GO Transit

[Acitta]

Stratford to get daily GO train service starting in July (CBC)

On weekdays, the train will travel from Stratford to Toronto's Union Station in the mornings, leaving Stratford just after 6 a.m. and arriving in Toronto before 9 a.m. The return trip in the evenings would leave Toronto around 5 p.m. and arrive in Stratford at about 7:30 p.m..

On weekends, the train will start in Toronto and bring people to Stratford in the mornings, then return to Toronto later in the day.

Maybe if they had good train service, then more people could visit the Stratford Festival.

[danbrotherston]

Stratford to get daily GO train service starting in July (CBC)

Maybe if they had good train service, then more people could visit the Stratford Festival.

I don’t think the number of visitors to the festival is limited by transportation. But it has been many years since I have been there. Maybe something has changed. 

That said, there is already bus service there. 

This is a more sensible service than London though.

[Acitta]

Maybe if they had good train service, then more people could visit the Stratford Festival.

I don’t think the number of visitors to the festival is limited by transportation. But it has been many years since I have been there. Maybe something has changed. 

That said, there is already bus service there. 

This is a more sensible service than London though.

I have been there a couple of times, but only by bicycle. If there was a train to London in the morning, I would have taken it frequently, but public transit people think that people only want to go to Toronto.

[bravado]

As a kid growing up in Stratford who regularly hopped on the VIA (unsupervised) to go to Toronto for a day, it's wild that the service has become both awful and expensive in the decades since. Hopefully this is an improvement.

[ac3r]

Stratford getting GO? I feel like that'll just get cut eventually, kinda like the London idea. There surely can't be enough ridership to Stratford to justify expanding an urban commuter rail service that far. If the province wants to expand to cities and towns outside the GTA than they should just redefine and restructure GO Transit at this point, then use the power that could provide to expand. I wouldn't be against a provincial GO Transit system that would handle passenger service across the province. I mean we already have VIA (I know they're federal) and Ontario Northland...amalgamate the lot in whichever way helps and you'd have a larger entity which could have more ability to negotiate with freight operators when it comes to track rights.

[MidTowner]

Metrolinx says that they are expecting 16,000 riders annually, which to me doesn't seem like a lot, but they say it supports making the service permanent. The word "permanent" was used a lot at the press conference.

The business case for this is definitely not as a commuter rail service, at least not to Toronto. Maybe there will be significant commuters to Kitchener, Guelph or Brampton.

[taylortbb]

GO will be doing consultations June 22 & 24 for track expansion between Georgetown and Bramlea, https://www.metrolinx.com/en/projects-an...-june-2026 . This work is the main blocker for two-way all-day GO to KW, so hopefully we'll finally get some details about what exactly they're going to build and what the timelines are.

[ZEBuilder]

GO will be doing consultations June 22 & 24 for track expansion between Georgetown and Bramlea, https://www.metrolinx.com/en/projects-an...-june-2026 . This work is the main blocker for two-way all-day GO to KW, so hopefully we'll finally get some details about what exactly they're going to build and what the timelines are.

Well for those who want the sneak peak peek here you go.

It'll be triple track from Georgetown to the far side of the Credit River Bridge, at which point it'll go right to quad track, then at 10th line the two north tracks (GO) curve off the existing right of way to then pass under the two CN tracks and then curve back to the existing right of way, at which point CN is the northern most tracks and GO is the southern. Then it'll be quad track from there (Winston Churchill) to Downtown Brampton where it narrows back to triple track, before widening back to quad on the Bramlea side of Brampton.

The scope of work is pretty immense but it includes a substantial amount of realigned and new storm sewer, and a significant amount of bridge and retaining wall works.

Things may have been refined since I last saw the plans but they were at 60% design for most of the corridor at that point and things don't change much from 60 to 90 to 100.

[plam]

Well for those who want the sneak peak peek here you go.

Fantastic news! Thanks.

[creative]

The rail bridge over the Grand River by Victoria is having work done. Not sure what exactly. Lots of trees cut down and a trail protection shelter was being installed last time I biked through there. Worker said that they were rebuilding the bridge but I think that they were only involved with building the shelter.

[ZEBuilder]

The rail bridge over the Grand River by Victoria is having work done. Not sure what exactly. Lots of trees cut down and a trail protection shelter was being installed last time I biked through there. Worker said that they were rebuilding the bridge but I think that they were only involved with building the shelter.

It's effectively a complete rebuild of the existing bridge structure and it's planned to take until the end of 2027. It's effectively the same as what just occurred on the Etobicoke Creek Bridge next to Long Branch GO on the Lakeshore West Line.

For the Grand River Bridge it includes the rehabilitation of existing piers, construction of new piers and abutments, along with the replacement of bridge spans.

There's going to be multiple weekend closures for crane operations during the project life cycle.

[KevinL]

Will capacity be upgraded, or just the infrastructure? It would be useful to be double-tracked but I don't know how big of a step that would be.

[ZEBuilder]

Will capacity be upgraded, or just the infrastructure? It would be useful to be double-tracked but I don't know how big of a step that would be.

This is a project that I don't have any insider information on so I don't know the answer. However the construction notice says "the scope of work includes the replacement of bridge spans,
rehabilitation of existing piers, and construction
of new piers and abutments to support the new structure". 

Obviously Metrolinx hasn't been the best when giving out construction notices, the recent ones have been AI trash. However, the fact it says construction of new piers and abutments along with rehabilitation makes it seem like they're twinning the bridge, the duration is also rather extensive for rehab works. Later in the notice it also says the use of drill rigs is expected which aren’t the most common when it comes to rehab works, certainly possible but rare. Given all that I'd guess they're going to twin it.

[kps]

Will they restore TWAS NOW? That had a heritage designation, didn't it?

[taylortbb]

Looking at the GO upcoming capital projects tracker sheet I see

Kitchener Line Extension | Guelph Subdivision Package 3: Bridge reconstruction, grading and drainage for passing track extension, track and signals works, retaining walls, and trenchless twin culverts.

I wonder if that's the Grand River bridge work. The passing track currently starts at Shantz Station Rd and extends about as far as Fountain St, a passing track extension could mean extending it from Fountain St over the Grand River. On Google Maps it already looks like there's been grading for a second track on the other side of Fountain St towards the Grand River.

If they're extending over the Grand River I wonder if they're continuing all the way to the existing double track section the starts at the Shirley yard, which would also mean a second span over Victoria St. The rail bridge abutments appear to already be built for a second track, it would just need an additional girder + central support column.