Will Caledon ever see a GO Rail line? Town continues lobbying efforts

Caledonenterprise.com
Nov. 1, 2021

f it seems like it’s been taking years, it has. The Town of Caledon has been pushing for a GO Rail line since 2008.

Thirteen years later, there is some progress but no definitive answer to the key question of when a GO Rail line will come to Caledon.

WHAT’S THE HOLDUP?

In a memorandum from town staff to Caledon council on Oct. 26, they realized the current objection to the proposed Caledon/ Vaughan GO Rail Line is that the ministry and Metrolinx believe there is no “rational” business case for the investment.

The two don’t recognize the planned growth that Peel and Caledon are expecting because it is not officially approved and think Caledon ridership in the future will be equal to what GO Bus routes in Bolton have been.

The ministry’s modelling also focused on the lack of viability of the project based on initial all-day service, where Caledon’s Initial Business Case thought that it was based on peak service and will evolve over time as Caledon and Vaughan grow.

Here’s what has been done to support the project so far:

SUPPORT FROM OTHER MUNICIPALITIES

Part of the initial town plan was to market the rail line as a service not only to Caledon residents but other neighbouring municipalities.

What the town recognized as a “transit void” meant that residents from Brampton, Vaughan, Simcoe and Dufferin County would all benefit from the line running to Bolton.

The town has received technical and advocacy supports from York Region and Peel Region, along with a group letter signed by respective mayors and chairs to the minister of infrastructure outlining their support for this investment.

SUPPORT AT QUEEN’S PARK

At the recent AMO conference in 2021, where municipal leaders gather with provincial leaders, Caledon council members presented delegations on the rail line, ensuring decision makers were aware of its benefits.

OTHER KEY MILESTONES

This fall, the rail line was recognized in the ministry’s Greater Golden Horseshoe Transportation Plan update to 2051.

In the coming winter, Metrolinx will reprioritize the line in their 2052 Regional Transit Plan, and in the spring the line will be in the 2022 Ontario Budget.

These three steps are what town staff called “critical input” to the town’s own Official Plan and getting the GO Rail to Caledon and neighbouring residents.