Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife calls on province for clear timeline for 2-way, all-day GO trains

Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife says there has been calls for two-way, all-day GO trains between Waterloo region and Toronto for a decade and it's frustrating there's still no clear timeline for the project.

"For residents in Waterloo region, the sense of frustration has reached a tipping point," Fife told CBC News in an interview.

Fife, a member of the Official Opposition NDP, has launched a petition to ask the province for clear timelines on the project. 

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Fife raised the need for GO service to and from Waterloo region during question period on June 8, the last day before the legislature went on summer break. 

"The people of Kitchener and Waterloo are getting left behind by this government. I don't mean figuratively, I mean literally," Fife said during question period that day, noting people were being left behind in April and May by weekend GO buses between Waterloo and Bramalea. Metrolinx introduced more buses along those routes last month.

Fife asked Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney when Waterloo region could expect to see weekend trains.

In her response, Mulroney said the province is moving forward with a large expansion plan for transit to build a strong regional network.

"Kitchener-Waterloo is a growing area and that's why Metrolinx is constantly monitoring the service and ridership levels. And that is why just recently we announced increased bus service," Mulroney said. 

The minister also said Metrolinx is in talks with CN to use the tracks it owns on the Kitchener GO line "to make sure that we can deliver the service that we have told Ontarians we will deliver." 

But, Fife noted, no timelines were given.

'We need to keep that pressure on'

Fife isn't alone in wanting to know where the project sits. Kitchener Coun. Jason Deanault brought a motion forward to the June 26 council meeting asking for the city to advocate to GO Transit and the province to prioritize the Kitchener line and ensure "continued timely improvement and expansion."

"Having that connectivity to the largest centre in the country I think would be a huge boon for not just Kitchener but also Waterloo as well. So let's try to reach outside of our own region and bring people in from the GTA," Deaneault told CBC News.

"I want people from Toronto to come here. I want them to see what we have here, whether it's the Multicultural Festival or Ribfest. That's really my main concern is getting people into this community to showcase what we have here in our city."

Coun. Aislinn Clancy said during the June 26 meeting that she "wholeheartedly" supported the motion because the Kitchener train station "is so incredibly busy" and she'd like to see more options for people to get between Kitchener and Guelph.

Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said while track improvements have been happening, "we need to keep that pressure on" to ensure two-way, all-day GO trains happen.

Deanault's motion passed unanimously.

CBC News reached out to the Region of Waterloo to see when officials last received an update on two-way, all-day GO trains. A spokesperson for the region directed questions to Metrolinx or Mulroney's office.

Upgrades along corridor underway

The previous Liberal government said in April 2015 that GO service would be offered between Kitchener and Toronto every 30 minutes on the Kitchener line by 2025.

The likelihood of that, however, is slipping.

The last update on the Metrolinx website about the Kitchener line expansion is from July 26, 2022, when improvements to the Bloor GO Station and West Toronto Railpath were announced.

Metrolinx owns the majority of the corridor used for the Kitchener GO line.

There is, however, a 21 km segment between Bramalea and Georgetown owned by CN. It's part of the company's main east-west freight rail corridor in the province.

A 2019 business case report from Metrolinx notes the expansion of rail service between Kitchener and Toronto "has been a key aspiration for communities on the corridor." 

The 2019 report also recommended a new GO station in Breslau — a promise made by the former Liberal government in 2016.

In the 2019 report's economic case section, it noted if appraisals began in 2018, and construction started in 2019, all-day, two-way GO could open in 2025.

A 2021 preliminary design business case report does not mention 2025 as a possible opening year.

Phil Verster, president and chief executive officer with Metrolinx, told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo in 2021 he was not prepared to announce any timeline for the project.

"What we're trying to avoid is a sense of exuberance to over declare dates very early in the projects," Verster said at the time. "We find it's much more conducive and positive if we declare dates when we have more certainty."

'A massive undertaking'

CBC News reached out to Metrolinx, Mulroney's office and CN to see what was being done to bring two-way, all-day GO trains to Waterloo region. 

Metrolinx said two-way, all-day GO on the Kitchener line "is a massive undertaking."

The agency noted it has to use CN tracks on the Kitchener line but "additional infrastructure is needed to accommodate both freight and passenger operations and agreements with CN are required."

The Kitchener extension project will be completed in phases, Metrolinx said. The first phase of work was started n April 2022 and includes:

• Building a second platform at the Guelph station.
• Building a new storage track for maintenance vehicles between Guelph and Kitchener.
• Constructing a passing track near Breslau.

In future phases of the project, Metrolinx says there will need to be "track, signal, station and structural work" done on tracks owned by the agency and by CN.

When asked whether it was realistic to think two-way, all-day GO trains would be possible by 2025, Metrolinx said: "Further information on timelines will depend on CN negotiations concluding and contracts for the work being procured. Metrolinx will share more information as it becomes available."

Mulroney's office said the government is "delivering on the largest transit expansion plan in Canadian history. This includes delivering frequent two-way, all-day service on key segments of the GO rail network, including in Kitchener/Waterloo."

Mulroney's office gave no timeline for the project and also said Metrolinx is "continuing to work closely with CN to incrementally increase service along core sections of the Kitchener corridor that are CN-owned."

CN said in an email the company has a long-standing relationship with Metrolinx "aimed at providing fluid and safe commuting options to residents of the Greater Toronto Area. We are in constant dialogue with our partners at Metrolinx and the Ontario government to improve passenger service in accordance with the capacity of our infrastructure."

Need to keep need 'on the radar' of province: Fife

Fife says the responses she's received on the project have provided no details and have been "a complete and utter runaround."

Fife's petition says the provincial government needs to "provide a firm funding commitment and a clear timeline for the delivery of frequent, all-day, two-way GO rail service along the full length of the vital Kitchener GO corridor."

"We need to keep the corridor between Toronto and Kitchener on the radar of this government so that it doesn't get bumped down in the various other transit projects," Fife said..

She says she understands bringing two-way, all-day GO trains to the region is a complex project, but "there needs to be more options on the table for Waterloo region residents to get back and forth to Toronto."

Fife says the soonest she can present her petition is in September when MPPs return to Queen's Park, but for now, it's serving as a civic engagement tool that has provided her with thousands of responses.

"I want people to be engaged in this issue of connectivity between Toronto and Kitchener. I want the government to understand that there's a strong economic argument for this investment and I want them to prioritize this transit option for students, for businesses and for commuters," Fife said.

"The fact that on the Kitchener line, we can't get a Kitchener train to come to Kitchener on the weekend remains a mystery and no one can give me a very good reason as to why."