Union Station-Pearson Train, Discount For Employees

[Seeker]

Discount for employees, GTAA surcharge dropped but fare still unknown.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/transportation/2014/11/25/airport_workers_to_get_a_discount_on_new_union_stationpearson_train.html

Airport workers to get a discount on new Union Station-Pearson train
The surcharge for all riders is also cancelled, under a deal between Metrolinx and the airport authority, but total fare still a mystery.

Pearson airport employees will be able to ride the new $456-million Union Pearson Express train at a discounted fare as part of a freshly negotiated agreement between the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) and Metrolinx, the Toronto Star has learned.

The GTAA has further agreed to drop a $1.85 surcharge that was to be incorporated in every UP Express ticket, in part to compensate the airport for parking revenue it expects to lose when people start using the train rather than driving to Pearson.

The size of the discount remains unclear, as are the fares generally. Metrolinx is expected to announce the train’s fares at its Dec. 11 board meeting and they’re believed to be about $29, minus the $1.85 airport allocation.

Airport workers have complained about that being too expensive for commuters. On Wednesday a Metrolinx official would only say the agency is in talks with the GTAA — “Those are pretty positive so we are hopeful that we will find a positive resolution that works for everyone,” said Anne Marie Aikins.

The provincial transportation agency that will run the train has long insisted the service is intended for travellers, not for the approximately 40,000 Pearson workers. It has, however, said that there will be a variety of concession fares for seniors, families and children.

The fares will also be distance-based so riders who board at Weston or Bloor stations would pay less than those who ride all the way from Union Station.

The deal between Metrolinx and the GTAA is expected to be OK’d at the GTAA’s board meeting on Wednesday, which is not open to the public. The UP Express is expected to start running in the spring and carry 5,000 people a day between Union and Pearson in under half an hour.

[Boney]

Almost all airline employees have their parking fees paid for by their airline, subject to tax by revenue Canada as it deems it a taxable benefit. Will the airlines subsidize employees for using the train vs parking?

[boestar]

if you use the train the you are exempt from the tax. period. Only parking in lots not owned by the company are subject to the tax.

If the fare for this train ride is any higher that $9 then it is a total ripoff since I can take a metrolynx train on the SAME line twice the distance for around $9 from Union Station. You can't tell me that the fare from the Malton Spur to the airport is worth any more than that. If the fare is any higher then everyone, EVERYONE should boycott.

[blues deville]

Incheon (Seoul) airport to Seoul station (downtown) airport express train 45 minutes = $8 (with airline ID = $7)

Someone's got to give their head a shake if they think $29 is a reasonable fare to charge.

[Seeker]

Incheon (Seoul) airport to Seoul station (downtown) airport express train 45 minutes = $8 (with airline ID = $7)

Someone's got to give their head a shake if they think $29 is a reasonable fare to charge.

Very few of the passengers on that train will be paying the fare out of their own pocket - doesn't much matter if it's $29, $39 or $49 - it will be charged back to the client most of the time anyway.

[blues deville]

Very few of the passengers on that train will be paying the fare out of their own pocket - doesn't much matter if it's $29, $39 or $49 - it will be charged back to the client most of the time anyway.

At $29 per trip there may be very few passengers. Certainly no airport employees.

[dagger]

Wasn't the Express bus fare $26 each way. There was a cheaper round trip, but clearly, airline employees weren't taking it to work. Same with a taxi or limo. So with respect to airline employees, nothing is likely to change, not from downtown. The discounted fare from Weston to the airport will be interesting.

[FA@AC]

Will be good, finally, to have a rail option to the airport, but what a stupid project this one is. It doesn't really connect to the TTC or GO networks other than at Union Station and it will thus be useless for many people. You have to wonder why the idiot politicians couldn't instead have found a way simply to loop/extend existing TTC or GO rail lines into the airport. A westbound GO train from the airport would probably take as many people off the roads as the downtown line will.

[deicer]

What they should have done back when it was a green field, imho, is build a subway station in the basement with a plan to extend the subway system from Kipling to at least the 427 then a line up to the airport under the highway.

Then they could have built a sub station to connect to the Mississauga Transitway that was in the planning stages to connect the western GTA with downtown Toronto.

But what do I know.....

