Tired of waiting for a ride? GO trains on Lakeshore lines to run more often
GO Transit says it's increasing service on its busiest train routes
More GO trains will soon run along the busy Lakeshore East and West lines, as Metrolinx adds an extra 220 trips per week during off-peak hours.
The service increases were one a number of changes announced by Metrolinx on Thursday.
The extra trains will be run on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., meaning riders will be able to catch a train every 15 minutes on the Lakeshore East line and every 20 minutes on Lakeshore West.
Metrolinx spokesperson Anne-Marie Aikins said it'll make a big difference for riders.
"They maybe don't even have to check a schedule," she said. "They can just go to a station and they know that in 15 minutes a train is going to come."
In a news release, the Ontario government called this the largest boost in GO train service in five years.
"More than 400,000 additional train seats will be available every week," said John Yakabuski, minister of transportation.
Remarkably, the service increase along the Lakeshore lines, GO Transit's busiest, did not require additional funding, according to Aikins.
She said that last year, Metrolinx president and CEO Phil Verster started looking at how to better use existing resources on a busy line that sometimes sees empty trains run after the morning rush hour.
Additional service also coming for Kitchener, Richmond Hill
Increased service also affects the Kitchener line, which will have an extra morning rush hour train from Malton GO station to Union.
Furthermore, four of the rush hour trains from Kitchener — two in the morning and two in the afternoon — will have extra seat capacity, expanding from 10 cars to 12.
Richmond Hill transit users will also see a change, with a new bus stop added at Highway 404 and Major Mackenzie Drive.