Sean Marshall

Category: Transit

  • From Hamilton to Haldimand: a new transit link fills a major gap

    From Hamilton to Haldimand: a new transit link fills a major gap

    Southern Ontario Transit minibus in Dunnville, October 2024

    Earlier in October, I got to meet Rae Rivard, owner-operator of Southern Ontario Transit (SOT), a new intercity transit operator currently serving Hamilton and Haldimand County. The route, which launched on September 16th, offers three weekday round trips between Downtown Hamilton and Dunnville, serving the communities of Caledonia, Hagersville, and Cayuga.

    Haldimand County, along with the neighbouring Six Nations and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation reserves, remained unserved by intercity or local bus services since the early 2000s; in 1990, United Trails operated a daily bus between Port Dover, Hagersville, Caledonia, and Hamilton. Cayuga and Dunnville were served by a Greyhound route on Highway 3 between Niagara and London. More recently, as Niagara Region was building a regional transit service and Norfolk County successfully applied for provincial funding for a new service between Simcoe and Brantford, Haldimand County refused to take part. Enter SOT.

    SOT, which charges a $10 one-way fare, operates without the support of the municipal government, and is unable to put up bus stop signs or actively promote its service at municipal facilities such as libraries or community centres. For this reason, ridership remains low, despite growing populations in Caledonia and Hagersville and convenient links to Hamilton Airport, Mohawk College, St. Joseph’s Hospital, and to GO Transit and HSR services.

    Rivard will tell you that “the primary challenge we face today is slow uptake. Due to a number of limitations and challenges currently out of our control, the number of regular and new riders trends up every week, but not as fast as we need to cover expenses…. Many of the limitations we are dealing with right now can easily be addressed at no expense, but these choices are out of our control.”

    Rivard reached out to businesses and social service organizations, but was turned away, adding that “the entire operation has been entirely funded out of me and my wife’s savings, and we are really struggling to keep up with expenses at this rate.”

    Without approved bus stop locations with curb access, SOT is not able to provide fully-accessible service, though it already has a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. The lack of physical bus stops and publicity has made it difficult to attract riders, though while riding with Rivard on a beautiful October afternoon, it was clear that a demand exists as several residents came up to the minibus to find out more information.

    My hope is that word spreads about this unique and essential operation and that the local communities provide the needed support to make this service work. If this initial route succeeds, SOT would like to expand service in Haldimand and take on other gaps in the Ontario network.

    At the Hamilton terminus, at Main Street and MacNab, across from the HSR terminal
    A new version of my Ontario Intercity Transport Map is now available

    I updated my Ontario Intercity Transport Map to add Southern Ontario Transit’s route. Commuter Connect in Northumberland County ended service not long after VIA Rail finally resumed its early morning train from Kingston to Toronto. East Zorra-Tavistock Transit in Oxford County did not last long either, and service there has ended.

    Added to the map:

    • Southern Ontario Transit between Hamilton, Caledonia, and Dunnville
    • Red Arrow’s daily Toronto-Western University express, which replaces its Toronto-Niagara Falls run
    • A new daily Flixbus route between Toronto, Hamilton, and St. Thomas
    • A new OnexBus route between London, Goderich, and Port Elgin, operating Friday through Monday
    • OnexBus’s London-Pearson Airport-Brampton route, which operates several trips a day
    • Ourbus’s Toronto-Ottawa route
    • Kasper’s daily Winnipeg-Kenora-Sioux Lookout service
    • Revisions to on-demand services in Niagara Region
    • Some revised routings and service levels across the province

    Removed from the map:

    • Commuter Connect in Northumberland County
    • East Zorra-Tavistock Transit
    • Kasper’s on-demand service to Red Lake/Balmerton

    Though it is good to see Bruce County — particularly rapidly growing Saugeen Shores — get another link, that part of Ontario is still poorly served; there should be daily services between larger Bruce County communities like Saugeen Shores, Kincardine, and Walkerton at least to Owen Sound and Hanover. Lindsay is also left without any intercity services, after TOK ended service from Toronto to Haliburton last year. where a Peterborough-Lindsay-Pontypool service, perhaps extending to Durham College/Ontario Tech University in Oshawa could prove to be a very useful route.

