Toronto to London by GO Train Pilot

[@hollyarmstrong2293]

30.00 each way is a pretty nice price. It is a lot nicer than having to drive. Thanks for the video. I had no idea about this.

[@cjhoyle]

I agree, the price is quite reasonable and a much more relaxing way to travel compared to driving.

[@cleantoronto3658]

4 hrs each way though is rough

[@RASIII9]

@@cleantoronto3658 A lot of people's commutes are 1.5-2h each way anyway, plus it is cheaper

[@jays5926]

@@RASIII9 how is it cheaper ?

[@a.h.tvideomapping4293]

@@jays5926 gas, maybe tolls on the 407, food etc.

[@WaldoVonErich3]

A wonderfully assembled video detailing this trip. My sister just moved to Saint Mary’s, this will be the perfect way to visit her although I might like being pampered in Via Rails business class coach. I’m not crazy about the commuter hours, that is early morning and late evening departures and arrivals.

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@danilianian]

Called it! You did take the GO Train there! Really awesome and detailed video about your experience!

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it and great guess!

[@brentirvine2336]

I'm looking forward to your London videos. Just seeing the quick clip of UC tower at UWO brought back a flood of memories - I crossed that bridge and cycled up the hill almost every day for four years!

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks! I'm looking forward to posting those videos from my trip :)

[@cornwalldragon4617]

Thank you for sharing your positive experience of you taking the GO Train to London. Most would think that it's impractical or don't understand why the trip is four hours. From what Metrolinx reports, it's more for those between London and Kitchener to get to the communities in between.

[@cjhoyle]

No problem, glad you enjoyed it. Even though I likely wasn't using the train in the primary way that it was intended, it ended up working really well for me.

[@transittown7891]

Great trip report dude. This new service is awesome. It will be awesome once they can make the stations west of Kitchener more Go transit friendly and eventually add all day service between Toronto and London.

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I agree, hopefully this pilot will be a success and we can look forward to the service improving in the future.

[@CANControlGRAFFITI]

So. It isn’t awesome… but maybe some day? Naw. It’ll be scrapped

[@Advisorit]

This is a very cool narrative video of your trip to London. All the details will help some who wants to take that route. Thanks CJ.

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks. Yes exactly. I primarily made this video to help spread the word about this new transit offering, and also show people who are considering it how straightforward it is.

[@dougturner8257]

Very detailed and helpful to navigate this new service. Thanks for posting

[@cjhoyle]

No problem, glad you found it helpful!

[@karenbergmann209]

Love the details of your guided tour! You are a delight!

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks :) haha

[@anthonyarmata4525]

That’s so cool!!!!!! I’ve ridden on only two major roads in London, Ontario: Highway 2 and Richmond Street. I’ve actually taken a one-day bike trip from Toronto to London last year. There are certainly many places to see in southwestern Ontario!!!!! And I also really like this video, thank you so much!!!!! Cannot wait to see your adventures in London, Ontario!

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video.

[@jenheath154]

Thank you for a professional and informative report on your GO trip to London. Especially tripping through the towns. I should get out more, now. Kind Regards.

[@cjhoyle]

No problem, glad you enjoyed it! My trip to London was a positive experience and I recommend it.

[@thishandleisntavailable1]

That's awesome. As someone who works at the factory that makes those BiLevel trains I'm happy to see them expanding the offerings. Bike + train is a great match. Shame it has to be folding but I understand as GO does not have any interior configurations with bike racks and those trains can absolutely get close to sitting capacity at peek times.

[@kryptotransit]

They run retrofited bike-cars on the niagara weekend trains but i think at rush hour they need as much capacity as they can get

[@thishandleisntavailable1]

@@kryptotransit oh interesting that retrofit must have been before my time or perhaps those were retrofited at Ontario Northland. Nice to see that they do have some. I will always welcome ridership that causes capacity issues as I'm sure my coworkers would be happy to make more trains for GO!

[@kryptotransit]

@@thishandleisntavailable1 I also heard at Ontario Northland they are refurbishing the old cab cars to have new seats and the Metrolinx paint scheme.

