Ranking Every GO Station, Part 2

 I felt a bit unmotivated this past week, but I am back with the second part of this series, where I will continue to rank each and every GO station, from worst to best.

In this part, I will rank twenty stations. Unlike part one, I will only speak a little bit about each station, as many are ranked for similar reasons. You will see a pattern of typologies here as I keep writing: parking lot, industrial area, limited transit connections, and so forth. Nevertheless, you will see that stations are gradually getting better and better.

#60: Meadowvale

The Milton Line is a bit of the ugly stepchild of the GO network: because Metrolinx does not own the corridor, service stays limited to peak-directional. Meadowvale's limited service means that it isn't worth providing much service here, and currently only MiWay's 90 Terragar-Copenhagen serves the station directly. The bus network in northwest Mississauga is focussed on the nearby Meadowvale Town Centre. The station's surroundings are very industrial, but there are a few houses in walking distance.

#59: Barrie South

Another station that isn't very noteworthy. Like Meadowvale, the bus networks in the area are focussed elsewhere, in this case Park Place. Barrie South is located in a residential area, but it is presently at low densities.

#58: Richmond Hill

Despite taking the name of an important city, it isn't very useful for actually getting to the city. Direct transit service is limited, and, despite the station being located in a mostly residential area, the immediate surroundings are industrial. While YRT's busy 4 Major Mackenzie connects here, the transfer is a bit wonky to make, which is a problem when frequencies aren't amazing.

#57: Old Cummer

This is the lowest ranked station in the city of Toronto. A walking transfer can be made to TTC's frequent services on Finch, but the immediate connection is the 51 Leslie, which is very low frequency. While physically close to many homes, the Finch Hydro Corridor, as well as no pedestrian link to Pineway Boulevard, mean that there are limited walking opportunities.

The choice to box the station in is... uhhh... curious.

#56: Lisgar

Very similar to Meadowvale, but with better transit connections: MiWay and Milton Transit offer mediocre links, but Brampton Transit service is decent (despite the station being in Mississauga). Major employment has appeared recently, in the form of new warehouses, and there are a number of big box stores on the east side of Tenth Line. Could be worse, but could be a lot better.

#55: Bronte

This station serves the western part of Oakville, and much of the bus network is anchored here, which is good. That said, the area reminds me a lot of Oshawa, and the station's huge parking lots make even the nearby industrial areas tough to access. Not that is affects the score, but to vent: the temporary bus terminal is located in the east parking lot, which is BY FAR the worst location for it.

#54: Unionville

This station bothers me to no end, mostly because the future plans for the station are completely mismatched with the current situation. While this station will be the future terminus of the high-frequency segment of the Stouffville Line, the transit connections are limited: the 8 Kennedy stops here directly, but VIVA Purple A (and its horrendous frequency) are a walking transfer away. Despite this station serving the new Downtown Markham, the original phases being focussed to the west mean that walking there requires a roundabout path, including a stretch where the sidewalk is basically gravel on the side of the road. The only reason I didn't rank the station lower is that it is an important stop on GO's Highway 407 bus corridor, and that a new York University campus is opening here imminently.

While Downtown Markham will eventually look like this, none of the towers around Unionville GO (in the bottom right corner) exist presently, while many further west do.

#53: Etobicoke North

This station is the forgotten one on the Kitchener Line. Because of track layouts, not all trains are able to stop here. Its surroundings are industrial, but local transit in the form of TTC's 45 Kipling means that a lot of the industry is actually accessible, even if the transfer sucks. This station's days are numbered, however, and so I see no reason to spend money on improving it.

#52: Malton

Another station in Mississauga that has better Brampton Transit service than MiWay! ZUM Bovaird is a pretty good connection here. MiWay's 42 Derry passes nearby, and connects to a lot industry, but the transfer is inconvenient. This helps balance out come of the industrial surroundings. This station is important for the connection to GO's limited 38 bus to Bolton, so it does play a big role in the regional transit picture.