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  • Deadcatting: Doug Ford’s big dig

    We need a Highway 401 Tunnel like we need a dead cat on the dining room table

    On Wednesday, September 25, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, along with transportation minister Pradmeet Sarkaria, announced that the provincial government would fund a feasibility study on building a new highway tunnel under Highway 401 from Peel Region to Durham Region, along with an unspecified new transit facility.

    Earlier this week, Doug Ford exclaimed that those living in homeless encampments and anyone else without housing who he thought could work should “get off their a-s-s and start working like everyone else.” The day before that, we learned that Ford’s Progressive Conservative government would prohibit new bicycle infrastructure if it took road space away from motorists.

    The old Doug Ford — the angry bull-in-a-china-shop we remember from 2018-2019 — is back, and it is clear that governing, in fact, has not changed him. After six years, and a rumoured early provincial election, Doug Ford will need to run on something, because there’s little to show for his promises of getting housing built, transit projects completed, and hospitals fixed. An RCMP investigation continues to look at the government’s Greenbelt land swaps, and it is rare for provincial or federal governments in Canada to get elected with a majority three times in a row. So here we are.

    But after three straight days of political red meat policy announcements, the strategy has become clear: Doug Ford is “deadcatting.” Dead cat theory, popularized during the leadership of former London mayor and British prime minister Boris Johnson, is the practice of suddenly throwing down an outrageous policy or statement to divert attention away from an unpleasant topic. The shocked audience is suddenly compelled to talk about the metaphorical dead cat thrown on the table. In the United States in recent weeks, dead cats have become less metaphorical, with baseless and racist accusations against Haitian migrants in Ohio spread by Donald Trump, vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance, and far-right commentators.

    The strategy is thought to come from Lynton Crosby, an Australian conservative strategist who worked on Johnson’s mayoral and UK Conservative leadership campaigns, as well as Canada’s Conservative Party in 2015.

    There is no way a Highway 401 tunnel will be built. Not only would it be the longest road tunnel in the world, but the long on-ramps and off-ramps required to access a deep-bore urban highway tunnel will make it completely infeasible. The proposal also completely ignores the problem of induced demand, and it won’t solve the problem of where the traffic goes when it gets off that additional highway. For these reasons, it was especially disappointing to see the Toronto and Region Board of Trade (TRBoT) endorse the idea.

    TRBoT post on September 25, 2024

    There are things that can help alleviate traffic. One is ensuring that transit projects are completed, funded, and maintained. That doesn’t just mean building and completing projects like the Crosstown LRT and the Ontario Line, it’s also making sure the system remains in excellent condition to avoid problems like the persistent slow orders in the Toronto Subway. It also means making the best use of existing infrastructure, like Highway 407, for goods movement. Highway 407 passes by every major freight yard in Greater Toronto, but trucks clog Highway 401, Highway 7, and Steeles Avenue instead because of the high tolls. And it means active transportation improvements, like bike lanes and multi-use paths.

    What we don’t need are more dead cats to distract us from the real problems.

  • A little more coordination, please?

    No matter how you get around Toronto, it’s feels like it’s more difficult than ever

    Getting around Downtown Toronto can be an exercise in frustration, whether you drive, bike, take transit, or drive. Though necessary transit and road construction projects are the cause of much of the congestion, driver behaviour, poor management, and a lack of coordination between various municipal and provincial agencies have only added to the traffic quagmire.

    North-south streets such as Spadina, York, Bay, and Jarvis are jammed by drivers headed south towards the Gardiner Expressway, with lane closures near Exhibition Place only making things worse. Motorists blocking intersections make it difficult for pedestrians, cyclists, streetcars, and through traffic to get across the city centre. Ontario Line construction has closed a portion of Queen Street, while work to rebuild streetcar tracks on York and Adelaide Streets to allow 501 cars to bypass the closure is still proceeding.

    GO Transit is also expanding its rail corridors to allow for more off-peak and express trains, with the long-term goal of having an electrified, frequent, regional rail network that complements and supplements the web of subways, light rail and buses throughout the region. The TTC is also addressing a backlog of state-of-good repair works throughout the subway system, resulting in slow orders, early closures, and weekend shutdowns.

