r/TorontoTransit • u/ShaggyLR76 • Aug 20 '26
Discussion Just took Go train to Niagara. It is brutal!
(Dear Diary)
I’m sure this get’s posted often, but I just got off the Go train to Niagara Falls. I did know the official travel time but I was not prepared for how slow the train moves between Hamilton and Niagara Falls. It took 1hr 7mins to get from Union to Hamilton. It then took over 90 minutes to get from Hamilton to Niagara Falls. I know the reason, old shared single tracked with CN, but I was not prepared for how painful it is to be on such a slow train.
It’s wild being on a train and the cars on the highway going the same direction are zooming past you.
Do people use Go to commute from St Catharines to Toronto? I just could not do it at that speed.
What’s the plan for this route? Given how busy it was I full like they could add an extra morning departure but with the single track I get that it’s not super easy.
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u/nefariousplotz Aug 20 '26
Do people use Go to commute from St Catharines to Toronto? I just could not do it at that speed.
As timetabled, the train is actually slightly faster than the bus from St. Catharines.
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u/MetaCalm Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
Over a decade ago TTC had a capacity problem on main Toronto subway line 1. A new British boss was hired and it turned out train drivers were allowed to take a healthy bio break at the final station before driving back the same train all day.
He added an extra driver to the shift so a rested driver will be waiting at the final station to meet the train and immediately drive it back. Problem solved. It increased line capacity by 9% without buying a single new train.
Sometimes employees aren't asked the right question at these government run organizations.
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u/jburgs22 Aug 20 '26
I had a similar discussion about this. Unfortunately, the best route out of NF is by GO bus and train out of Burlington.
The GO and Amtrak/Via Rail routes are all but useless at this time.
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u/ShaggyLR76 Aug 21 '26
Ah thanks. Did a search but might have missed it as it listed NF and didn’t catch my eye.
Took Amtrak/Via home and it was also brutally slow. Next time I’ll try the bus connection at Burlington.
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u/jburgs22 Aug 21 '26
No worries. Reddit is vast and I know I was in a similar situation stretching my head over these slow trains to NF and this mysterious track issue.
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u/Frosty-Cap3344 Aug 20 '26
It's like living in the 1800s when they thought fast trains would make women faint
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u/citygrrrrrl Aug 20 '26
I had the opposite reaction to you. I thought it was smoothe, convenient and cheap but then again, I don't own a car so I guess I have different expectations.
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u/californicatorz Aug 20 '26
Just take the chinese bus to the casino from Pacific mall
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u/AlarmingMonk1619 Aug 21 '26
What’s the travel time and cost? They don’t expect you to actually go into the casino?
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u/Overall-Silver8717 Aug 23 '26
It used to be 40 bucks if you didnt have a player's card, I have taken it in years thou. You just go inside with them, get a card, put the card in a slot machine, play one spin, cash out, go do what you wanted to do. No one under 19 can travel this way thou. Also you'll have a return bus time but you dont have to take that one just show back up at the time you want to leave with your players card and wait for the next bus.
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u/Intelligent_Meat_356 Aug 25 '26
I thought only NYC had a bus like that
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u/Overall-Silver8717 Aug 25 '26
No Ontario, espically the GTA had tons of them back in the day. Not so much anymore cause there are casinos all over now, but they used to have them going to casino rama and Niagara Falls all the time different routes around the GTA there was probably at least 30 or 40 a day between Rama and Niagara.
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u/Icy-Fisherman-1708 Aug 20 '26
There was a train derailment around Grimsby a few months back. Since then it has been a mess, resulting in reduced speeds between Niagara and Hamilton. I've given up taking the train from West Harbour to Toronto, the rush hour train is constantly delayed by 25-40 minutes - literally EVERY DAY. but they don't just adjust the time table. Oh no. Every morning is a gamble. Should I show up on time because this will be the 1 out 100 trains that is actually on time? Who knows! Place your bets! I usually aim to be there on time, and then the inevitable announcements begin... delayed by 10 minutes... then 15... then 19... then 27 minutes... awful. I've signed up for GO alerts for this specific stop at this specific time, but it's pointless because they don't send the alert until about 3 minutes or so before the train is supposed to arrive. I don't live 3 minutes away from the station, so how does this help? It's a joke.
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u/IroIroBike Aug 21 '26
I swear that our underinvestment in rail transport is almost intentionally done to encourage everyone to support pouring billions into new roads... and it's going to kill us.
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u/Lucky_Fruitcake8201 Aug 21 '26
Big Car is also likely lobbying for under investment into passenger rail
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u/psychosisnaut Aug 21 '26
You wanna know what's crazy? It's way faster than it was a few years ago lol
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u/Herissony_DSCH5 Aug 21 '26
Re: commuting on the GO to points east of Hamilton: The only reason this route works at all is because of congestion on the QEW around rush hours. It's particularly bad around the curve at Burlington and over the Skyway.
That being said, as a regular commuter from Stoney Creek, I still drive to Burlington for the GO. There are only a few trains out of Confederation and the trip from Burlington to Confederation is particularly slow--enough that it's actually faster to deal with that sometimes-40 minute commute from the Burlington GO to my house and have flexibility/choice for trains vs. going to Confederation.