[Zan Vetter]

$29 you have GOT to be shitting me. Major fail. The airport doesn't exist to make money for the airport, it exists to connect the city to the world. FFS

[boestar]

Georgetown - Union RETURN is $18. It shares the same rail line as the Pearson express and is more than twice the distance. How can they justify a 400% higher one way fare?

[st27]

Initially I heard the fare would be $45 so it wouldn't take business away from the taxi lobby.

[boestar]

Anywhere else in the world it would be a $5 fare

[rudder]

Well, remember that the GTA is also the only jurisdiction that thinks that it is perfectly normal to pay to drive on what was originally constructed as a public highway........

This train is not being offered as public transit per se, so it will be a service that some will choose to pay for and some not (just like the 407ETR).

If I were the proprietor of the train, rather than a per-ride discount targeted at airport staff I would look at a monthly pass similar to the GO system. I doubt that any staff that are going to work 20+ times per month will find any value in a nominal per-ride reduction but perhaps there would be greater interest in and a greater overall revenue benefit to be derived by locking employees in to a monthly unlimited ride package.

Either way, it would appear that it will not be an attractive alternative for flight crews.

[dagger]

Anywhere else in the world it would be a $5 fare

Do you ever leave the country? This is totally false. Do a little research. If we are talking about airport-downtown fast or express services, not the regular train that makes every conceivable local stop, one-way fares typically range from $15-30.

[Kasey]

LHR express..... all ticket prices in pounds (x 1.77 = C$)

Tickets & Prices

Ticket Where can the ticket be purchased? Ticket Type Adult (£) Child (£)
Express Saver Online/Ticket Machines/Ticket Offices Single 21.00 10.50
Return 34.00 17.00
Express Standard* On-board only Single 26.00 13.00
Return 39.00 19.50
Business First Online/Ticket Machines/Ticket Offices/On-board Single 29.00 14.50
Return 52.00 26.00
Express Carnet** Online/Ticket Machines/Ticket Offices/On-board Carnet 189.00
Business First Carnet** Online/Ticket Machines/Ticket Offices/On-board Carnet 261.00
Children between 5 and 15 years old inclusive.

[FA@AC]

If we are talking about airport-downtown fast or express services, not the regular train that makes every conceivable local stop, one-way fares typically range from $15-30.

Point taken, but given the geography of the GTA, a regular train (GO or TTC) that made stops along the existing network would likely have been a better idea than what we're going to get. The UP Express will be next to useless to anyone whose destination is north of Dundas St. More comfortable, perhaps, but no faster than taking the existing TTC bus-subway route via Kipling and considerably more expensive.

[dagger]

Point taken, but given the geography of the GTA, a regular train (GO or TTC) that made stops along the existing network would likely have been a better idea than what we're going to get. The UP Express will be next to useless to anyone whose destination is north of Dundas St. More comfortable, perhaps, but no faster than taking the existing TTC bus-subway route via Kipling and considerably more expensive.

If it was going to make many stops, i wouldn't have been built. There are other transit corridors more deserving. This is purpose designed as an express service. It's not necessarily meant for commuting employees, although on occasion, some might consider it preferable coming off a multi-day trip to skip the traffic to get downtown. Then again, don't most airport/airline employees live closer to the airport or in suburbs west, north and east of the airport?

[Seeker]

More comfortable, perhaps, but no faster than taking the existing TTC bus-subway route via Kipling and considerably more expensive.

Are you suggesting that the new train will be no faster than the bus/subway to go downtown? If you are I would be willing to bet that you have never gone downtown via the bus/subway - this is a frustrating experience and, depending on the time of day, could take almost 2 hours.

[Seeker]

Then again, don't most airport/airline employees live closer to the airport or in suburbs west, north and east of the airport?

I would say that very few airport employees live downtown - this discussion of whether or not the new train will serve these people and what the fare will be is pointless.

[boestar]

Ok so I can take the Go train from Union Station to Malton for $6.80. then take a cab from Malton to the airport for around $10 for a total cost of under $20. USING THE SAME BLOODY RAIL LINE. How stupid is that. It even operated by the same company

[boestar]

Go Train service from Union Station to Malton making all station stops en route is 32 minutes. The express train will cut that by 1/3 or more. Yes the service will be faster but is it WORTH that kind of coin.