    Meanwhile, people still need to get to places like work, school, conferences and trade shows, concerts, sporting events, social gatherings, festivals, museums, and all the other things that make a city a city. Eventually, with improved GO corridors, the Ontario Line, and the opening of the Crosstown LRT, there will be some redundancy in the transit system that will make planned service closures easier to navigate. But for now, we are stuck with an underbuilt transportation system in a rapidly growing city.

    This makes the coordination of transit closures and projects especially essential so things don’t completely fall apart. Saturday, September 21 was just one example of the failure to do so.

    On Saturday September 21 and Sunday September 22, GO Transit reduced service on the Lakeshore West Line to hourly service on the entire corridor because of work at Long Branch GO Station, where the station is being completely rebuilt for accessibility improvements and future expansion. It also shut down the entire Barrie Line for various construction works along the corridor, with rail replacement buses to Union Station, stuck in traffic on the Don Valley Parkway and Lake Shore Boulevard with all other motorists getting around the Gardiner closure.

    Normally, there are hourly trains as far west as West Harbour Station in Downtown Hamilton, with half-hourly service to Aldershot Station in Burlington. Between Union and Oakville, rail service is as frequent as every 15 minutes during midday and early evenings on Saturday and Sunday. Hourly train service reduced capacity on the inner Lakeshore West line by 75%.

    Compounding the problem was the total closure of the Gardiner Expressway between Highway 427 and the Don River between Friday evening and Sunday morning for routine maintenance (the Gardiner and the Don Valley Parkway are regularly closed twice a year for repairs). Many people who might have otherwise driven into the city would have taken GO Transit instead, normally a very good idea. Though none of Toronto’s professional sports teams were playing at home on Saturday, there was still a Shane Gillis stand-up comedy performance at Scotiabank Arena, and a Rainbow Kitten Surprise concert at Ontario Place.

    Also, to add insult, the Lakeshore East trains between Toronto and Oshawa were not through-running with the Lakeshore West trains and were operating on a modified schedule. I was travelling east of Toronto on Saturday, making a few stops in Durham Region. As I arrived back from Whitby on Saturday afternoon on a train that normally connects onward westbound train at Union Station, we were treated to the sight of the hourly Lakeshore West train just pulling out. It couldn’t have even waited 2-3 minutes to allow passengers to make the cross-platform connection. That resulted in other passengers complaining to GO staff in the concourse, who were not that helpful.

    Tweet from Alan Deschamps, reporting on a full GO train arriving at Long Branch at 6:21 PM on Saturday Sept 21, with the customer service ambassador (CSR) telling waiting passengers to not board and to wait for the next train in an hour

    In the early evening on Saturday, a jam-packed eastbound GO train on the Lakeshore East train was not accepting any passengers at Long Branch or Mimico station because of overcrowding. Waiting passengers were told to wait an hour for the next train.

    One would think that Metrolinx (GO Transit’s parent agency) and the City of Toronto would coordinate their construction schedules to avoid such problems. However, not even the City of Toronto can figure this out. Back in June of this year, the TTC replaced the 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst streetcars with buses for a week for minor overhead work on Fleet Street. The timing coincided with the massive Collision tech conference at Exhibition Place, which resulted in overcrowded shuttle buses and unreliable service. Had the TTC checked with anyone at the city’s economic development office or with Exhibition Place (another city agency), this work could have easily been rescheduled.

    Overloaded 509 Harbourfront bus shuttle on Queen’s Quay in June 2024

    Though coordination of transit closures and construction projects with major events and parallel roadworks will not solve Toronto’s road and transit congestion problems, it will at least reduce some of the frustration of getting around. The poor customer service at GO Transit will certainly make riders question if they will be able to rely on the service in the future.

    Of course, there is one measure that won’t help but still will be implemented by the provincial government later this fall: a prohibition on new bicycle lanes if they take road space from motorists. Despite blocked bike lanes, aggressive drivers, and an incomplete cycling network, it is still the most reliable and fastest mode for many shorter city trips. Along with major transit improvements and construction coordination, cycling is one of the solutions to getting around Toronto.

