Expansion Proposed by Stouffville GO Line

NRU
January 29, 2014
By Edward LaRusic

A proposed expansion of the Stouffville GO line could help take a bite out of congestion between Markham and Toronto. Metrolinx unveiled the next steps for a proposed expansion of the Stouffville corridor rail service to Markham development services committee January 21. The draft report presented to the committee outlines where Metrolinx is at with the environmental assessment and preliminary design process that is examining the feasibility of running two-way, all-day train service on the Stouffville line between Unionville and Kennedy stations.

The environmental assessment will help identify what infrastructure is needed in order to run two-way service. Currently, parts of the corridor are shared with rail companies such as CN. The proposed expansion, in addition to increased service, would examine improvements to existing stations, and integration with other local transit initiatives. Metrolinx environmental assessment manager Trevor Anderson responded to NRU about the environmental assessment.

“The Big Move, our regional transportation plan, identifies the need for a significant increase in GO rail service across its entire network,” wrote Anderson. “Two-way, all-day regional rail service on the Stouffville line was identified as a Next Wave project in The Big Move, to be completed within 15 years.”

Anderson said that Metrolinx is committed to moving people from private vehicles to transit. The project is in stage three of five, which is exploring design alternatives, with the first of two public information centres held yesterday in Toronto. A second public information centre is being held on January 30 in Markham. Input gathered at the meeting may further refine the design before the preparation of an environmental study report. Stage three is expected to be complete in the spring of this year.

In the draft report, Metrolinx notes that there are some concerns that an expansion could impact three built heritage resources and four cultural landscapes. However, Anderson explained that the cultural heritage impacts are minimal, and thus challenges are not anticipated. The proposed expansion would link into several networks, including the Viva BRT at Unionville, the upcoming Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Kennedy GO Station, and the Bloor-Danforth Subway line. Markham regional councillor Gordon Landon supports the expansion, and says it’s needed to handle growth in the City of Markham.

“I think it should be done, because there are a lot of people moving in north of the Unionville station, so we need more service.”

“They can run those trains every 15 minutes, so it’s going to take a lot of cars off the roads.”
After the two public information centres finish, Anderson said the next steps will be to finish the EA and looking for funding sources.

“Completion of the EA is expected by summer 2014. Under the EA process, the Environmental Study Report will be posted for 45 calendar days for public/stakeholder review and comment. No funding has been identified for this project at this time. We will be in a position to discuss construction timing once funding is confirmed.”

Metrolinx estimates that congestion in the GTHA costs $6-billion annually, and that by 2031, this cost would rise to $15-billion per year. According to Metrolinx, the corridor currently serves about 3,253,800 trips annually, via peak train and off-peak bus service. Currently, there are six trains that run in the morning, with two additional trains in the late afternoon. Between those hours, bus service is available between Unionville and Union station. There are currently about 7,300 train trips during the peak morning period, with 11,600 peak trips forecasted for 2020-2025.