Company Report: Greater Toronto Transit Authority: Riders galore and growing
Greater Toronto Transit Authority: Riders galore and growing GO Transit hit one billion riders in 2006 and is continually expanding and seeking ways to alleviate congestion for its GTA passengers

On any given workday, more than 200,000 passengers board a GO Transit bus or train in the Greater Toronto Area. With 183 commuter rail trips and 2,074 bus runs daily, total ridership is at 55 million a year across a 3,000 square-mile area. In 2006, GO Transit counted its one billionth passenger.
This is a significant achievement given the Greater Toronto Transit Authority (GO Transit) began with just 2.5 million riders between Oakville and Pickering in its first year of operation, from 1967-68. The agency was created and funded by the Province of Ontario as a pilot program that lasted three years running single-decker diesel trains with multiple units. It proved successful and a bus division began in 1970. Ownership changed hands several times and the company eventually became a Crown Agency under The Greater Toronto Transit Authority.
Today, GO Transit stands as Canada's first and Ontario's only interregional public transit system, linking Toronto with its surrounding communities. The agency averages 5 percent growth each year and has a CAN $90 million/US $80 million capital budget and CAN $490 million/ US $437 million revenue. Keeping up with the demand of a population of six million and counting isn't always easy.
"In most cases our growth has been held back because of not being able to meet the capacity required," says Gary McNeil, Managing Director. "If you arrive at a train or bus station around 7:30 a.m. there are often no parking spaces left. We have 50,000 parking spaces in the GO System - one of the highest amounts in North America - and it's growing at a rate of 2,000 spaces per year."
GO Transit also uses Canadian National and Canadian Pacific's railway freight corridors for its public transportation and frequently runs into issues with not having enough track, equipment and station capacity.
Despite being tight on space, the high demand has helped GO Transit remain steady in the current economy.
"It is truly a situation where if you build it (our GO system), they will come. Even in the economic downturn, we're still seeing growth on the system," McNeil says.
GO Transit's main customers ride the rails to and from Union Station in downtown Toronto, traveling an average 33 km / 20.5 miles versus the 1-5 km / 0.6-3.1 miles. A majority of the agency's planning staff and administration use these services, acting as customers themselves. Assuming the customer service role is something McNeil says the agency is strongly trying to promote.
"We've changed over the past five years to where we have more of a customer focus; we're always trying to think of things from the customer viewpoint," McNeil says. "We try to give our customers what they need. Knowing that we are a government agency with a limited amount of resources, we need to provide core elements like timely service."

Projects and programs
McNeil joined GO Transit in 1999 as Director of Rail Service, a position he filled for six months before the board chose him to be Managing Director. He says his private and public sector experience and desire to grow the business contributed to his hiring.
McNeil brings a planning background to the agency, with degrees in geography and urban studies and years spent in the road and public transit business.
In 1986, he worked on the Sky Train project for the World's Fair in Vancouver, handling planning, design, construction, testing, commissioning and operations. He also was involved with the Toronto Transit Commission's Let's Move program in 1989, where he offered his expertise towards creating the Sheppard Subway system.
McNeil now oversees CAN $1.5 billion/ US $1.35 billion operation for GO Transit. One is renewal of its main hub, Union Station. So far it has added stairways and elevators, improved passenger information signs on the train and bus platforms and rehabilitated the roof. There are additional plans to modernize the signal system so more trains can run, and to build a midday train storage yard east of the station.
McNeil is also involved in the GO TRIP project to improve the rail line, which is being funded by the Canadian Government, the Province, and municipal governments in the GTA. New track will be added on the Lakeshore and Georgetown lines; underpasses or overpasses will separate GO Train service from Canadian Rail and Canadian Pacific freight traffic on several lines; and further improvements will enable GO Train service to extend north of Barrie. Expansion on the Georgetown line will create a rail link between Union Station and Pearson International Airport. The project's environmental assessment side will be overseen by Metrolinx, a Crown Agency that provides transportation plans and investment strategies - and whom GO Transit has recently united with.
"We have just merged our 1,750 employees with Metrolinx's 50 employees to create an agency that will have a stronger planning side than before," McNeil says. "Metrolinx has extensive experience in mapping long-range projects, and the province wants to get things moving in the transit sector."
Congestion in the GTA is estimated to cost CAN $6 million/ US $5 million-plus annually.

