Starting in just a few weeks, the people of Toronto will be able to take a GO Train from Union Station to Niagara Falls, seven days a week, 365 days a year (and vice versa.)
A brand new weekend train service between Toronto and Niagara is just one in a host of GO Transit expansions announced this morning by Ontario's provincial government.
Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney, along with Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster and the GTA-based Associate Minister of Transportation Kinga Surma, revealed plans for 84 new and 65 extended train trips across the GO Transit network during a press conference at Union Station.
LIVE: Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, and @KingaSurmaMPP, Associate Minister of Transportation, joined by Phil Verster, CEO of @Metrolinx, make an announcement. https://t.co/1ZR1RN16zn
— Caroline Mulroney (@C_Mulroney) August 15, 2019
"These changes are another major step in our GO expansion program... We're doubling rush-hour service for West Harbour GO, and weekend Niagara service will now run all year," said Verster to reporters this morning.
"Offering nearly 150 new and extended weekly GO train trips means our customers have more options to travel when they want to go."
The eventual goal, said Mulroney, is to transform the provincially-owned public transit network into "a comprehensive two-way, all-day rapid transit system with service every fifteen minutes on core segments of the network."
The expansion program, which kicks off August 31, is set to include nearly 150 new or extended weekly GO train trips across the Kitchener, Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West GO train lines.
Highlights include a new late-night, weekday train service between Union Station and the Kitchener GO, hourly weekday evening service between Union Station and Brampton (including a 6 p.m. express train), fifteen new midday trips on the Lakeshore East line and the reinstatement of evening train service on the Stouffville line.
It’s happening. 84 new and 65 extended weekly GO train trips across the Kitchener, Stouffville, Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West lines, including year-round Niagara weekend service, to help get you where you need to be – better, faster and easier. https://t.co/qnPe0PQqlF pic.twitter.com/wmJ4lP52GL
— Metrolinx (@Metrolinx) August 15, 2019
"Customers travelling to Bloor, Weston, Etobicoke North and Malton GO stations can take a new 5:45 p.m. trip from Union Station," notes an Ontario government press release.
"Customers travelling out of West Harbour GO will have twice as many options during weekday rush-hour periods, with three existing trips extended to serve the station and a new 4:45 p.m. trip from Union Station running express to Clarkson GO before serving all stops to West Harbour GO."
As for how any of this will serve or connect to Premier Doug Ford's contentious "Ontario Line," plans for which the province is using to replace plans for Toronto's own long-awaited downtown relief line, remains to be seen.
by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO
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