GO Transit hlikes tares; extra trains comni By Tim Foran CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF itfs a case of good news-bad news: more GO trains are coming to Milton aiong witb dozens more snow-clearing devices to keep tracks etear, but ait riders were bit witb a tare increase starting this past weekend. An inerease of 25 cents per aduit or stu- dent ride took effect after GO'S board of directors unanimousiy approved tbe 2009/10 operating budget at ils meeting Friday Tbe lare bike equates to an increase ut $10 for a monîbiy pass. A smailer 10-cent inerease was piaced on single tickets for seniors or ebil- dren, witb a $5 bike in tbe corresponding rnontbiy passes. The bikes don't immediaîeiy affect riders wbo bave aiready purebased a montbiy pass for Marcb, nor tbose wiîb unused two- or 10- ride passes, said GO. A GO spokesperson saîd tbe lack of a notice period for tbe lare bîke was due tî tbe deiay in tbe Provincial budget, wbicb ssill Nie îîlusvat clb 20ý bt it bcl îs nouui îîii prcu ltu ito tlt ic Lîîîîî ii I i ubî isIýl I allotus i cprt'st nIii\ c on Go, 0aks'illu Maso tii Ru Buton,1 saiti priot ti hiia muuting ibai lare hilsts ait' soiiiitiflicsiuts fice service nuctis Ioi luie ils oýcd andv uxpantci, Bîurton xiint ioicîîl got tut ptay for it. (0 ") Iafi sai t ilut olii g t apîi t ii silins ,ici uss theu '-lm catis lIo i lit!ca-u(I opertai iii'al tost s - ut 101ciusia 11I anti maintenance - ibat bave tu be recouped tbrougb tbe farebox. GO fares currentiy cuver 82 per cent of tbe transit sysîem's oper- ating budget, a bigb percentage for a transit system. Tbe Province picks up tbe rest uf tbe costs, as weli as tbe majority of capital expenses. Ridersbip on tbe systern is at near- iy 55 million, up from about 48 million in 2006. Burton addressed criticism tbat fare bikes don't come witb service improvemenîs by noîing tbe on-time performance bas been sîeadiiy improving. However, bie added riders must expect odd delays during tbe winter season, due to unforeseen circumnstances. He pointed to tbe exampie uf a cbunk of ice faiiing off a freigbt train mbt tbe tracks, preventing a switcbing system frorn working untit tbe ice can be cieared. "Itfs wintcr. its Canada. Stuff bappens,- Burton said. "I soinetimes mnarvet ai ibe expectation tbat winter can be b)anncid." Dcaling ssîîb sintcr dciay s ou the Milton fine is soibting (10 is; \ssorkiing on sviii ( P hîi( Il OS\ 1, I lit, I i ýI < 5055icai tg tIi Ct usN uii 20) 10, ai a 10-4 oIl 1, -4 îîtiiîon i b ics te 111bi\\ bot air OS 'e lt l ktI i ict' lu (Il-us anti s c aoi afiiomt 1111<1 1110 iii ltui À ile îîitunidtiîîî lîtîîlit il tihe \iîiîuî rail lit' \IlI tots' bi ju c ll t*î i.05 adis a ,i c'stI utbanI ilimi lic îlo'i boti t bu ANI .11Iid 11I 'v u1~ cak ot- N - 1 l it' l iil [s, l i ii! sloib Ill l Ic \ i lsu i Ill said tbe extra morni ng t rain wouid arrive at Toronto'- Union Station just after 9 arn. Tbe extra af*ternoon train would teave Union just after 5:30 p.m. Currentiy, trains take between 54 lu 58 minutes toi run tbe Milton fine, wben tbere are nu deiays. Tbe new trains wiii continue to be ait stop trains ratber tban partial or fuil express, said a GO officiai. Express trains require addition- ai tracks tbat aren't available. According to GO, tbe Milton line is tbe tbird busiest rail fine on tbe GO0 network, witb about 27,000 daiiy riders. An environmiental assessrnent for tbe Milton corridor - une tbat wvouId examine ai-day, two-way service on tbe Milton fine - is scbeduied to begin tbis fait and be coin pleted by Marcb 2010, according tu GO. 'Ne desperaiciy need lu increase capacity on tbe Milton line,' said Mîke Woizcwsk, tO's direttor ut rail infrastructure. 1[-en after expanding lu i 2-car trains in May 2008, seating is fuit, hie said. Z Increasing tbe frequency of train service X on the Milton line is a higher pniority tban adding extra stops in centrai Toronto, added M 0 Woizcwk. z The transit-planning agency Metrolinx is* iooking at improving the Bloor station for 'CD riders on the Georgetownri ne. However, rz there hasn't been a demand to add a stop ~ there by Milton train riders, said Wolzcwk "We don't get customer requests for an ci additionai stop at Bloor," bie said. "Wc offer a 9 (TTC) connection at Kipling."o Wolzcwk said adding other centrai rj Toronto stops, sucb as revîving Parkdaie sta- So tion, is an issue of feasibiliîy. GO bas taken a cursory look at that in the past, but tbere are concernis about wbetber tbere is enougb reai estate necessary to widen tbe tracks at a fuill stop, bie expiained. Titoi Foui;; tan hi, ;uacd ai î/orün4>mil /0,0 a;îodkIiahaiot in. m EXP ORE nestoga!1 When: Saturday March 28, 1lOam-1:3Opm Where: Doon Campus location 299 Doon Valley Dr., Kitchener .1 ý i (EA B:IXIC:à