Go Transit runs commuter trains and buses and is
Canada’s first regional transit system, operating in the Greater Toronto Area
(GTA) and adjacent suburban cities. So, if you are staying in the GTA region
and not presently owning a car, chances are, that like me, you are used to straining
your neck on the bus stop or the train station to spot the next approaching trademark
green and white bus or train which Go transit operates.
This is a post about the rail services of Go
Transit and writing this takes me back by a decade when I was in the city of
Mumbai and regularly commuting by the suburban train service there, colloquially
known as ‘local trains’ or ‘locals’. Travelling by locals was hair-raising both
literally and metaphorically, as any seasoned local commuter would tell you. The
coaches had open doors and windows to allow for air ventilation and standing by
the foot board was both an exhilarating and a terrifying experience. You see, standing
by the foot board during rush hour office timings was more of a compulsion than
a choice due to the unprecedented commuter rush; added to this, I have
travelled umpteen times barely clinging on to the door ledges with just one
foot on the foot board – a perilous feat which shudders me even now when I
reflect on it but something I was compelled to doing almost every day on my way
to work then.
So, you can imagine my delight now when I stand on of the train platforms here and observe the unhurried approach of the double-decker, elongated-octagonal shaped coaches pulling in. Inside, the coaches are space-y and air-conditioned, with plush seats, working Wi-fi and clean toilets even for so short a journey. If I am giving you an impression of nonchalance as I stand by the platform here waiting for the next train, it is hardly the complete picture. As my station is situated at one end of a long line (or corridor) marked by hourly service and around 2 kms away from my house, I am often harried as I cycle or run to the station to be on time. I often under-estimate the time it will take to reach the station and coupled by my propensity to take in the sights as I amble along means that many a time, I have executed a last-minute dash to the platform only to see the bright green and white coaches pull away by the slightest of margins. I remember the one time when I dashed to the station and reached it in the nick of time only to find myself on the wrong platform and then scrambling to the correct one, only to find the coach doors literally closing on my face. A classic case of ‘so near, yet so far’! Yes, if I look back at these ‘close finishes’, I find that I have helplessly observed the train pull away from all vantage points – from the station’s entrance, from the platforms of course, and once from the cycle parking lot. Standing forlorn at the deserted station once the train chugs away, I must contemplate choosing between staring blankly at the next hour before the next one pulls in or taking a costly cab to reach the nearest transport hub.
It is not all despondent though, because once
you make it in the train it’s a nice, pleasant journey. The coaches are mostly
empty and since I always take a seat on the upper deck, I have a nice view of
the surroundings as the train cheerfully moves onward. As it draws closer to
Union station which is the hub, the train characteristically loses speed, and
you can take in leisurely views of the downtown Toronto skyline. You can
observe too, the CN Tower as it slowly rises within your field of vision like a
monolith – it almost seems other-worldly in a sense, with its smooth walls and
lack of any detailing on the lower level where it just looks like an immense
concrete monster.
Nowadays, I leave well in time if I am taking
the Go train – it saves money and a lot of last-minute running!
