Ford directs Metrolinx to study GO Transit expansion by diverting freight rails

Premier Doug Ford has directed Metrolinx to study expanding GO Transit across the Greater Golden Horseshoe region by diverting freight rails from existing lines. The expansion could increase service along the Kitchener and Milton lines and create new GO lines and stations, Ford said in a letter to Metrolinx on Thursday.

Service could expand on Kitchener and Milton lines, Ford says

Rochelle Raveendran · CBC News · Posted: Jan 09, 2025 11:53 AM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Ford asks Metrolinx to work on new transit plan to expand GO Transit

4 hours ago

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Premier Doug Ford has directed Metrolinx to look into diverting freight trains from existing rail lines to accommodate the eventual expansion of GO Transit service in Kitchener and Milton. CBC’s Lane Harrison explains.

Premier Doug Ford has directed Metrolinx to study expanding GO Transit service along the Kitchener and Milton lines by diverting freight rails.

The expansion, dubbed GO 2.0, could also create new GO lines and stations, Ford said in a letter to Metrolinx on Thursday.

"By leveraging existing freight rail infrastructure, GO 2.0 could help alleviate congestion and reduce travel times for passengers," Ford said in the letter, shared by a spokesperson with the premier's office.

He said the expansion could happen by building a new freight rail bypass adjacent to the Highway 407 corridor.

The freight rail bypass could be built between the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) main line near Trafalgar Road in Milton and the Canadian National (CN) Bypass line at Bramalea, he said.

Today, I wrote to Metrolinx directing them to begin developing a plan to deliver GO 2.0, the next generation of GO train service across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. <br><br>For Ontario's economy to continue to grow, we need to keep building roads, highways and public transit. GO 2.0… <a href="https://t.co/uPpbXlRY0B">pic.twitter.com/uPpbXlRY0B</a>
—@fordnation

In 2015, Mississauga conducted a feasibility study for a rail corridor that would link these two lines, referred to as the "Missing Link." At the time, the report said the corridor would cost about $5.3 billion.

In Thursday's letter, Ford directed Metrolinx to begin discussions on the expansion with the Ministry of Transportation, CKPC, CN and the federal government.

He also instructed Metrolinx to do a preliminary analysis of the benefits of GO 2.0 for passenger rail operations, compared to existing GO train expansion plans.

A red train sits on the track — There would need to be an extensive review before relocating any rail lines, said Terry Cunha, spokesperson for the CPKC. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

In a statement, Terry Cunha, spokesperson for CPKC, said there would need to be an extensive review before relocating rail lines.

The review would need to consider the impact to customer service and the cost to all stakeholders, "which will be significant," he said.

"Evaluating the feasibility of relocating railway infrastructure is an enormously complex matter and the magnitude of the challenges should never be underestimated," he said.

'I'll believe it when I see it,' Ontario NDP leader says

Ontario Minister of Transport Prabmeet Sarkaria, who co-signed the letter to Metrolinx, said the plan will unlock thousands of new trips for passengers every year.

"This will enable more services, more commuters getting to and from where they need to go in a quicker, faster, more affordable way," he said.

Speaking on Thursday, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the Ford government hasn't opened a single major transit project since they were elected.

She referred to the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown, which is set to open no earlier than mid-2025, despite construction on the project beginning in 2011.

On the GO Transit expansion plan, Stiles said, "I'll believe it when I see it."