GO adding more trains

TheBarrieExaminer.com
Aug. 17, 2017
Cheryl Browne

 Fifty years ago, Toronto’s train service began as an experiment to see if people would leave their cars at home.

Now carrying almost 70 million passengers each year, the results are in, said Mary Proc, vice-president of customer service at Metrolinx GO Transit.

“As far as experiments go, it must have been successful,” Proc said at the announcement of increased Barrie GO Train service Thursday morning.

“Because 50 years later, it’s the equivalent of bringing a small city into Toronto every day and bringing them home safely afterwards.”

Working as an extension to the current Maple GO Line in Vaughan, those trains will now begin their days in Barrie.

As of Sept. 2, two new trains will leave Allandale Waterfront station at 6:05 a.m. and 6:35 a.m. with the number of train cars doubling from six to 12 for the busy trips.

On the return leg, the weekday train that leaves Union Station at 6:45 p.m. will leave 10 minutes earlier and arrive in Barrie at 8:13 p.m. with an additional four cars added to handle increased traffic.

There will be a new morning train added to the Barrie line leaving Bradford at 8:19 a.m. and a return train from Union Station at 8:14 p.m.

Metrolinx spokesperson Alex Burke said between May 2016 and May of this year, Barrie’s GO Train ridership on the Barrie line increased by almost 28,000 monthly riders.

“We know that peak train trips on the Barrie line are already high in volume and that our customers will appreciate having these additional trips to get them where they need to go,” Burke said.

Proc was joined by Barrie MPP Ann Hoggarth and Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman at the Barrie South train station to share the news of additional trains and cars leaving Barrie for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) each day.

Lehman said he often takes the GO train from Barrie to the GTA and understands the need for increased service as the first train out of Toronto is often standing-room only at 3:40 p.m.

“So when you get to 15-minute service on a transit line, you can stop really trying to pick your train and just show up because there’s another train every 15 minutes,” Lehman said.

Lehman said another significant feature of the GO Train system is its flexibility for passengers to reach their destinations.

In the future, by connecting Barrie passengers with the Caledonia, Landsdowne and Downsview stations, riders will be able to access the GTA well north of Union Station, he said.

“You’re going to be able to connect with the cross town light-rail transit (LRT), you’re going to be able to connect in York with the VIVA LRT,” Lehman said. “That is going to create access to jobs and make it possible for people to commute that’s really not feasible or it’s really inconvenient today.”

Hoggarth said investing in public transportation has been a priority for the provincial government.

“Our community is only successful when it can move,” Hoggarth said. “There are a few things as important as ensuring that you can get to your job on time or get to your doctor in an efficient and easy manner.

“That is why the Ontario government is moving forward on our commitment to expand GO regional express rail.

“This station, along with the Allandale Station and the trains that run through them every day, are shining examples of the good work and solid investments that the Ontario government has made over the past few years here in Barrie.”

For more information, visit, www.gotransit.com/timetables/en/schedules/full_schedules.aspx