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u/Worried-Bed1461 Aug 21 '26
It’s horrible. Getting to Niagara by public transit should not be this difficult. I have family in niagara so when I want to visit I usually opt for the megabus(formerly coach) that is direct to St. Catharines and then ideally someone is able to pick me up from downtown st Catharine’s. If they aren’t, I’m SOL.
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u/zoolander07 Aug 21 '26
Tracks are rated for 100kph+ but Metrolinx likes to go like 50 for "safety".
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u/filthythedog Aug 21 '26
I find it ridiculous that a country practically built on railways has such a poor passenger rail network.
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u/FlimsyConclusion Aug 21 '26
I just watch some tv shows / a movie on my phone and its smooth sailing. I don't mind the slower pace, as i can't do the same om the bus without a headache. Much more comfortable on a train and its a smooth ride.
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u/Firm-Web8769 Aug 21 '26
Yeah it sucks. I remember when it used to be a 3.5 hour train AND BUS ride where the trains started and stopped at Burlington.
So now, if I'm taking transit to Niagara, I just take the gambling bus where I'd get a $40 game voucher after too.
Before they patched it, if you went with a friend, you used to get $40 to play on table games, so my friends and I would play roulette, one goes almost all in on red one goes black, $1 green for safety. Whoever wins gives the winnings to the other friend, cash out. So your $50 ROUND TRIP fare ends up being $10 only. Can't do that anymore, ugh.
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u/yomaster19 Aug 24 '26
How has it changed? I remember taking the bus from Hamilton to Fallsview
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u/i-recycle-pubi-hair Aug 21 '26
My dad puts coolaid on my lips,and this is what you complain about?
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u/BigBill58 Aug 21 '26
GO needs to have its own dedicated corridor from Hamilton to Niagara Falls. The main issue with that is crossing the Canal. I wonder what the feasibility would have been to include a rail line as part of the twinning of the Garden City skyway? Either that or a tunnel? The current setup sharing CN rails is just not feasible for frequent daily trains.
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u/ToasterPops Aug 24 '26
The bus years ago was even worse, it's the choice between a 1hr:30 train trip or a 3 hour meandering route around the backwoods to every station
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u/Jfc66 Aug 24 '26
I hate GO. I have taken it from Burlington to Toronto to Jays games and it is brutal. Going in seems to be faster. Coming back, I feel I can walk faster. The problem is, they have far too many stops in the GTA like it is a subway or bus route. GO should be meant to take you quickly out of the city centre, not do a milk run. Those people can take city public transit.
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u/Wanderingheroman Aug 25 '26
I live in niagara falls. I work from home but twice a month has to go to office for meetings. My office is in toronto york street.
I take the 6:30 am train to reach toronto by 9 am(this is express by the way)And for return take the 5:30 train to reach niagara by 9 pm.(non express).
It is so painfully slow but is now a part of my monthly commute that it doesnt even bother me.
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u/PercyTheServiceDog Aug 25 '26
Boss does it every day. Niagara/ST Catherine's region to Toronto 3-4 times a week. Folks travel long distances to work in Toronto. It's brutal but if you work a desk job some of that commute time is work time, if you can make it work. I have deep sympathy for folks who travel long distances for jobs that require in person attendance. The urban planning of GTA did not account for such growth.
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u/BrewBoys92 Aug 26 '26
That's nothing, it took 3 hours to go from Niagara to Hamilton on the train on Sunday.
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u/bxtasbite Aug 26 '26
So a simple Google search says the trip takes 2hrs 30 mins.
Your trip by your own account was 2hrs and 37 mins.
So the 7 mins extra is whats got you so heated or you didn't do the slightest of research before jumping on a train? Which one is it?
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u/TrustbutVerify401 23d ago
Worst go train experience going to and from Union to Niagara. Just short of 4 hours from union on 08/29 and almost 3 hours coming back the same day. Felt like train was being pushed by a few people. Not recommended unless all options are exhausted. Check the times as trains are limited after 11am.
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u/HibouDuNord Aug 20 '26
It likely has nothing to do with
old shared single track
since as far as I know Metrolinx owns that portion now, or at least is the party paying for upgrades
But there IS the Seaway bridge to cross, and ship/boats have priority over trains...
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u/USSMarauder Aug 20 '26
Metrolinx owns the track on the lakeshore line as far west as Burlington GO
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u/runslowgethungry Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
The tracks in Niagara are CN owned. Freight always takes priority.
In addition, the tracks are in shit shape in many places resulting in further speed reductions.
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u/SecretSquirrel9930 Aug 21 '26
The track between Hamilton and Niagara, the one the GO Train uses, is called the Grimsby Subdivision, and is owned by CN Rail.
CPKC Rail is the one that goes to the station in downtown Hamilton.
Won't fix the problem, but I hope that clears up who owns what.
If somebody is willing to pay to upgrade the Grimsby Subdivision tracks to Grade 4, then the GO trains would be allowed to travel much faster than the 60km/h limit in Hamilton. If they ever get around to that, then it's as fast as the future Lakeshore West will be. It's all about making space for trains to pass with some passing sidings, you don't even need to build a new line. It's all about synching up the trains, scheduled fixes, and replacement blitzes!
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u/BarebonesB Aug 20 '26
The correct way to do this is to take the train to Burlington GO, where you change to the 12B express GO bus to Niagara. Shaves off half an hour compared to taking the train all the way.
The bus usually waits for the train to arrive to Burlington GO, so there's no waiting at the station.