Metrolinx has watered down its big GO train plans
More stops and slow trains could mean long commutes
Ontario is getting a much watered-down version of the regional rail system Metrolinx had promised, an internal report reveals.
Under the GO Expansion project launched by the Ontario Liberals in 2018 and continued by Premier Doug Ford’s government, the GO train network was supposed to be transformed into a regional rapid transit service by 2032, with electrified trains whooshing in and out of stations every 15 minutes or less.
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A Metrolinx document acquired by the Ontario NDP through a freedom of information request, however, shows Metrolinx is backtracking on many of those plans. As Andy Takagi reports in the Toronto Star, a proposed 10-year plan for the expansion from March 2025 drops plans to electrify the Stouffville, Kitchener and Barrie lines, all of which run through Toronto. Instead, exhaust-spewing diesel trains will continue to chug through the city for the foreseeable future.
Riders of those trains can also expect slower trips thanks to more stops along the line. Trains on the Kitchener Line would stop at Mount Dennis, Woodbine, St. Clair-Old Weston and Kitchener-Central, while the Barrie Line would stop at Line 5’s Caledonia Station, and St. Clair-Old Weston, Bloor-Landsdowne and Spadina-Front. That’s two more stops on the Kitchener Line before the trains even leave Toronto, and four more for the Barrie Line.
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A Metrolinx spokesperson told the Star that “GO Expansion is continuing, including service increases, signalling and electrification work, with the design and phasing of electrification for core segments of the GO network continuing to be developed.” Likewise, a spokesperson for Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the province is “phasing our work to ensure we are building in a way that is practical and delivers real results for riders.”
Not all is lost, however. Electrification is still coming to the Lakeshore East and West lines, which are major routes for the GTA, and faster travel times are expected on both. Adding more stops isn’t necessarily a broken promise, either: GO expansion was supposed to create more travel options in Toronto, and these stations would accomplish that.
The trouble is the trains. The new, zippy electric cars promised by Metrolinx can speed up and stop faster than their diesel counterparts, shaving off seconds spent at each stop. Without them, each station presents a real delay, and one that’s sure to be felt by commuters as their trains stop and go.
Anthony Milton is a freelance journalist based in Toronto specializing in long-form magazine writing. He previously worked as an assistant editor at Toronto Life, where he launched the Front Row newsletter. He regularly contributes all sorts of stories to the magazine, including deep dives on sports, business and housing as well as short-form commentary on our ever-changing city, from its obsession with cherry blossoms to its maddening NIMBYism. His work has also appeared in Maclean’s, Ricochet, TVO, the Trillium and more.