  • Travel by train (or bus): Denver’s renewed Union Station

    Travel by train (or bus): Denver’s renewed Union Station

    Denver’s Union Station, with the iconic “Travel by Train” neon signage

    Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of travelling with my spouse to California. We started in San Diego (where my partner was attending a conference) and then made our way northwards, to Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Simeon, and finally the San Francisco Bay Area. I continued my trip an extra three days to ride Amtrak’s California Zephyr train east through Nevada and Utah to Denver, Colorado.

    Looking south from the California Zephyr across the Colorado River near the Utah-Colorado border

    Besides the breathtaking scenery through eastern Utah and western Colorado, I wanted to visit Denver itself, including its Union Station.

    Denver’s Union Station was constructed in 1881 to serve the Denver Pacific Railway (the city’s connection to the Union Pacific transcontinental railroad at Cheyenne, Wyoming), as well as the Denver & Rio Grande, the Denver, South Park & Pacific and the Colorado Central Railroads. (Today, it is reached by tracks belonging to the Union Pacific or BNSF Railroads.) Renovated and expanded in 1914, one of the station’s most iconic features, rooftop neon signs beckoning customers to “Travel by train” were added in the 1950s, as interstate highways were being planned and constructed across the United States and air travel became more common.

    The station was nearly closed in the 1980s with only Amtrak’s Oakland-Chicago California Zephyr calling once a day in each direction. Passenger train facilities would have been moved to a small “Amshack” building outside of the downtown core, with the station building incorporated into a proposed new convention centre. (This proposal is similar to the fate of St. Louis’ Union Station, which was turned into a hotel, shopping, and entertainment centre, with the Amtrak station moved into a small building off-site.) Luckily, this never took place.

    Denver’s Regional Transit District (RTD) purchased the station in 2001, with a new master plan developed for the station property and the vicinity in 2002, approved by voters in 2004 as part of the “FasTracks” program. Denver’s light rail system was extended to Union Station in 2002, while the immediate area was redeveloped with midrise apartment and office buildings. The train platforms were rebuilt with a new canopy, meant to accommodate both Amtrak and proposed new commuter and regional rail services.

    Denver Union Station train platforms

    Connecting the historic Union Station building and train platforms with the LRT platforms two blocks north is a long underground bus concourse.

    Denver Union Station’s underground bus terminal

    The underground bus terminal serves local and regional RTD services, as well as Bustang, the State of Colorado’s intercity coach service. Bustang offers multiple daily bus services to cities such as Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, and Pueblo, connecting most of the state together. There are also seasonal ski buses from Denver, along with special runs for Denver Bronco games.

    Bustang service map

    There are also two free RTD bus services connecting Union Station with the rest of Denver’s downtown core: MallRide, a frequent, daily service along the 16th Avenue pedestrian mall (which was undergoing reconstruction in July 2024, and was on detour), and MetroRide, which operates during daytime hours on a parallel route.

    Splash fountains in the Union Station west plaza

    Union Station now hosts a boutique hotel, several restaurants and bars, a branch of a local bookshop chain, and includes amenities such as public art and a splash fountain outside its main entrance. Though the main lobby was undergoing minor renovations, it was clear how much work went into the project.

    Union Station lobby
    Take the A-Train
    Arriving at Denver International Airport

    Like Toronto’s Union Station, Denver offers an airport rail link, operating every 15 minutes most of the day. The electric A-Line train runs from Union Station, making 7 intermediate stops. With the exception of the airport itself, the A-Line operates within the regular RTD fare zone, with free transfers between connecting buses and trains.

    To enter or exit the airport station itself, occasional travelers must purchase a special $10 day pass (a standard day pass is $5.50), but that, of course, includes all rides taken before or after arriving at or departing from the airport. (By contrast, there are no transfers or fare discounts when connecting between UP Express and GO Transit, TTC, or suburban transit services.)

    Because of the additional stops and the long distance between Downtown Denver and the international airport (25 miles or 40 kilometres), the trip takes 37 minutes versus UP Express’ 25 minutes.

    Unfortunately, most RTD rail services, like the A-Line, follow existing or abandoned rail corridors. Though these routes offer limited obstructions to construction and allow for faster service than operating within roadways, they limit how much ridership can be generated by walk-on service. Even the Downtown Littleton station on the D-Line is distant from any commercial or residential uses, with a large commuter parking lot behind the historic station building.