[FA@AC]

Are you suggesting that the new train will be no faster than the bus/subway to go downtown? If you are I would be willing to bet that you have never gone downtown via the bus/subway - this is a frustrating experience and, depending on the time of day, could take almost 2 hours.

To get to many parts of downtown the new train will be no faster than what exists today. I use the TTC to get to and from the airport, and from Bay and Bloor to T! my trip usually clocks in at between 55-65 minutes depending on connections. The subway ride to Union Station, plus the walk through Union Station and the stop inside Union Station to buy the UP train ticket, plus the UP ride, plus the walk from the UP airport station (less close to the terminal than the TTC stop) will probably take 50-55 minutes. Anyone going to T3 will have to add time to get there from the UPx airport stop. Not a worthwhile time saving especially if the trip will cost $30 + TTC fare instead of $3 as it costs today.

For those who live west of Yonge and north of Dundas, existing TTC service will likely remain faster than travelling out of the way to Union Station on the UP Express will be. Connections to the Spadina LRT from the subway line will remain the fastest way to the Annex and much of SW downtown. Anyone living east of Yonge St who has a decent connection to the Bloor-Danforth subway line will have a quicker trip if they stay on the train and bus it from Kipling to the airport than they will if they change trains at Yonge St to head out of their way south to Union Station in order to catch the UPx. From North Toronto, the GO bus from York Mills Station will remain the fastest public transport route to the airport except when there are major 401 snafus.

The UPx will be great for those headed to the financial district and/or Harbourfront, though I'm not sure how many tourists will want to pay $30 plus onward TTC or taxi fare instead of $3 in order to save 35 minutes or so. For those going elsewhere, the existing service--assuming it isn't reduced when the UPx opens--will be faster in most cases.

[dagger]

To get to many parts of downtown the new train will be no faster than what exists today. I use the TTC to get to and from the airport, and from Bay and Bloor to T! my trip usually clocks in at between 55-65 minutes depending on connections. The subway ride to Union Station, plus the walk through Union Station and the stop inside Union Station to buy the UP train ticket, plus the UP ride, plus the walk from the UP airport station (less close to the terminal than the TTC stop) will probably take 50-55 minutes. Anyone going to T3 will have to add time to get there from the UPx airport stop. Not a worthwhile time saving especially if the trip will cost $30 + TTC fare instead of $3 as it costs today.

For those who live west of Yonge and north of Dundas, existing TTC service will likely remain faster than travelling out of the way to Union Station on the UP Express will be. Connections to the Spadina LRT from the subway line will remain the fastest way to the Annex and much of SW downtown. Anyone living east of Yonge St who has a decent connection to the Bloor-Danforth subway line will have a quicker trip if they stay on the train and bus it from Kipling to the airport than they will if they change trains at Yonge St to head out of their way south to Union Station in order to catch the UPx. From North Toronto, the GO bus from York Mills Station will remain the fastest public transport route to the airport except when there are major 401 snafus.

The UPx will be great for those headed to the financial district and/or Harbourfront, though I'm not sure how many tourists will want to pay $30 plus onward TTC or taxi fare instead of $3 in order to save 35 minutes or so. For those going elsewhere, the existing service--assuming it isn't reduced when the UPx opens--will be faster in most cases.

From my observations, you will be able to cut out the ticket purchase - you'd have a monthly pass or carnet - and the YYZ rail station is at departure level, while the buses stop at the very lowest level, 2-4 floors below arrivals/departure. As for the time it would take you to get to YYZ on the UP, that's largely irrelevant to a discussion about price. If it takes you almost as long to use the UP as it does other transit, you wouldn't take the former even if was priced at $10 per journey. For those who wouldn't save time taking the train, the price is meaningless. The point of the train was never to serve every airport user, any more than other airport services around the world are trying to offer the fastest service option to every airport user or employee. The point is to create a fast train service to the city centre for those who would otherwise have to shell out for a cab or prefer not to spend so long on the transit system. Many of those who shell out for a cab today are submitted the receipt to their employer anyway. And employers aren't going to fret when the cost of the train is half that or less than the cost of a cab.

[Super 80]

I can't imagine any conceivable instance in which I would use this.