The GO trains are falling apart, a leaked report says
And that could mean big delays
The GTA’s GO trains are falling apart faster than Metrolinx can fix them.
That’s one of the many revelations from a leaked Metrolinx report. As first reported by the Trillium, a draft version of the agency’s internal fleet strategy reveals a mounting backlog of work that’s imperilling future GO train service. As a result, the report says, trains across the network are becoming increasingly unreliable, and riders could soon face delays.
Related: A GO train stuck near Union is causing chaos for commuters this morning
For two straight days in August 2025, the report says, the GO train network simply didn’t have enough working trains to function properly. In the months that followed, Metrolinx and its operations and maintenance partner, Alstom, couldn’t keep up with the workload. Metrolinx even began pulling its staff off “important capital projects” to service the deteriorating GO fleet. That decision, in turn, “will lead to further projects in 2026” when those newly neglected assets begin to break down.
As reported by the Trillium, the report finds three causes for the current snafu. First, many trains were put into long-term storage during Covid, when demand dropped. Maintenance focused on the trains that were actually running while the others deteriorated. After the pandemic, Metrolinx then allowed trains to run for longer between maintenance sessions. That facilitated more service but essentially gave each train a holiday from maintenance. Now that time is up, and they’re all due.
Related: The cause of this month’s GO train derailment? Missing screws
The third factor goes back to Metrolinx’s ill-fated partnership with German railway operator Deutsche Bahn. A Deutsche Bahn–led group was supposed to take over maintenance from Alstom, and seeing that their time was up, many highly experienced Alstom employees quit. And yet, when Metrolinx suddenly scrapped the deal in 2024, Alstom remained—but minus the expertise of everyone who had left.
Now, Metrolinx is clearly dissatisfied with Alstom. In the report, the agency writes that it is “inconceivable that the current maintainer can recover the condition of the fleet” and notes that Alstom is behind on refurbishing a full 181 GO train cars. Given Alstom’s performance, the report said, Metrolinx may wish to consider a different partner.
Alstom, for its part, told the Trillium that it expects to be back on track by this summer, with a representative saying its safety record was “amongst the strongest in North America.” A spokesperson from Metrolinx noted that the report was still in development and said, “Metrolinx continues to provide consistent service, in partnership with our operator Alstom, that our customers rely on daily for their travel needs.” Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria’s office declined to comment.
These revelations shine new light on recent events on the GO line. On January 5, a train near Oakville came within seconds of derailing after a GO train blew through a stop signal and crossed onto a different track at 112 kilometres per hour despite the driver hitting the brakes. Then, in February, a train leaving Union Station derailed due to a lack of screws in the tracks.
Both incidents caused large delays on the network. They may not be the last.
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.