[@cjhoyle]

Awesome, I enjoy riding in the trains that your factory produces! The retrofitted Niagara weekend train bike coaches can be briefly seen at the beginning and end of my Lake Erie bike tour videos. When I used them, I had assumed the retrofit was done in-house by GO.

[@benjamingeard4809]

Awesome video! It's always nice to see other content involving London, Ontario. I recently started making Pov style street photography videos walking around downtown london, Ontario. Again awesome video. Take care.

[@cjhoyle]

Awesome, I enjoyed my visit to your turf.

[@bootsowen]

Hi CJ, I think these videos are great and it is great that you are promoting other modes of travel other than the car. I have traveled to London in the UK a number of times by train with a folding bike too. I always marvel at the infrastructure in Canada, @NotJustBikes made a video about the train in London ON. All the infrastructure to cater for cars parking and riding, but only a nod to bikes, I noticed one of these multi story carparks in your video. The system for bikes travelling on inter city trains in the UK is similar, for a standard bike you need a reservation and most trains only have 2 or 3 spaces, but folding bikes are always ok. I used to struggle with my folded bike, locks, a pannier or bag and a coffee cup going up into the train, but I always made it. Wheeling the bike is always easier and the reality is that you don't need to fold it if you put it beside the big luggage rack.

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks! I was pretty excited when I heard this pilot announced. This video is a bit different from what I normally do, but I decided to make it to help spread the word and also give people who are considering taking this train a sense of what it's like. I actually use the GO train quite frequently on the weekends for traveling to visit my family in the suburbs. I love the 30 minute service that they offer 7 days a week on the Lakeshore line and I hope they'll introduce something similar on the other lines.

[@Sparky-ov1ot]

If I ever get back to Canada after Covid, I will definitely have to try that GO to London hope the numbers pick up to sustain the service.

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks, ya definitely! Hopefully they'll be able to expand it to more than just 1 train per day.

[@simoneh4732]

More regional train trips like this! Niagara, Milton, Stouffville?? Something out on Lakeshore East maybe. The format was really good. A great quick overview of the train trip and what to expect. Some interesting destinations on shorter VIA trips would be cool too!

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks! Given the high initial viewership on this video, I've been considering making more content like this.

[@donnadv6350]

Thanks for sharing your experience on your way to London. Got idea from this video.

[@cjhoyle]

No problem, glad you enjoyed tagging along for the ride :)

[@kenwilliam42]

Welcome to the Forest city, it’ll be great to see some videos from your perspective of my own backyard for a change. Unfortunately there’s a lot of construction and change going on in the city but it’s for the better.

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks, I really enjoyed my time in your city! I did notice a lot of closed roads downtown.

[@giorgiomagnifico9472]

Very cool London videos. Xcellent scenery & narration CJ ! Strong Man 👌💪 📽 🚵

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed them!

[@tedparkinson6892]

Thanks for the video. Very interesting. No "assigned seats" means "fight it out with the Georgetown crowd" as everyone boards at once. Your train was remarkably empty compared to what I have experienced going from TO to Kitchener. I try to take VIA at 5:45 which is a much better experience and they have real luggage racks! And yeah, the 4 hours is fine for leisure travel, but ridiculous for an actual commute.

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks. I expect that particular train to Kitchener probably would have been lot more full before the pandemic.

[@AlexanderLong]

Have been enjoying go train in between Kitchener and Guelph , and want to revisit Western for sometime, now this train might be a good way to do so.

[@cjhoyle]

Ya for sure, it should be handy for that!

[@mikelandry3375]

Glad they are trying to introduce a train going to London.

[@cjhoyle]

For sure!

[@hobbylover3882]

Awesome video, it will help me my trip to London, ON.

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks, I hope you enjoy your trip as much as I enjoyed mine!

[@geoffwarren2993]

Thanks - Great Video - very well done and answered all my questions about this fun new route. Cheers

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks, glad it was helpful!

[@bromptoning]

I have friends in London, Ontario and have taken the VIA train with my Brompton folding bike to visit them. It's nice that there is another option now, though it takes longer. But I'm choosing to be optimistic and believe that this is a slow rollout test run of the route that will be expanded and sped up in the near future.

