Midday and evening GO Train service coming weekdays in January

December 13, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Getting in and out of the city – and to the subway – is set to get easier in the coming weeks.
Hourly two-way train service on the Barrie corridor during the midday and evenings, along with extra morning, afternoon and late evening trips between Union Station and the Bradford GO, will come into effect on January 2.
The announcement was made by Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca on the blustery platform of the Aurora Station on Tuesday morning.
In addition to the increased train service, the Minister announced that weekend GO Train service along the corridor would be increased to an hourly service starting this December 30 and all GO Trains will serve the new Downsview Park GO Station, connecting commuters to the new Line 1 subway extension in York Region.
“Our commuters have been consistently asking us for more trains and connections to the broader transit network which spans our Region,” said Del Duca. “I want everyone to know that here in Newmarket-Aurora and beyond, we have been listening closely to the concerns and to the requests for more GO Service. [With this announcement] we are nearly doubling the number of weekly GO Train trips between Union Station and Aurora GO. That’s 230 train trips per week on the Barrie line, up from the current 118 train trips.”
Added Phil Verster, President and CEO of Metrolinx: “We will be adding hundreds – and, sometimes during the day, thousands – of seats and capacity along the route, which will be fantastic for our customers. It provides us with the capacity to grow our service and boardings every day from around 1,800 to 2,700 over the next two years. That is around a 50 per cent increase in footfall and it just shows what a contribution it will make to the Region and along the corridor.
“We are really excited about the fact that these journeys will shave up to 44 minutes off a single journey for customers who use our services. We look forward to continue to do exciting things.”
Along with the increased service, January will also bring a savings to commuters. In the New Year, adults, senior, youth and student commuters using PRESTO cards will pay a TTC fare of $1.50 when transferring between the GO system to the TTC or the UP Express.