Tip: Remember to tap your PRESTO card at the station before you start your trip and after when you…read moreget to the station that is your final destination.
Last Friday, I decided to take the GO train from Pickering GO station to Exhibition GO station for the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), which is also affectionally called The Ex.
I live in Markham. If I were to take the TTC, my commute would be at least 1.5 hours with four transfers to get to The Ex. I thought that a direct GO train ride would be better and it was. It took an hour.
What can be confusing is how Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West routes work for a major event like The Ex. I found that what the GO Transit site was saying versus what was actually happening on this line were different.
When The Ex is happening, Lakeshore West runs from Durham College Oshawa GO to Union station. The train stops for a bit, as Union station is a hub, and then continues west to Exhibition GO. It's out of convenience for tourists and locals alike for such an event, which I appreciate!
When there isn't an event like FIFA or The Ex, if you are taking Lakeshore West, it stops at Union station and then goes back east, becoming Lakeshore East. If you want to continue going west, you need to transfer to a different train platform and take Lakeshore West that continues westbound.
A bit weird. It is what it is.
Similarly, if you are taking Lakeshore West eastbound and there isn't an event like The Ex happening, it stops at Union station. You need to transfer to get the Lakeshore East train to get you eastbound.
My experience was that I took the Lakeshore West train from Pickering GO station to Exhibition GO station. The conductor made an announcement before we stopped at Union station, saying that this train would briefly stop at Union before continuing westbound, stopping at all stops, including Exhibition GO.
It was the clarity that I was seeking, although I knew that this train would continue westbound. I made the mistake of looking at the GO train schedule. It told me to transfer at Union station, which is the regular schedule without The Ex.
The ride to Exhibition GO was pleasant. The train was delayed by five minutes right off the bat. It was minor and we got to Exhibition GO five five minutes later than usual as a result.
Everyone left the train and headed down to the main CNE exit in an orderly, civil fashion. It was nice to see.
This station has a lot of stairs and three elevators. Most folks took the former. Families with strollers or folks in wheelchairs did the latter.
I was trying to figure out where to tap my PRESTO card to conclude my trip. GO Transit did a good job having a ton of PRESTO machines when you exit the station and head directly to the entrance to The Ex. I tapped and felt accomplished that I completed my trip.
Heading home, I entered Exhibition GO station and immediately tapped my PRESTO card. I looked at the screen and needed platform 4, which was in front of me.
I took the Lakeshore East train from platform 4. Passengers left the train first. We then boarded in a civilized manner once again.
My ride back to Pickering was smooth. This train did stop briefly at Union station. The conductor announced it and did a countdown four minutes before the train would continue eastbound.
I hadn't taken any GO train since I last worked at Union station many moons ago. It was nice to hear that countdown again.
Exhibition GO station has four tracks:
- Tracks 1 and 2 are on the north side of the station. It handles westbound traffic to Mississauga, Oakville, and Hamilton.
- Track 3 is an inner bypass track.
- Track 4 is the south platform handling eastbound traffic to Union station (normal) and beyond if there's a major event happening, like The Ex.
Other than the weird confusion between the regular schedule on GO Transit's online site versus what I had experienced heading to this station, I had a wonderful experience taking the train to and from Exhibition GO. I'd do it again when I want to go to The Ex.
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