and her feet on the seat.  This is the Lakeshore East line in the afternoon.

Thanks,
From a fellow commuter wishing they'd hurry up with teleportation machines.

Is John Tory's SmartTrack on track for seven-year delivery?

John Tory’s mayoral election campaign is riding on the provincial Liberal promise to electrify the GO trainsystem in 10 years. Tory’s SmartTracktransit plan features an even more stringent schedule: 53 kilometres with 22 stops of “surface subway” for $8 billion — in seven years. It would provide electric trains every 15 minutes on a U-shaped line…

Stop with the lies

It took 7 months for the Presto website and its database that feeds our card information to us to finally display the correct balance on my PRESTO card. THERE WAS NOTHING CONVENIENT ABOUT THAT.

Shake it girl. That's how we should all wait for the GO train

GO (aka Metrolinx) would never be this aggressive in any PSA. They still pander to smokers for God's sake

Philadelphia Tansit ad

Lemme guess. He`s on his way to the CNE

Bare feet belong on a beach -- put your bloody shoes back on

NO.

Men taking up too much space on the train

Via email from JY

The subject basically explains the whole blog but my gosh, some of these men act like they have no spine. http://mentakingup2muchspaceonthetrain.tumblr.com/ 

I see this kind of bullshit on the GO Train all the time -- nobody wants to see your fruit basket wide and open.

Some of these men's excuses are simply because they have testicles between their thighs and they need to make room for them. As a gender that possesses testicles, I can tell you that you indeed can sit with your damn legs closed and have your testicles be okay. Theress just a simple technique and you gotta make sure your pants aren't so tight.

Lazy, lazy, lazy men!

GO Transit strives to please while enforcing fare system - Toronto Star

Even among the throng of commuters in Union Station it’s tough to miss GO Transit’s safety enforcement officers Their Kevlar vests, handcuffs, batons — and more recently, even their bicycles — are visible trackside on sleepy workday mornings and as a sobering safety reminder in the aftermath of late-night sporting events and concerts. Rule benders and…

Tara and GO Transit have made amends

Comedian shows how it's done (Crashing public mobile conversations) - anyone willing to try this on a GO train? (My hand is up)

Don't know about you, but I don't find a fine funny or brag-worthy (especially considering what I pay monthly in fare)

I don't even WORK for GO Transit yet I feel ashamed - this is not how we should treat others (bus driver leaves disabled woman behind)

Below is a copy of the passenger charter that GO posts on all its buses. Note the failures.

You suck if you do this

Accidentally deleted 17 comments

Damn, I suck ... So I have to wade through hundreds of emails in my spam folder from Blogger trying to find them among all the, "Hey I like your website, here's mine, {insert link to penis enlarger}.

I found about seven but 10 are AWOL. I'm really sorry. If you left a comment and I didn't re-publish it, please try again and I'll try not to be so stoopid.

It's my understanding the province is making the move to include these under the Smoke Free Ontario Act

Years ago, someone bought me a poster of this train wreck

I knew nothing about it, or the photographer, or the event, until I started this blog and train fanatics and rail nerds began to contact me, sending me emails filled with links about rail facts, history, stories, etc., and usually I'm like, pssssh, so not my thing. Until today.

RF sent me a link to this famous train crash, known as the Montparnasse derailment, when I jokingly responded to an email from him that my life is a living train wreck. He sent this image which is a famous event - for rail folks, seeing as I didn't know it was famous. Coincidentally, I had a very large poster of this photograph that hung in my first apartment until I gave it away. Who knew?

I wish I still had it. It's a marvelous train wreck and RF nailed it. It's how I feel at the moment about life and the fact that my husband and I are on a train we have no control over -- we own two houses at the moment after a real estate transaction failed to close -- hope is dying as Friday is when house #1 is returned to us to keep "owning". It's a frozen asset at the moment.

I am at a loss. I can only hope for a miracle.

Meanwhile, in Australia

Douche, meet bag

Presented without comment

There's nothing I love more than a bragging foot rider

This video is funnier if you watch it while you're drunk

Whole lotta entitlement going on at Centennial GO parking garage

Hi CJ,

Just want to let you know that uncivilized drivers had been a perpetual problem at Centennial Station. Quite a few "regulars" take a "shortcut" to the upper floors by driving up the down ramp, and I've witnessed a few near-accidents and physical confrontations. I've discussed this with a GO personnel at the station and she said the parking structure is managed by the City of Markham and thus out of their hands.

And see attached, taken at 8:04am today. The car will probably be at the parking structure for the rest of the day. Please post this - like to know if anyone from GO or the City would do anything about it. I'm not holding my breath...

(Please do not post my name or email address... Call me "Jarrod". :) )

Don't care about your problems ... get your shoes off the seat!

GO Rider comes to the Church of the Crazy Train with his Confession

I ride the GO Train at least twice a week as my girlfriend lives out of town, and I normally spend weekends with her.  As we have been together five and a half years, I have been riding the GO with that frequency at least that long.

