/
1x
Advertisement

The perils of commuting by public transit

How do you deal with a late train, you make it later!
Add Maclean's(opens in a new tab)

I am attending the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance Partners in Education Dinner in Toronto tonight. The dinner begins at 7:00pm.

Getting from Hamilton to Toronto during rush is a bit of a challenge as one is "reverse commuting" and there are not as many options available. The highways are also clogged.

Not to worry, if one leaves Hamilton just after 5pm, one can get an express train to Toronto. This is the train I choose today. Problem is that train was 15 minutes (GO Transit claims 13 minutes) late in leaving.

I wasn’t upset at this. What has me angry is the announcement by one of the conductors on the PA that this train is no longer express and will be making all stops to Toronto.

Advertisement

GO Transit, in its infinite wisdom, has decided the best way of dealing with an late train is to make it later. I will likely arrive in Toronto close to 30 minutes later than scheduled.

Related Posts

Inside the student-led movements urging Canadian universities to divest from fossil fuels

Inside the student-led movements urging Canadian universities to divest from fossil fuels

University students across Canada are frustrated by the slow pace of halting dangerous climate change, and they are wielding their power to do something about it

I would not be so upset if it were not for the fact that I could have taken the bus, dealt with traffic and still arrived earlier than the no-longer express train.

I can understand when a train is late, happens sometimes. (GO is much better than VIA Rail - I can measure GO delays in minutes, VIA delays are measured by the hour.)

What I do not understand is how poorly GO Transit deals with late trains. 

Advertisement

Update: The conductor was wrong. The train is operating Express. I will arrive at Union only 10 minutes late. I’m happy again.

Subscribe to Message Board, our weekly newsletter guide to planning your post-secondary journey

Whether you’re a student, parent or guidance counsellor, Message Board is a resource you won’t want to miss out on.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.