Toronto
My Experience leaving Kingston
Posted By leanna On January 21, 2009 @ 12:11 am
Leaving Kingston at 9:13am, I was expecting to be in Toronto by noon. Sadly, that’s not the way it worked out. Let me lay down the timeline.
7:50am – Woke up on time, so far so good. Already packed even!
8:15am – Called Modern Taxi to request transport to Via Rail train station.
8:30am – Called Modern Taxi again about taxi.
8:40am – Realized mobile was out of credit (this comes into play again later)
8:50am – Modern Taxi shows up! Back on schedule, woot.
9:03am – Arrive Via Rail station, check baggage and wait for train. Train is 15 minutes late, so check email from station.
9:30am – Train arrives, board as normal. Still confident about schedule! Though peeved that train wi-fi is iffy today, confident this won’t hurt day.
~10:40am – Big bump. Wi-fi dies totally.
~10:50am – Train slows, then stops. Odd, but being a railroaders daughter, I don’t question it. A stopped train is better than a train moving when it shouldn’t. 
~11:00am – Via Rep announces that a CAR hit our TRAIN. Will be detained indefinitely.
11:47am – Arr Bellville, ON, approximately 2 hours from Toronto. Train was meant to be in Toronto at this time.
12:30pm – Via Rep announces OPP are speaking to engineers and will be detained at least another half hour, possibly more.
12:45pm – Train cleared by OPP and allowed to continue. Approximate arrival time in Toronto, 2pm. (How the math worked out on this I’m not sure, but
During the time we were stopped in Bellville, the Via personnel on the train were very polite – one even stopped to explain to me where Bellville was in relation to Toronto after hearing I wasn’t from Ontario! Beverage and snack service continued during stop time, and free snacks were handed out.
Very luckily, the woman in the car that hit the train was shaken up but not hurt. From what I saw, Via Rail acted very responsibly in their reaction to this situation, and as per their policy, offered a 50% discount off your next fare with your receipt. This doesn’t help me in the slightest as an American citizen visiting Ontario, but I appreciate it nonetheless. I was told by a member of staff I can request a refund for my wi-fi purchase since it was down, which is a plus in my book.
All in all, when this situation started to unfold, I was prepared to write a scathing criticism of Via Rail, as I was certain they’d find a way to cock up the situation the way amtrak so frequently does. However, I have nothing but good things to say about the company and their staff and will continue to travel Via Rail on future trips to the “Great White North” and will recommend it to friends as well.
NOTE – I had a flight out of Toronto at 2pm. Managed to talk US Airways into changing it to Wednesday, January 21st at no charge to me, which goes to show that american airline companies aren’t all bad! Would still prefer to fly Air Canada, but eh, maybe next time. 
Cheers to my brilliant friend that booked me a hotel room for the night on Priceline.com for $50, you’re fabulous!
Massive Propane Explosion in Toronto
Posted By Jeff On August 11, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
Sunday morning around 4:00am a giant fire at the Sunrise Industrial Gasses propane depot broke out resulting in an explosion that could be seen for miles, the death of a firefighter and a facility employee being unaccounted for. Reports claim that over 12,000 people were evacuated from their homes surrounding Sunrise due to potential risks of toxic gases being released. Highway 401, not only a nearby highway but the busiest highway in Canada, was also closed for over 12 hours during this time. Cause of this incident has yet to be identified. Some videos contain mature language.
Article Links: NyTimes , Bloomberg , CBC
Videos: SxePhil , aabbgirl , Kevjumba , HomoginizedButter , bcochrane14 , TVK1337
I
Posted By Jeff On July 9, 2007 @ 8:27 am
I go, I really do. If Google maps could show the destination for sexual activites, I’d make it have my babies. Seriously, it’s so easy to use and so useful. Lets give an example as to why, shall we?
I’m taking a bus from where I am to Toronto, then to be picked up by some relatives to go to a small town near by where they live. Home -> Relatives’ address*Shows directions and time to get there*
But I’m going to be going to the Toronto Bus terminal first. Add destination 610 Bay Street Toronto,ON. Drag it into the spot between starting and ending point*Maps adjusts route*
The Toronto bus terminal is a pain in the ass to get to, so I would be walking to Union Station (train) and getting picked up there. Add Destination -> Union Station Toronto, ON *adds on the destination (then I add 10min because it’s walking)*
But let’s say we want to avoid taking Spadina Ave. Drags the route line so it no longer goes over Spadina AveGoogle adjusts route
Seriously, it’s so cool. Dragging is awesome. I <3 Google, you guys are my heroes.
PS. Where do they come up with the times for arrivals? I mean I can understand time down to the quarter of an hour (15/30/45), or even down to the 5. But anything past that seems to be pushing it. I mean how can they say it's going to show up at exactly 1:17? One of these days I'm going to have to organize j-walkers so that they make the bus late, make it 1:20 just to see if people complain. Eat that transit!
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