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks. I share your optimism for the eventual improvement of this route.

[@CANControlGRAFFITI]

It would cost MILLIONS+ to get the track closer to London n in decent shape let alone OK shape. A GO track n doesn’t belong on a freight line

[@Fetucinee]

Excellent video, thank you. Was wondering about this service. I’d be all over it if GO would run a weekend train or two-even if it were as far as Guelph (and Elora Gorge). I’m all for n+1 but can’t see buying a folder to conform to GO’s rush hour bikes-on-board stipulations (although it seems the constraint is not rigorously enforced). $30 for four hours-ugh! With weekend service presumably the run would be eligible for weekend pass promotions which would cut the cost in half. Good to see GO is tentatively extending regional service but to tightly structure the runs around commuting patterns makes it impractical for other purposes such as yours-and mine too. Would love to see a weekend runs to Quinte, Muskoka, London, etc. to match what we already have to Niagara. Really opens up the region to local tourism.

[@nathanpillinger1900]

via escape $40 for 1.5

[@Fetucinee]

@@nathanpillinger1900 Bicycle?

[@nathanpillinger1900]

@@Fetucinee great point, ease of access. Lots of students too in London

[@cjhoyle]

I'm with you 100%. Weekend service on this line would have been much more useful to me, and would have allowed me to take my regular bike.

[@MaxKing10]

just dont pay its easy

[@adventureswithjosie]

That's neat that you can take the trail to London, and for a reasonable price. Too bad though that they don't allow all types of bikes. Looking forward to your London bike videos! I haven't been there yet.

[@cjhoyle]

Ya for sure. I was excited when they announced this pilot! Hopefully in the future they'll expand the service and there will be opportunities to take non-folding bikes on board. This trip was my first time ever visiting London.

[@adventureswithjosie]

@@cjhoyle Apparently they are going to be starting back up a passenger rail service that will connect Toronto to Timmins or Cochrane. There will be different stops in towns and cities along the way. You might want to check that out online if you are interested in exploring any areas by bike in Muskoka or Northern Ontario. I don't think this service has started yet but will be in the near future.

[@adventureswithjosie]

@Ricky M I think a lot of people will enjoy this service. Good for tourism as well. It would be nice to see more passenger rail service come back, especially in Northern Ontario.

[@Mikolaj_u]

Love travelling by train

[@cjhoyle]

Me too :)

[@jackmiller7324]

me too

[@Saiiynt]

Just moved to london from the GTA- haven’t taken advantage of the train yet because of the arrival/departure times for this train. From what I’ve seen, it only runs twice a day- in town and out of town, plus a four hour transit. Boarding at 6am in london, and then boarding at 5pm in toronto. A lot of folks from my generation who work full time but still want to be able to visit toronto would benefit from the expanding of this route, i will be more interested in riding it if at least weekend options are available, if the timeslots cannot change or be added to.

[@cjhoyle]

I'm hopefully that this pilot will be deemed successful and the route can be further improved and expanded (especially to weekends).

[@j_8rzd138]

Oh 4 hours trip on the train is really long! But you made it!

[@cjhoyle]

Yup!

[@transittown7891]

Also they gotta do track upgrades between Kitchener and London to get the trains running faster and makes the full trip shorter

[@cjhoyle]

Faster service would certainly help attract more passengers.

[@gmh1982]

Amazing!

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks!

[@AnushHariharan]

Beautiful!

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks, it was a fun trip!

[@josephfollows3523]

So a couple of people have commented about it taking 4 hours, I've been told the tracks between London and Kitchener are in rough shape so GO trains have to go slower through there as a result. Even looking on tracking software the trains don't go normal 90-100 km/h they go slower.

[@CoryAlbrecht]

It's a CN ancilliary line and they haven't done much work to keep it up for many decades so speed is limited to 30mph in some parts.

[@cjhoyle]

Yes, I've read the same.

[@lxdesign1]

nifty - thanks for your video, I wonder if they are going to find over time that the revenue from running this service is worthwhile. We'll have to wait and see.

[@cjhoyle]

Yes, we'll have to wait and see. It was reported on pretty recently that it was not receiving a huge number of passengers yet, but the service has not been running very long, and we're still in a pandemic.

