Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Bradley surprised about tracks?!

Niagara This Week reported in "Go train rolls into Niagara ", Jul.3, 2009:

"Bradley said the GO train service is ideal for visitors rather than for weekday commuters, who expect faster service.

"It's perfect for the weekend when time isn't as much of a factor," he said, adding train riders also skip past the tourist traffic which runs from Toronto to beyond the Niagara side of the Burlington Skyway.

He explained there's challenges that come with expanding the service to accommodate Monday to Friday commuters. For one, there's only one track which also serves VIA, Amtrak and freight trains, and it would be expensive to twin the tracks.

There's also the canal, he said, adding the first train was delayed coming into Niagara Falls because the bridge near Glendale had to be raised for a canal ship."

Yeah, Jim...when you were blustering about bringing GO to Niagara years ago, in opposition, you didn't really mention anything about, oh... tracks! And the 'expense' of adding another line. And that GO was to be a tourist, not commuter, service. How convenient that as Transport Minister, Jim Bradley now discovers these little details. Did GO do any environmental assessment of the new Niagara service, in particular to quantify the effects of the additional diesels? Just asking whether Jimmy bothered to show how 'green' his train is.

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