A B.C. resident had a lot to say about Toronto’s GO train and to sum it up, it didn’t go well.
Chase Barber took his transit woes to TikTok after he was left confused and disappointed by the city’s transit system after being subjected to what he says was the world’s slowest commute.
“I love trains but what a mistake taking the train turned out to be,” Barber said in a video posted last week which has garnered over 250,000 views at the time of publication.
“It’s a train, why are we going so slow? Are we waiting on traffic?.” he asked.
He goes on to say that the ride wasn’t comfortable and that it took an hour and 40 minutes to travel 45 kilometres.
“Why would anyone want to commute this way? Could have rode a bike in quicker time than that,” he continues.
Barber also said that people would rather sit in traffic than use a train that’s going the same speed.
According to Metrolix’s website, current GO trains can go up to 140km/h, but they generally travel at about 95km/h on average.
“This is due to track limitations and the speed at which diesels can accelerate and decelerate between stations. Upgraded tracks and signals combined with the new electric locomotives will mean GO trains will travel up to 140km/h more often, significantly shortening trips,” the company explains.
In B.C, its rapid transit company says that its trains operate at a maximum speed of about 80 km/h, according to its website.
Barber even compared Toronto’s trains to the ones in China and claimed the differences were day and night.
“300km/h through the countryside and it was so smooth my tea didn’t even vibrate,” he explained.
Barber also pointed out the comfy chairs that can recline in order to nap and the major leg room available between seats.
His experience in Toronto was apparently relatable with other GO train users.
“The [GO] train is the worst experience you can have in Canada,” one user wrote.
“Most people in Canada don’t realize how far behind we are in the world right now,” another said.
Someone else even joked that Toronto is an hour from Toronto.
Meanwhile, others said that GO trains are still faster than driving in traffic in the GTA.