[@WheelsonaBike]

Is that where you were riding in the Ehere is CJ video? It's excellent that this service exists and I hope Metrolinx increases the number of trains. I look forward to seeing the city through your rides and also learning more about your folding bike.

[@cjhoyle]

Yes it was! Thanks.

[@rowanperry2228]

I’m glad GO has extended service to London! It’s a shame that it take 4 hours though. I also wonder why they only run during rush hour-I can’t imagine someone commuting 4 hours each way.

[@kryptotransit]

Most of the track between Kitchener and Georgetown is a single track. They are adding a second track at Guelph so they can run trains hourly between Kitchener and Union. Right now trains only run hourly up to Mount Pleasant and there are some counter rush hour trains from Bramalea. Also the track between Kitchener and London is in really bad shape. Some rehabilitation would maybe bring the trip time closer to 2-2.5 hours.

[@cjhoyle]

My thinking is that the daily Toronto to London commuting passenger is not who they are targeting. It might be somewhat practical for a passenger who works from home 4 days a week but commutes downtown 1 day each week for example. But I also believe they are targeting passengers who live and work in the places that the train stops at along the way. London to Kitchener, or Stratford to Guelph perhaps.

[@dadejazzba402]

Is there a timetable for the start of non-rush-hour service...for bicycles?

[@cjhoyle]

When you CAN'T bring your bike on a train: - On trains arriving at Union Station between 6:30 to 9:30 a.m - On trains leaving Union Station between 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. (as per the GO Transit website: www.gotransit.com/en/faq)

[@rschambers9082]

Where did you get that cool bike? Nice looking.

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks. I bought it used on kijiji.

[@sweetestkaramel4996]

Thanks for letting us know about this train and this trip was even possible with GO. How did you even find out about this?

[@cjhoyle]

No problem, I'm happy to help spread the word. This train pilot was reported on in the media in late September when it was first announced. I became aware of it through posts on social media around that time.

[@mrbillhilly343]

The people need to write letters to their local MPPs about the line that services this route to install more passing loops at stations & sections of track to allow the service to be express. Put some more GO Trains on to London & watch the tourism & economy of the city boom.

[@cjhoyle]

Definitely!

[@StayingMindfulShaq]

Boutta turn 18 and am just so fascinated about travelling to different places and meeting new people. I dont go out alot and o recently taught myself how to take the brampton transit and navigate to get where I wanna go. Now I'm tryna figure out what its like taking the train because I think ill have to when its time for college.

[@cjhoyle]

I can remember when I first started taking public transit in my early adulthood, and the feeling of independence it gave me.

[@music4studies]

While it's great that they've extended service. 4 hours for a one way train is untenable. I can see people using this often if they only have to come into office once a week. The province really needs to invest in a dedicated HSR service to London.

[@cjhoyle]

In my experience, GO Transit has a pattern of introducing service which is kind of impractical at the start, which they use to measure and grow the demand, before upgrading it to something more practical. Hopefully a successful pilot will lead to improved service in the future.

[@CoryAlbrecht]

The track between Kitchener and London is in horrible condition. If it were fixed and moderately upgraded, it could be done in under an hour. But Metrolinx would need to buy it.

[@cornwalldragon4617]

@@CoryAlbrecht If the pilot is successful, Metrolinx would most likely put in a right-of-way like they've done with the other lines to improve service.

[@zehan2316]

I think this service is mostly for shorter trips that can be made along the way, like Kitchener to London, etc.

[@patrick97764]

@@zehan2316 100% this. Even if service is improved I still think the majority of riders on the extension are not going to be traveling from London to Toronto for work however, It will provide a better mode of travel for people who don't want to drive on the 401.

[@Og_Mango]

I bet those who aren’t familiar with Ontario are like.. “wow you took a train across the ocean???”

[@seanrodgers1839]

Too bad they renamed Berlin to Kitchener. We could visit London, Paris and Berlin all in a day.

[@Og_Mango]

@@seanrodgers1839 I never knew Kitchener was once called Berlin.. very neat to learn

[@cjhoyle]

haha definitely. Toronto, Berlin and London all on the same train line!

