You know summer is just around the corner when the reclusive bare footrider comes out of hibernation on GO trains

Humanity on public transit.

A post shared by Perry Monaco (@elvisrun) on May 30, 2018 at 4:00pm PDT

GO is clearly tired of your bullshit

Heads up motocycle friends who had emailed me (and customer relations per my suggestion) in the past annoyed that vehicle drivers were using designated motorcycle parking spots at Oshawa GO - GO Transit has listened.

The sign reads, "Vehicles parked in these spaces will be towed". I know the sign looks highly suspect but checking in with a GO Transit Safety Officer on-site, I confirmed it's legit.

I only asked because a reader named Doug wrote me threatening to take matters into his own hands by "borrowing a traffic cone from Bloor Street construction to make a point". I'm telling you, some passengers don't mess around.

Hi friends! Let's rant!

Is this month of May any different than the previous 51 years of Mays on Go Transit? May can be a warm month. Many of us have been dealing with roasting coaches in the mornings on trains throughout the system. And as much as Go Transit customer service reps on-line tells us all coaches are regulated at the yard at 21C, we all know this is a damn lie. I've walked end to end of trains and can tell you that temps can vary from coach to coach.

Why this is never addressed is puzzling. Personally, I'm tired of it.

You know what else I'm tired of? Cyclists on rush hour trains. Get lost.

Who's Not Been Serving Us Lately? Part 12

Special to This Crazy Train

By Chris P. Bacon

Route 11 — RIP

In the first installment of this series, we looked at the inefficiencies of (seasonal) Route 11 between St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake.  After four years, Metrolinx’s planners agreed with the analysis provided by TCT, because this year, Route 11 will not operate.

Instead, GO Transit has partnered with Parks Niagara (and WEGO) to get you to, and about, Niagara Falls and NOTL.  This arrangement started last year. 

Exact details of the excursion packages and their pricing remain a mystery at this time.  GO Transit advertises the travel package for $30:

Niagara Parks advertises the packages FROM $30, depending on what stops you make:

GO Transit stated that packages “will be available to purchase at the beginning of May”, yet Niagara Parks will only commit to “coming soon”.  If memory serves me correctly, Niagara Parks had problems launching their programme last year, too.

Metrolinx invites us to “Start planning your May Long Weekend GO Train trip today!”  But don’t specify you want to GO to NOTL; you’ll get this error message:

Is this another Passenger Charter violation?

As for the efficiencies of operating GO Transit’s trains, it is assumed the first train leaving Niagara Falls for Union station will continue to deadhead to The Falls from the Willowbrook yard.  If someone can provide insights on this matter, please feel free to comment.

Again, you’re welcome, Metrolinx, but there really is no need to thank us.  It’s our mission at TCT to provide you with operational insights and analyses at an affordable price.  You’ll be happy to know that this year we are holding the line on our service fees, i.e. we are working pro bono again.

As for Route 11… RIP.

You know, sometimes, after blogging about GO train nonsense for so long, I swear I've seen it all, then *this* lands in my in-box