Raise the Hammer

Always good to remind people of these things.

Can we get on on All-Day GO train service?

Seriously, how does all day go "attract" residents to Hamilton? Who is interested in all day go train service?

Is it people who work in Toronto? Well, I don't think so, because presumably most people who work in Toronto want to travel there during rush hour, which is when we ALREADY HAVE train service (it takes roughly 1:15 to go from Hamilton to Toronto Union, and that train is express after Oakville).

What about workers who perhaps have odd schedules? Well, they are well served by the Lakeshore West Train/Bus service(that transfers at aldershot or burlington), and the QEW Express Bus Service.

The Lakeshore West Train/Bus service allows you to get to other stations that are "skipped" during rush hour, like Port Credit (Mississauga) and Mimico (Toronto). These bus/train trips vary in the amount of time they take, but if they're not during rush hour they likely make all stops, and take longer than the express trains described above. These people would see some small change in their travel time, as they could take a train directly to Toronto, without taking a bus and transferring. These are the people who all-day GO train service would benefit the most.

The QEW Express bus leaves no less frequently than every half hour, and typically leaves every 20 minutes during peak periods. In good traffic the bus can make it to or from Toronto in under an hour, and in bad traffic t takes longer, but rarely takes longer than the train. A big concern is whether all-day GO train service will result in the eventual (or immediate) phasing out of this bus service, which would be very detrimental to people seeking to travel rapidly between Downtown Toronto and Hamilton.

So, the kinds of people who will benefit most from all day GO train service are those who prefer to take the train to the bus, and who are travelling on off-peak periods. Why are developers interested in this market? Who makes up this market? How lucrative is this market?

All-Day GO train service to Toronto, while sounding "sexy" is really pretty useless to people liviing in Hamilton, considering the GO service we already have, and is unlikely to attract any new investment in Hamilton, in my humble opinion.

I'd like to ask Mr. Bratina for the names of some of the "developers" who have indicated all day GO train service is a priority, and ask them some questions about their target market, and why they feel all day train service is so vital, despite the current GO services we have.