[@seanrodgers1839]

@@cjhoyle You should post the train departure listings showing Toronto - London somewhere, and watch people who don't know fake London freak out.

[@henrivanbemmel]

I'm all in on this. For some reason riding a GO train for ~2+ hours is not bad at all. I've done Niagara run as well and it's a nice ride. Hopefully, post-covid those irritating plastic barriers will come down between the seats. It's also cheaper by half than via rail unless you book way in advance. Now, let's get a GO train to North Bay and return once a day every day. If GO ever decided to have Tim Hortons car on these longer runs they'd make a fortune! Just sayin'

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks, my trip on the GO to London was quite positive and I do hope they will add more destinations outside of GTA.

[@heraldo2881]

Did the train have restrooms and something to eat even if it is a vending machine.. because it is a 4 hour ride. If not then you must bring enough snacks for the ride.

[@robmausser]

Bathrooms on each car but no snacks or food or drinks.

[@cjhoyle]

Ya, every car has a bathroom on board. Sorry, I should have given a more thorough tour on the inside of the train. Unfortunately no food for purchase on the train. Masks are also currently mandatory at all times while on the train. As far as I could learn from their website, there are no exceptions to this rule, not even to eat or drink.

[@unfixedgears]

not a fan of not allowing all bikes on during this route but I get how it is rush hour so a little bummed out

[@cjhoyle]

I'm with you 100%. I would have loved to have brought my regular bike on this trip, especially since London doesn't seem to have bike rentals available anywhere. I think the best solution would be for GO Transit to outfit all of their trains with at least 1 coach which has the lower level used for bike racks (like they use for their Niagara Falls excursion trains).

[@Benhutchie22386]

As someone who lives in London, when I read this title I thought a train had been built across the ocean lol

[@cjhoyle]

hahaha I'm sorry to disappoint.

[@dougsrepair1060]

It’s unfortunate that they cannot accommodate standard bicycles. I’m sure it would suit many more passengers.

[@cjhoyle]

Yes I agree. I understand why the rule is necessary, but I wish GO would outfit their trains to better accommodate bikes.

[@CANControlGRAFFITI]

Good thing you got to take this (extremely slow) train trip because I can’t see it lasting for too much longer. The tracks they use leaving London all the way to Kitchener are terrible and the train had a top speed of about 50kph. I did see them doing track upgrades closer to Toronto but will actually use this service? It wouldn’t make sense if you worked in Toronto and lived in London because there’s not even 8 hours between to (only) 2 trains a day! Goofy operation. Also when I went nobody even checked if we had tickets.

[@cjhoyle]

The amount of time that is takes definitely isn't a very good selling point. I agree that it wouldn't be practical for a person to use this to do a daily commute, but might be reasonable for a Londoner who needs to visit their company office in Toronto once a week, or a Londoner who works in Kitchener. GO Train fare inspections are always done on a random basis. The fine if you are caught without a valid proof of payment is many times higher than the fare price.

[@goodways0]

saw you on creator on the rise!

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks for letting me know! I had been noticing I was getting more comments/views than usual on some videos, but didn't know why.

[@dijomathew7070]

Can’t we use day pass, $10?

[@cjhoyle]

I think the pass that you're thinking of is the weekend one. This train only operates on weekdays.

[@the6ix109]

4 hours thats insane...

[@cjhoyle]

That number does seem pretty high, but the time really flew past quite quickly. Unlike on a long car ride, you're free to stand up and walk around.

[@ramhern5120]

Should make it as a regular route.....

[@cjhoyle]

That's my hope too.

[@kevinmccloy185]

I grew up in the town between Kitchener and Stratford- I really hope this stays around past the pilot (and they build a GO station in Wilmot- it's like 2x the size of St. Mary's)

[@cjhoyle]

Cool. I really hope this pilot yields positive results.

[@jackmiller7324]

hope canada rail system as excellent as japan‘s and now they are doing this

[@cjhoyle]

Canada isn't really known for their rail system, but I make use of it when I can.

[@seanrodgers1839]

How long until they extend GO to Ottawa?

[@cjhoyle]

That would be pretty neat if they did. I'd certainly use it.