So here is my confession.  For the first time in five and a half years last Thursday July 30, 2014 I got busted without paying.  It was not on purpose, but I feel the need to confess because I don't see the following as being an excuse:  Basically I took work off early at 12.30pm, and my train was at 12.47pm.  I booted it from my office to Union and sprinted up the stairs onto my train.  Once I caught my breath, and settled in it hit me as the train was pulling out that I never tapped on.  This has happened to me twice before, but I dodged a bullet those two times.  Not this time though.  Sure enough just after the train pulled out of Oakville, I was in the second car from the locomotive, and a fare check came around.

I didn't do the searching my pockets "where is my presto card" routine,  I didn't ask "I was supposed to tap on?" or "I was sure I paid for a ticket all the way to Burlington" routine, these are all tactics that I have seen several times by people….my compliments.  I simply explained the truth that I was in a rush, and completely forgot to tap on.   The fare checker was stern, saying it only takes a second to tap on, and she was right, it does, there is no excuse.  I handed over my ID and spent the rest of the trip looking at a written warning feeling absolutely sheepish.

I guess I write this as proof of the "honour system" working.  It wasn't pleasant at all.  It's downright embarrassing.  Even though it wasn't rush hour, there were still people in my section of the train that saw it all go down.  The embarrassment factor alone during rush hour has me being vigilant, making sure I pay, cause I can only imagine how extra embarrassing that is during peak time.   Now that I have that warning, the next time I get caught without paying it's a fine, and it escalates after that.  So there it is GO Train peeps, this Toronto snob got busted, and will be on his guard to make sure something like that never happens again.

- VA

You are forgiven my son! Be sure to put your money in the bowl for Jesus.

Washington LRT riders band together to end a woman's annoying cell phone call

Your Monday Morning "NO"

From @gooverheard on Instagram

This better work

Well kiddos, what you see below is a screenshot of scheduled posts for the week. Blogger screwed me over with scheduled posts a few months ago, but I'm a sucker for punishment I guess, because I'm willing to give it another shot.

Posting everyday is a pain in the boob. It's better if I plan out your weekly entertainment.

I have more content. I need to pace myself.

Will the new design include a ferris wheel?

Shouldn't they be running?

Aren't PSA ads like this supposed to be "punny"? These two look like they're out for a run. So if the train runs on a track, shouldn't the first sentence have the word run instead of walk? You know, like track and field? And how one runs on a track?

This ad is making my OCD itch, but you know what I mean ... and then the second line (or the punch line) should read, "A 1-million pound train also runs here".

And the girl looks mad. Maybe the guy ran out of gas and she's all like, "Worst date, EVER," and then there's the whole hit by a train thing.

It will cost a million dollars to take a train to the airport

This letter to the Toronto Star had the writer expressing this thought:

"... The UP Express is still being viewed as a high-end service for the corporate sector that wants fast and efficient transportation to the airport and are willing to pay a premium fare of anywhere between $15 to $25 one way.
As soon as we disabuse Metrolinx of this absurd nonsense the better. Metrolinx can charge whatever they like to international visitors passing through our great city, but for Canadians, the fare should reflect that this is a new addition to the public transportation infrastructure and must be affordable to the public — especially those several thousand working people who may be coming to and from work in or near the vicinity of the airport every day and who might prefer to take the train rather than drive their car as a daily means of conveyance."

There's also another letter on the same Toronto Star opinion page.

I heard fares could be as much as $30 one-way. That's absurd.

It's also being reported that Metrolinx is ready to unveil the UP terminal. I can't wait for a tour. I'm sure the CEO of Metrolinx has a media badge all shined up for me.

And speaking of the UP Express, below is the public YouTube video (the one BlogTO poked fun at) that was yanked for re-editing. Truth be told, it's incredibly long and bloated. You'd think Metrolinx, by the narrative alone, re-invented transit. Hardly. I think having a rail link to the airport is fantastic, but it's not as amazing as the video tries to make it out to be if it's not affordable.

Upset

I've refrained from writing publicly about this disaster I'm experiencing because on the internet, when someone posts a problem, suddenly everyone is an expert on that topic (just look at the Robin Williams depression situation). In this case, where my buyer's financing fell through last Friday, on the same day I took possession of another house, I really didn't want to listen to strangers who suddenly become real estate experts advising me of what to do. I know that sounds bitchy but it's been a roller coaster ride of a week.

I now own two houses. My husband and I had to use our own savings, rather than a portion of the proceeds of the sale of our previous property, to close on house number two. If you knew how much, you'd want to vomit. We did it without having to borrow from anyone, but it's absolutely stunning we are in this situation. It can happen and it happened to us.

I still can't believe it.

Monday is D-Day. If the buyer can't secure a mortgage and have the money to our lawyer by end of day, we have to re-list the house.

In this market, it could sell fast. It could also sell for less, or it could sell for more.

