Ontario increasing GO Service on Kitchener Line

mto-20150515_111AS part of the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history, the province is making improvements to GO Transit’s Kitchener line to increase transit ridership, reduce travel times, manage congestion, connect people to jobs, and improve the local economy.

The improvements include a platform extension to allow 12-car trains to service Bramalea.

Station with work to be completed by 2017.This will complement service improvements under the broader Regional Express Rail initiative that will provide faster, more frequent GO rail service, with electrification on core segments of the GO rail network.

Regional Express Rail service on the Kitchener line will mean:

  • Two-way, all-day 15-minute service seven days a week between Bramalea and Union Station
  • 30-minute peak period, peak direction service between Kitchener and Union Station, with express service between Bramalea and Union Station
  • 15-minute peak period, peak direction service between Mount Pleasant and Union Station
  • Electrified service between Bramalea and Union Station

mto-20150515_129On April 16, Ontario moved ahead with its plan to unlock the value of certain public assets. The net gain provides Ontario with approximately $4 billion, which will go to Trillium Trust, where every dollar is set to build new transit, roads and other priority infrastructure projects through Moving Ontario Forward. Together with other asset optimization strategies, this would provide Ontario with $5.7 billion, or about $2.6 billion more from asset optimization than previously assumed.

This increases Ontario’s total commitment to Moving Ontario Forward from $29 billion to $31.5 billion. Through Moving Ontario Forward, the government is investing in priority rapid transit projects that will connect to the GO Transit network and other transit systems across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).

To build assets up in a way that is fair for every part of the province — to build the whole province up — Moving Ontario Forward is broken down into two separate amounts —  about $16 billion is available within the GTHA and about $15 billion is available outside the GTHA. The distribution of funding is per capita, based on StatsCan data, for inside and outside the GTHA.

Investing more than $130 billion over 10 years in public infrastructure — the largest infrastructure investment in the province’s history — is part of the government’s plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

 

“The Bramalea GO Station is an important transportation hub for Peel. I am proud that our government is making historic and unprecedented investments, like extending the platform for 12-car trains, to ensure that people in our community have access to a timely, efficient and modern transit system,” said Harinder Malhi, MPP for Brampton-Springdale.

“The improvements being made to the Bramalea GO Station and the plans to increase GO service are welcome news for the people of Peel Region. Getting more commuters to use transit will reduce congestion on the roads and allow families spend more time together,” said Amrit Mangat, MPP for Mississauga-Brampton South.

“The increase in weekly GO train trips is fantastic news for the people of Brampton. More travel and transit options will mean more efficient commutes, less busy roads and will help overcome the challenges of congestion and gridlock,” said Vic Dhillon, MPP for Brampton West. 

“We’re committed to investing in transit projects and to building necessary infrastructure for our province now and for the future. People using the Kitchener GO corridor will benefit from more train trips and a doubling of service in 2016. This is further proof of our government’s commitment to making the daily commute and quality of life better for Ontario families,” said Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transportation.

“Everyone along the Kitchener line will benefit from the improvements we’ll be making, whether through more frequent rush-hour service or through two-way, all-day electrified service. It’s part of our plan to strengthen our entire GO rail network — the backbone of regional rapid transit in the GTHA — to give people a faster, more convenient way to connect to the things that matter,” said Greg Percy, President of GO Transit

 

QUICK FACTS

 

  • Currently, there are 80 weekly trips on the Kitchener line. Over the next five years that number will grow to more than 250.
  • In 2016, service will be doubled between Kitchener and Union Station.
  • In 2014, Metrolinx acquired 53 kilometres of track between Kitchener and Georgetown. Ownership of the railway corridor gives GO trains traffic priority and supports ongoing expansion and improvement plans.
  • Over the next 10 years, the province’s Moving Ontario Forward plan is expected to support more than 20,000 jobs per year, on average, in construction and related industries.
  • Over the next 10 years, weekly trips across the entire GO rail network will grow from approximately 1,500 trips to nearly 6,000. The government is working with its agency, Metrolinx, to bring Regional Express Rail service to the GO rail network.