    At least many RTD stations offer convenient bus transfers, which draw much of the ridership.

    The D-Line LRT at Littleton, Colorado

    A lot was done right at Denver Union Station, which is well served by local, state, and national rail and bus connections, and is serves well as a model for developing a good intermodal hub in a midsized city like Denver. There are certainly aspects that could be replicated at some GO Transit stations, such as Brampton, Port Credit, or Unionville, which are poised to become important intermodal hubs, such as great public spaces, easy connections between nodes, and complementary retail spaces. At Brampton in particular, much can be done with the small historic station building there to make it a centrepiece of a great downtown redevelopment.

    I am glad I visited Denver, and I am glad to have travelled by train.

  • A bus to St. Thomas, finally

    A bus to St. Thomas, finally

    Middlesex County Connect and “Local Motion” buses at St. Thomas, June 2024

    On Saturday, June 15, I took a trip that was not possible for over a decade: I went to St. Thomas, Ontario, without a car. This was possible because of one of several new intercity transit links that opened this year in Ontario, and I have updated my interactive map accordingly.

    (more…)

  • Transit museums’ transit dilemma

    The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum now features a new main entrance and exhibition hall, along with an on-street boarding area complete with vintage signage.

    While visiting Pittsburgh earlier in June, I also paid a second visit to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum (PTM), located 45 minutes south of Downtown Pittsburgh in Washington PA. I had visited the museum a few years prior as part of a visit to the Pittsburgh area, but since then, a new section of the museum opened to the public, and there were additional cars in operation.

    While I went to PTM with a friend who planned to stick around until the evening, I planned to return to downtown Pittsburgh earlier in the afternoon. I found information on a local transit service operated by Washington County — called Freedom Transit — that ran a route to and from Pittsburgh that stopped not too far from the museum’s main entrance. That plan did not go well at all.

    It is an unfortunate irony that most North American transit museums have poor or non-existent transit access. There are historical reasons why this came to be, but some of the continent’s best transportation exhibitions are inaccessible to newer generations of transit fans, historians, and enthusiasts, many of which do not or cannot drive.

    Washington County Transportation Authority, or “Freedom Transit,” doesn’t offer much freedom
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  • A walk to the ballpark

    Returning to Downtown Pittsburgh across the Roberto Clemente Bridge after the game and a fireworks display

    Earlier in June, a friend and I took a weekend road trip to Pittsburgh, a five-hour drive southwest of Toronto. On our first night there, we took in a ballgame at PNC Park, where the hometown Pirates hosted the Minnesota Twins.

    Though I do not follow the Pirates (who are in the National League) nor the Twins (who are in the AL Central), I was excited to take in a ballgame in Pittsburgh because I have heard about the park’s intimate confines, the great view of the Pittsburgh skyline, and the fireworks that follow certain Friday and Saturday night games. PNC Park lived up to the hype.

    Among the major North American sports leagues, Major League Baseball has the most significant differences between venues. Unlike hockey, basketball, soccer, and football fields, the dimensions of each playing surface vary considerably, as does the architecture. PNC Park was built in the retro-classic style similar to Baltimore’s Camden Yards; it opened in 2001. When the naming rights for the new publicly-financed stadium was purchased by local bank PNC, the city renamed the adjacent 6th Avenue Bridge for beloved Pirates player Roberto Clemente, a Hall of Famer and a humanitarian. That bridge is closed before and after each game to motor vehicles so that fans can walk and bike across the Allegheny River to and from downtown.

    Statue of Roberto Clemente located between the stadium and the bridge renamed in his honour. No statues of cable tycoons can be found here.

    The skyline view from behind home plate is spectacular, showcasing the most iconic buildings and some of the many bridges crossing the three rivers in the downtown area. With lots of washrooms, a wide concourse, and plenty of food and drink concessions, the stadium felt intimate, yet uncrowded. Lineups were always short, and where play wasn’t visible (such as in the washrooms), speakers played the radio broadcast. Ushers were very friendly and helpful as well.

    View from up behind home plate

    The game was followed by a 10-minute fireworks display, with the rockets launched off a barge in the Allegheny River.