For those who don't know what happens, even I feel lost, it's my understanding our buyer is on the hook for any financial losses we sustain. Our buyer knows this. It's still not clear to me who is paying for house #1. It sure as hell can't be us. I'm told it's the buyer. Well that's great if the buyer can, but what if the buyer can't?

I know. Lots of questions. I have a pow wow with my lawyer in the morning. I'll keep you all posted.

GO Transit forgot how to French

Meanwhile, on a Toronto subway

She forgot how to umbrella

Then again, she could be preparing to head up to one of the platforms where this may actually be a wise idea. Those ghetto plywood roofs provide zero protection in this weather.

Never underestimate the strength of rail commuters (it's all that pent up rage we carry around)

I love how some people clap at the end. It's so John Hughes film of them.

Metrolinx learns tough lesson after pulling video "quietly" uploaded to YouTube about Union-Pearson (UP) Express after it gets laughed at

I can't even ... when I got a text message about this, I HAD TO SHARE (screw packing - this is important).

I am bummed, BUMMED, I didn't get to see the promotional video that caused a writer over at BlogTO to poke fun at its "epic"-ness.

If the parody video (shown below) is any indication of what the promo video was like, it most certainly was bad-ass and made some amazing claims about the UP rail line and what it services. I mean, there's a line in the voice-over for the parody that says, "The engine lasts forever".

Just how bad was the original video that caused $18,000 to produce? We won't ever know. Metrolinx's media spokeswoman said it was removed for "further editing".



The Toronto Star story has more.

Apparently the promotional video reminded the writer at BlogTO of this video, which pokes fun at branded content.

Honey badger don't care

Somewhat of a vacation notice (move update)

As you may or may not know, the website will be on semi-hiatus from August 5 to 15.

For those wanting to know, the packing is never-ending. It took three days to do the kitchen (including cleaning the appliances). My fridge was a DISASTER.

I am leaving behind the whitest kitchen and the whitest appliances - ever (and the cleanest - I did my Eastern European mother proud this weekend). I will also miss it. The kitchen is huge in this home - 12 by 14 feet - with a butler pantry. I'm moving into a home where the kitchen is open to the family room. It will be an adjustment. I liked being able to hide in the kitchen - LOL.

My hands are so dry from using so much VIM cleanser that the skin is peeling. This can't be good but  I just can't leave behind a filthy house. 

Just briefly, the first home I bought in Oshawa was left in such a state of disarray, disrepair and filth, that I carried so much resentment in my heart for years afterwards. It wasn't until we renovated it and sold it, did that resentment ever dissipate. I swore I would never do that to another home buyer -- what the people who left that home did to us. Never, ever.

So packing is going well. It does feel never-ending. The big move is Friday. I'll see if I can pop in an update. Wish me luck!

The perfect reaction to obnoxious cell phone yappers on the GO train (laugh but don't really do this, k?)

This is why you have car insurance, so you don't have to run away when you smash someone's car!

Unless you *don't* have car insurance.

This hit and run happened Friday, August 1 at the Whitby GO Station. Celina posted the incident to Twitter appealing for witnesses.

If you're the person who hit Celina's car, how do you explain the damage to your car when you arrive home to your spouse? Or your neighbours?

How do you sleep at night?

Do the right thing.

Meanwhile, in New York City

Parking rage, like commuting rage, is an unclassified mental illness. It's what drives people to do this kind of stuff.

Let's not forget this situation at the Oshawa GO Parking lot in June last year.

Withdrawal

Yeah. So be prepared.

This is my last day at work and my last week in my current home. I am on vacation until August 18.

Chad and I are moving south of the highway in our small town so our daughter can walk to school when she is able. Before her autism diagnosis, my husband and I had no concerns when we bought our current home about living near an 80 km highway with a 60 km cross street. We paid it no mind, because we saw lots of children crossing the intersection and figured our kid would be just fine when the time came. Unfortunately, we've learned many things about our daughter and one of them is her lack of situational awareness, so no, my kid is not crossing a six lane highway, coupled with a walk along a rural road with no sidewalk, to school. This may have been fine for the hundreds of kids before her but I need to be able to sleep at night.

In my walks with her to the sitter's each morning, I can tell you that drivers in rural Clarington don't give a shit about pedestrians. The car is king out here and don't get me started about the attitude towards cyclists. Drivers will run you over if there wasn't the possibility of jail time. It's not that people are bad drivers, it's drivers who can't put their phone down while driving - the texters - there are just too many. It's a deadly habit and you assholes have to stop. Because I find walking and cycling where I live to be so dangerous, I recently doubled my life insurance policy. However I am hoping, and planning, to make it to the age of 65.

After moving seven times since the age of 20, this will be my last and final move. I am both excited and anxious.

So what does this mean for you? The site may go for days without an update. The symptoms you will experience during this period are temporary. If you feel lost at any point, you can text me and we can hug it out, okay?