[@seanrodgers1839]

@@cjhoyle Would need to be a fast train. You can use Via Rail now. Lots of bike paths all around Ottawa.

[@cjhoyle]

@@seanrodgers1839 I've actually taken VIA Rail from Toronto to Ottawa before and I'm sure I will again, but I would prefer to be able to do it by GO Train (or maybe VIA Rail just needs to change the way that they operate.)

[@seanrodgers1839]

@@cjhoyle I've taken VIA a few times. I usually drive though, you need your car in this country. I didn't mind VIA Rail. What's better about GO? Maybe when/if VIA gets it's dedicated rail corridor, through Peterborough, it will be faster and they can share it with GO. They do have nice new trains coming.

[@cjhoyle]

@@seanrodgers1839 The two main advantages for me of GO over VIA are that you don't need to buy your ticket in advance, and bringing a bike with you is effortless.

[@61tree_Studio]

I'm guessing it's not allowed but I would have been riding my bike inside the train station :).

[@cjhoyle]

lol

[@jasonmarsden9745]

I want to Ride the Go train to London

[@cjhoyle]

Go for it!

[@gloriaabad3092]

Can u feature train travel from London Ont to Mont Tremblant? Do they offer snacks or lunch since it takes 8 hrs train ride? Will travel come May this year. First time long train travel .. A visitor fr Mla Phils.

[@cjhoyle]

The next time I take a long distance train trip, I'll be sure to share it in a video.

[@nebulae10]

Let's add Windsor then complete

[@cjhoyle]

I'd love to visit Windsor with my bike by train some day!

[@parthsatija864]

Who else thought this was from Toronto, Canada to London, UK?

[@blxvkpxndx]

30 each way.. wow, I nvr knew it cost that much. That’s seems too much just to go to nasty London Ontario

[@cjhoyle]

Considering the distance, I think the price is quite reasonable.

[@blxvkpxndx]

@@cjhoyle that $10 weekend pass to Niagara Falls is bae. It’s such a lovely trip tbh.. I love trains.

[@qwaqwa1960]

4h!?! Yikes.

[@cjhoyle]

haha ya, not a short trip, but certainly more relaxing than driving.

[@karlroth7082]

Did they demand a vaccine passport?

[@cjhoyle]

GO Transit does not have a mandatory vaccine policy for passengers.

[@mattthelombax]

They don't allow non-folding bikes?! What a scam. >:\ Was hoping to bring my bike out there and start a bike tour from my friend's place but guess not yet?

[@mattthelombax]

@Ricky M I mean within the confines of this pilot. I use Lakeshore West quite often so that's my defacto standard for bike allowance. Though I suppose I can roll up Etobicoke Creek to take the train out from Brampton.

[@cjhoyle]

Ya, unfortunately GO's policy is that on weekdays, non-folding bikes are not allowed on any trains that departed from Union Station between 3:30 and 6:30pm or arrive at Union Station between 6:30 and 9:30am. Sadly both trains being used for the London pilot arrive/depart during these times. I actually contacted GO Transit on Twitter and they confirmed that this rule still applies for the London pilot and there aren't any exemptions. While Ricky is correct that the train becomes less full when I reaches Brampton, getting on this train with a non-folding bike at any point is still technically against the rules. To truly accommodate bikes, every GO Train should be equipped with places to store non-folding bike. This could be as simple as including a coach with no seating on the lower level like they use for the Niagara Weekend service.

[@benoitst-germain619]

Impossible no London

[@cjhoyle]

"no London" is an anagram of London, ON

[@fortythreenorth2518]

Four hours is ridiculous for a two hour trip.

[@cjhoyle]

I wish it took less time too!

[@KingRockets]

4 hours on those uncomfortable seats? My back would be killing me. No thank you!

[@cjhoyle]

I regrettably didn't include enough footage showing the seats throughout the train. The seat where I sat (next to the door with my bike) was admittedly not the most comfortable seat. The rest of the train has more comfortable seating. That being said, these trains were never designed with such long trips in mind.

[@paxundpeace9970]

This is fake London

[@cjhoyle]

No problem, glad it was helpful!