#51: Aldershot

This station is the worst of the three Burlington stations, but I don't mind it. This is where the frequent GO train service ends, and so there's a GO bus connection to Hamilton here, as well as a relatively new one to Guelph and Kitchener. The only way to get to Waterdown, being HSR's 18, operates from here. That said, the station has limited housing or employment nearby, and a confusing layout that even makes me feel lost from time to time. What more can you expect from a station that's built on a freeway ramp, I suppose.

#50 Downsview Park

First and foremost, a subway connection, especially as one as simple as this, is greatly appreciated and is worth a lot of points. The bus connections here, while inconvenient, are numerous, and connect to large portions of northwest North York. The Downsview Park Merchant's Market is the immediate attraction in the park, but the recent installation of Bikeshare means that getting to other destinations in the park are reasonably easy. Having said that, the area is very industrial, and the station skirts only the south part of it, meaning walks can be long and circuitous. 

This station was the first TTC-GO station that was designed with that connection in mind.

#49: Bradford

The former terminus of the Barrie Line, this station is okay. It's quite close to the town's Four Corners, which is nice. The BWG Transit route 1 is a good connection along a clear corridor, but Simcoe County Linx's 5 to New Tecumseth leaves a lot to be desired. For what it is, Bradford GO is fine.

#48: King City

Another okay station on the Barrie Line. There is a decent amount of housing immediately east of Keele, the town center of King City is about a ten-minute walk to the north. The YRT connection here is poor, but bonus points for being a transfer point with Ontario Northland Motorcoach.

Café shoutout: The Roost!

#47: Streetsville

This station is similar to Lisgar and Meadowvale, but exists in a walkable, main street, area (Now, I don't personally find the Streetsville area interesting, but that isn't really the point...). Transit connections are okay, allowing access further west with MiWay's 9 Rathburn-Thomas. Just an oddity: because the parking lot here is so long and narrow, GO buses leaving this station stop here twice, once at the station building, and once at the middle of the parking lot.

#46: Appleby

The middle of the three Burlington stations. The immediate surroundings are kind of empty, but there is some housing and some employment. Bus connections are decent: Burlington Transit's frequent 1 route begins here. Oakville Transit's 14 also operates here.

#45: Ajax

Ajax's location is awful: it is entirely industrial to the south and east, and Highway 401 runs along the north side. That said, it anchors most of Ajax's bus network, and two DRT regional routes operate from here: the 917, and, more importantly, the 915. It's not great, but it is an important station.

Ajax's high ridership proves that location isn't everything, but surely it is worth something!

#44: Whitby

Not really much different than Ajax: industrial surroundings, but an important bus terminal. The regional connection here, besides the aforementioned 917, is the 905, which operates to Port Perry and Uxbridge. While Uxbridge is better served through the Stouffville Line, this is the best way to get to Port Perry. It's also relatively close to downtown Whitby, which is kind of cute.

#43: Burlington

I feel like a broken record: surroundings here are mostly industrial, but the bus connections are good. This station places higher than Ajax and Whitby because GO runs its 12 bus route, to Niagara Falls and St Catharines, from here. The station is very important from a regional perspective, especially because the train runs at such a limited schedule. There has been some transit-oriented development close by, but it is still so limited that it feels a bit out of place.

#42: Rouge Hill

The last Lakeshore East station in Toronto, it has a special role in 'wrapping up' TTC service. It does it alright, with three relatively important routes operating here. There is also a decent amount of housing in walking distance. This station's location right on Lake Ontario gives it bonus points: the views from the adjacent parks are beautiful, and the station's recreation role is pretty unique.

#41: Oakville

This station is very similar to Burlington, Ajax, and Whitby, but with a few things that give it an edge. The bus connections here include a short ride to Sheridan College's Trafalgar Campus, and one to the Oakville's downtown. GO operates both the 21A to Milton, and the 56, on the Highway 407 corridor, from here, making it an important station from a regional point of view. There is some housing close, and Oakville plans to develop a complete community right at the station.

Oakville regularly places near the top in terms of ridership, and good transit connections are part of the reason why.

Thanks for reading! In the next editions, things will continue to improve.