    Finale of fireworks show

    Though transit access is quite good — there is a station one block away on Pittsburgh LRT’s North Shore extension — many fans walked part of the way home. Downtown parking garages — built for office commuters — provide much of the parking demand, so there are few surface parking spaces surrounding the stadium. Even the football stadium, a few blocks to the west, is mostly served by parking garages and another LRT station. Hotels, restaurants, museums, and apartments neighbour the two North Shore stadiums.

    Walkability and transit access are the key to fostering a great fan experience. Walkable stadiums promote safe, accessible, and sustainable travel to and from sports venues, and help support local businesses. Downtown locations have the advantage of having better transit access, existing parking facilities, and in the case of Pittsburgh (or Detroit, or Minneapolis), a downtown ballpark can be a point of civic pride, showing off the city to its inhabitants, and to a much larger audience.

    To see how your local sports venue ranks, visit my Story Map here.

  • Can you walk to City Hall?

    Can you walk to City Hall?

    Mississauga City Hall, one of the most walkable municipal buildings in Ontario

    In late March 2024, with a streak of mild, sunny days, I was eager to get outside and walk. As I have long been interested in local politics and planning issues, public transit, active transportation (especially walking advocacy), I thought I would try to get to every city, town, and township hall in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) without a car.

    This was a fun project, even if there were times I felt really frustrated at times by poor transit and long hikes. The highlight of my quest was a tour of Mississauga City Hall from Councillor Joe Horneck. Mississauga’s civic centre is one of Ontario’s most iconic — and walkable — government buildings.

    Mississauga Council Chambers

    Of the three levels of government (federal, provincial, municipal), the municipal level has the most impact on the day-to-day lives of most Canadians; it is also the closest level of government to all. Residents can depute at committee meetings, get meetings with their local councillor and city staff, and obtain building permits, marriage licenses, or pay bills at city and town halls. Therefore, they should be as accessible as possible, especially to those without cars.

    Only one GTHA town hall (Caledon) was completely inaccessible without a car, though several other town halls required long walks from the nearest transit stop, making them inaccessible to some residents. But I could get to Brock Township, the least-populated and most-rural municipality in the GTHA, thanks to Durham Region Transit’s On-Demand service, though I had some difficulty there.

    The complete list of GTHA city and town halls, along with photographs and a map can be accessed here.

    Preview of Story Map

  • A review of Metrolinx’s April 2024 service changes

    A review of Metrolinx’s April 2024 service changes

    With a GO train serving as a backdrop, Premier Doug Ford, along with Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, announced major changes to GO Transit service, with 300 new weekly trains (a 15% service increase). The service changes will take effect on Sunday, April 28, 2024.

    Though most new trains will be added on the Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, and Kitchener Lines (the Milton Line gets just one additional weekday round trip in the peak direction), the media event was held in Milton, where a byelection was called to replace outgoing PC MPP Parm Gill. With a competitive race between PC candidate Zeeshan Hamid and Liberal candidate Galen Naidoo Harris, the choice of venue made it an especially political event.

    News of the pending service changes was publicized in regular Metrolinx email newsletters in March, but was since taken down, likely to allow for the news to be shared first by the premier and minister of transportation. It is quite clear that Metrolinx is entirely beholden to the provincial government these days, where communications are tightly controlled by its political masters.

    The new GO Transit schedules are now available online. Though there is plenty of good news, some of the added trains are merely restoration of previous service levels. Meanwhile, there will be a significant service cut for two Toronto stations.

    Lakeshore Corridor

    Fifteen-minute train service returns on the busy Lakeshore line on weekend afternoons and evenings, between Oshawa and Oakville Stations only. Service will still run every half-hour on weekdays, weekend mornings, and to Bronte, Appleby, Burlington, and Aldershot Stations, and every hour to West Harbour GO in Hamilton.

    However, weekend 15-minute service starts late in the afternoon. Frequent service from Oakville to Union starts at 2:30 PM Saturdays and Sundays and at 3:14 at Union Station. This additional service starts too late for family day trips to the city or for getting to afternoon Blue Jays games.

    Bus route 18K, which operates between Aldershot, West Harbour, St. Catharines, and Brock University, is renumbered to Route 11.

    Milton Corridor
    Map of Route 21

    There will be one new peak-period round trip leaving Milton at 6:43 AM and leaving Union at 4:10 PM.