Green investments
GO Transit counts green initiatives as part of its overall strategic plan. Leadership in Energy and Environmental projects in Canada have generally lagged behind the US, but the Crown Agency recently made waves by unveiling its new bus garage facility, built to Silver levels under the Canada Green Building Council's LEED Canada program.
Once certified, the project will be the first LEED-rated transit building in the GTA. The 218,122sf building, which holds 150 motor coach buses for highway travel, is GO Transit's largest design/build project to date, and was overseen by Buttcon Ltd., with Strasman Architects, Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd., MCW and Provident Energy Management on board.
"The building is designed to save more than 40 percent on standard energy codes and has radiant heating, a low-irrigation roof to collect rainwater and melting snow for landscaping, low-flow plumbing fixtures and other green features," McNeil says. "Going LEED added 10 percent to the budget, but the savings will show later. We wanted to make sure we aren't leaving a negative environmental impact. We hope to do more LEED as we update our stations."
The Province of Ontario is also exploring electrifying the rail corridors, which are diesel-focused right now. Bombardier, a GO Transit supplier, is developing electric and electric/diesel hybrids for the market. In the meantime, the agency has upgraded to Tier 2 locomotives to replace its aging fleet. MotivePower is supplying 57 of the machines, which have fully-loaded 12-car trainings - two more than before with lower noise and carbon emissions and faster speeds for better travel times.
People in the area have probably also noticed double-decker buses on the roadways linking the area's colleges.
"It's been effective for doubling the capacity of passengers while still needing just one driver. It's also a great branding opportunity - everyone wants to be on the top," McNeil says. "We've got 12 in service right now and have ordered another 10. They're similar to what you'd see in Las Vegas, only with stronger transmission for the freeway system."
The vehicles are used in GO's Bus Rapid Transit program with fast travel on Highway 407.

Reaching customers
GO Transit reaches out to customers through its website and sends e-mail blasts to about 50,000 registered riders when there are delays or other changes. It also delivers real-time messages via LCD signs at all train stations. The latter is especially helpful in conveying information to customers about active projects. It takes a lot of time to build track infrastructure, deal with environmental requirements, and work around train operations, McNeil explains.
"The government's and public's perception is we can rebuild our system quickly, when it's actually a long process. We've been awarded a contract to upgrade train signals with CAN $268 million/ US $170 million over five years, but because the contract was awarded last year, people wonder why it hasn't already been built. If there's a signal problem customers will complain they gave us all the money so why can't we fix it. The biggest challenge is communicating the complexity to our stakeholders and the public."
When improving track and signal modifications, GO Transit works with Canada National and Canada Pacific's suppliers, and goes out to bid on other projects. On average, 70 percent of everything that GO Transit does use the private sector.

Interactive staff and goals
The Bombardier employees hired to operate the GO Trains use the "West Jet" airline-style, customer-focused philosophy and are more interactive today than train conductors and staff in the past. Whereas conductors were originally chosen for a background in freight and customer relations was minor, the agency now looks for people who have the ability to interact well, communicating when there's a hold-up on the tracks and answering questions.
"Overall we have a strong relationship with our union as well as our non-unionized staff - we're like a big family," McNeil says. "We've gone through troubling times and budget cuts, yet as an organization we've held together well and are optimistic. People tell me how much they love working here. I love working here, too."
GO Transit's staff receives full safety training, including how to handle potential terrorist threats, and holds a strong safety record. Much of GO's safety program has been influenced by the training and services performed by the American Public Transportation Association.
As far GO Transit's goals moving forward, McNeil says the agency is targeting its reliability. "On average about 90 percent of our train trips are on time and we're really trying to move towards 92 percent."
GO Transit also strives to become even more responsive to its customers so they can in turn become lobbyists for the transit group and encourage the government to help bring projects forward. "All in all though, it's about managing our costs while continually providing good service," McNeil says.

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