Premier Kathleen Wynne has made an announcement for a major expansion of GO Transit train service into the Durham Region! Through Metrolinx, the province's regional transportation authority for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) is working with CP Rail on infrastructure and service planning for a nearly 20 kilometer extension. The big plans for GO Transit's Lakeshore East rail corridor include new GO train service from Oshawa to Bowmanville, by building four new stations to give people in Durham more transit options and help drive economic growth and job creation.Two new GO stations will be built in Oshawa (on Thornton Road and on Ritson Road), one in Courtice (on Courtice Road) and one in Bowmanville (on Martin Road). Expanded rail service will provide Durham Region with more direct connections to the larger GO transit network, helping to reduce congestion in the GTHA and connecting people to jobs. This will also help minimize greenhouse gas pollution by reducing car trips and improve travel times.
“To realize the region’s true potential and to do everything we can to position Durham and the surrounding economy to continue to be part of the GTHA’s growth, the GO train cannot keep turning around at Oshawa,” said Wynne.
GO will use existing CP lines north of Highway 401 to extend its passenger rail service to Bowmanville, but the province said it couldn’t put a price on the full project until it completes negotiations with the railway. The provincial transit agency, Metrolinx, is leading the negotiations with CP.
One of the biggest parts of the GO expansion in Durham Region will be the construction of a new train bridge over Highway 401, said Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca.
“Building an overpass over a 400-series highway is not an insignificant undertaking between the design, procurement and actual construction,” he said.
“We’re not in a position to confirm the start date of the construction because we’re still finalizing the details with CP (Rail),” explained the Transportation Minister.
Currently, GO trains on the Lakeshore East corridor go as far as Oshawa, and GO provides bus service between Oshawa and Bowmanville every 30 minutes, with increased frequency at peak hours. Since 2013, Metrolinx has added 171 new weekly GO train trips and 167 new weekly GO bus trips for residents in Durham Region. The new GO rail service is expected to begin by 2023-24.