    More importantly, Route 21 will return to its previous routing, operating directly into Union Station Bus Terminal. When I wrote about the April 2023 changes, I commented that the changes simplified the complicated Route 21 while improving reliability and predictability for Milton Line passengers. However, the changes proved to be unpopular, with poorly timed connections between buses and trains.

    But with the Gardiner Expressway down to two lanes between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue for long-term construction, and with downtown Toronto’s traffic, I am wondering how much better the ride will be.

    Route 21A, which ran between Milton and Oakville, will be replaced by Route 22, which offers much more limited service — every two hours, weekdays only. Route 21A offered useful connections to GO buses at Trafalgar Road Park & Ride for Highway 407 services to McMaster University, Downtown Hamilton, Square One, and beyond. It is a shame to see that service reduced, though perhaps Milton Transit should begin serving it.

    Kitchener Corridor and UP Express
    New UP Express service pattern

    The good news? There will be new weekday half-hourly train service between Bramalea and Union Stations during midday and early evening periods. (Hourly service between Bramalea and Union will remain in the counter-peak direction.) There are no changes to rail service between Kitchener, Mount Pleasant, or Union Station and only minor changes to connecting GO buses. Not all trains will stop at Etobicoke North, which only has one platform.

    The bad news? UP Express service will be split into express and local services, with non-stop service between Union Station and Pearson Airport every 30 minutes, and local trains every 30 minutes stopping at Bloor and Weston. Both local stations will see improved weekday GO service, but this still amounts to a service cut, especially at Bloor, an important connection to the Line 2 Subway and local TTC services. This is also at a time when the connection between Dundas West Station and Bloor Station is finally being improved.

    Other changes

    Weekday evening train service will be restored on the Stouffville Line on April 28.

    Elsewhere, there are minor schedule adjustments — it’s always a good idea to check your trip before you depart.

    One last thing worth commenting about is a brand new, well-designed GO Transit bus map that clearly shows each route and how they connect to the rail network. Bus routes are sorted into “core” and “train support” services, a useful distinction.

    My only criticism is that they should show frequency or level of service — some “train support” routes run hourly or better, seven days a week (like Route 30) while some of the “core” routes do not operate evenings and weekends.

    Regional bus map
    Finally

    Apart from my observations and criticism above, I would have liked to have seen more changes to the bus network. For example, service to Peterborough remains too slow, while there should be weekend service between Kitchener, Guelph, and Hamilton. Hopefully, there will be more changes in September.

  • Ontario intercity updates for April 2024

    Ontario intercity updates for April 2024

    NOTE: Previous versions of the Ontario and Canada maps are retired; please see the new Canada Intercity Transport Map, launched March 30, 2025. This will now be the only interactive map that I will update.

    Since 2020, I have maintained an interactive map of bus and rail services in Ontario. Without a central repository of transit information, my maps have become one of the few comprehensive resources available. I am pleased to keep the resource going, and I appreciate the messages of support, as well as additions and corrections that you submit.

    There are a few updates for April 2024:

    • Middlesex County Connect launched a new route between Dorchester, White Oaks Mall in London, and St. Thomas. This route operates six days a week, with four round trips Mondays through Saturdays.
    • A new FlixBus route, operating six days a week, now runs between Downtown Toronto, Pearson Airport, and Sudbury, competing with Ontario’s Northland bus service.
    • Ourbus became the latest company to operate a coach service between Toronto, Kingston, and Ottawa. There are now five coach operators competing on the same route.
    • Grey Transit Route announced that they will be ending weekend services on most of its routes starting May 1.

    Though the gap between London and St. Thomas is now filled, there remains several other parts of the province without intercity transport links, even in Southwestern Ontario. For example, service in Huron and Bruce Counties is limited to a three day/week TOK coach service and a three day/week minibus service between Goderich and Grand Bend. There are still no links from Haldimand County and Six Nations to nearby large urban centres like Brantford, Hamilton, and Toronto.

    I plan to update this Ontario map again in July. At that time, I will also update my Canada-wide transportation map to reflect changes in the intercity transport industry.

    If you like my maps and you would like to help out with my online mapping and webhosting costs, consider buying me a coffee. Thank you!