Year-round weekend Barrie GO trains ‘important step’ to full service

Three trains between Barrie and Toronto on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays

Simcoe.com
Dec. 5, 2016
By Rick Vanderlinde

The province is adding year-round weekend trips to the Barrie GO line, calling it another step in the ultimate goal of two-way, all-day GO train service to Toronto.

“I’m constantly asked when are there going to be more GO trains,” Mayor Jeff Lehman said during a news conference Monday morning. “Well, the answer is Dec. 31.”

Lehman joined Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca, Metrolinx president Bruce McCuaig and MPP Ann Hoggarth for the announcement at GO’s south Barrie station.

McCuaig said providing three trips between Toronto and Barrie on weekends year-round is an “important next step” toward the 10-year GO regional express plan, which will bring all-day service in both directions.

McCuaig said trains will leave Barrie Saturdays and Sundays at 9:03 a.m., 9:47 a.m. and 11:02 a.m. and leave Union Station in Toronto at 4:28 p.m., 9:50 p.m. and 10:50 p.m. beginning Dec. 31.

“Hopefully, it will work well with people’s schedules, whether it’s for a shopping trip, a dinner out, a hockey game or baseball game,” McCuaig said.

The year-round weekend trips are an extension of summer weekend service that began in 2012 and saw about 41,000 trips taken by riders last summer.

Del Duca said the new weekend service shows the province’s continued commitment to transit and transportation infrastructure.

“After years of chronic underfunding, our government has been steadfastly focused on introducing and delivering better transit options that will help get this province moving,” the transportation minister said. “We are standing right at the edge of literally transforming this region.”

Lehman said Barrie has seen several improvements in train service since 2011 when it had one GO station with two-round trips a day. Five trains now leave Barrie every weekday morning, while seven return from Toronto weekday evenings.

“I use the GO service on weekdays and now I’ll be using it on weekends, too,” the mayor said.

Lehman added the additional weekend service will help Barrie attract more tourists from Toronto.

“We are also looking forward in trying to bring people from Toronto up here for our many festivals and tourism opportunities year-round,” he said. “We actually market ourselves in downtown Toronto. Having Allandale Waterfront as the name of the end station on the line is really helpful because it gives people a sense of just what’s at the other end of the trip.”

McCuaig said plans to transform GO rails for electric trains is “still on track to deliver” within 10 years.

He added the Barrie line has an advantage because the entire corridor is on land owned by the province.

“So we have no ownership issues when it comes to electrifying, which is great news for this corridor,” he said.

Hoggarth, who has attended several GO announcements since being elected in 2014, told reporters Del Duca understands Barrie’s transportation challenges.

“Our communities can only be successful if we move,” she said. “Our lives are improved when we spend less time in gridlock and more time with our families.”