The Ontario government is getting GOing on its transit agenda. As transit-centric communities throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and beyond materialize – turning the vicinity surrounding GO stations into self-contained communities – the Ford government is moving forward with the largest GO train service expansion in more than a decade.
The move makes it a little simpler and more enticing to rely on the GO to seamlessly travel throughout the region.
This morning, Premier Doug Ford announced that more than 300 GO train trips per week would be added to the Milton, Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, Kitchener, and Stouffville lines. The 15% increase in weekly trips will give commuters more choice to get where they need to go faster, says the Ford government. The move is just one of many that signifies that the GTA is moving steadily in the direction of New York City when it comes to the region’s relationship with the car, as the need for one is increasingly removed from the equation – even in suburbia, something that was once unheard of.
“As part of our work to get it done on the largest public transit expansion in North America, our government is adding hundreds of additional GO train trips each week for communities across the GTA,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Today’s announcement, along with our recent introduction of free transfers between different transit systems through One Fare, will help get people across the region where they need to go faster, while saving the average transit rider $1,600 every year.”
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Starting April 28, 2024, weekend train service will increase from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes in the afternoon and evening on the Lakeshore West and Lakeshore East lines between Oakville GO Station, Union Station, and Durham College Oshawa GO Station. For the first time, riders on the Kitchener line will also benefit from new 30-minute weekday service during midday and evenings between Bramalea and Union Station.
The province is also adding evening train service seven days a week on the Stouffville line, as well as an additional morning rush hour trip to Union Station for commuters in Milton and an afternoon rush hour trip from Union Station to Milton GO. For transit riders going to and from Pearson Airport, every second UP Express train (every 30 minutes) will be non-stop between Union Station and Pearson Airport, providing commuters with a more direct and convenient option for airport transfers seven days a week.
The increased service will begin just weeks after the Gardiner Expressway is down to two lanes in each direction for the next three years, making an already congestion-filled urban highway even more maddening. So, it’s safe to assume that more people will turn to the GO to get in and out of the city.
“As Ontario’s population continues to grow, our government is investing in a world-class transit network that connects communities and people to good jobs and affordable housing,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “We’re delivering on our plan to bring more reliable, convenient two-way, all-day GO train service to commuters in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.”
The announcement comes as construction continues on Metrolinx's GO Expansion, which is set to reshape the region by expanding lines that were initially built as a single-track system and by electrifying a total of 600 km of track.
