Moving Forward with Historic GO Rail Expansion
The Ontario government has awarded a contract to modernize and transform the GO rail network and bring frequent, two-way, all-day service to the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The investment will generate thousands of new jobs and create economic opportunities across the region. The project will include adding over 200 kilometres of new track and electrifying over 600 kilometres of track. A new electric train fleet will also be introduced that could reach speeds of 140 kilometres per hour between stations.
“Building Ontario through critical infrastructure projects like GO Rail Expansion, will unlock the potential of the economic engine of our province – the Greater Golden Horseshoe,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “To keep up with population growth, our government is making historic investments in transit, roads, bridges and highways, including the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413. Together, these projects will help fight gridlock, make travel easier and boost Ontario’s economy.”
Metrolinx and the winning proponent, ONxpress Transportation Partners, will enter a 24-month development phase to work collaboratively on design, early investigations, schedule optimization and key initial construction work. This will include the delivery of overhead electrification, a new electric train fleet, upgraded train control systems, and expanded tracks and structures along the corridors to allow for potentially significantly higher frequencies than pre-pandemic service. The project will also include the operations and maintenance of the GO rail network.
“Transforming the GO rail network and delivering two-way, all-day service will be a game-changer for the people of the Greater Golden Horseshoe,” said Stan Cho, Associate Minister of Transportation. “With quicker and more convenient ways to get from Point A to Point B throughout the region, people will thrive with easier access to home, work and recreation.”
Construction is expected to start in 2023 with incremental opportunities to add service starting in approximately 2025/26.
The province is also moving ahead with the remainder of GO Rail Expansion’s Early Works as well as Off-Corridor Works projects, which include building new corridor infrastructure and improving and expanding existing infrastructure and stations.
Quick Facts
- GO rail will become one of the busiest railways in North America with over 200 million annual riders by 2055 – allowing seamless access to new subways, LRTs and municipal transit systems.
- The Full Business Case for GO Expansion published in 2018, contemplated solutions of 7,100 train trips a week.
- Investment in the GO Rail Expansion program will generate 8,300 annual job equivalents in the first twelve years of construction and delivery.
- GO rail revenues are projected to exceed 100 per cent of operating costs over the next 60 years – saving taxpayers’ money.
Quotes
"The GO Expansion program is the backbone of a historic investment in transit, connecting new subways, new light rail lines and local transit into a tightly integrated regional network. This and more will be delivered by the ONxpress team, who proposed service levels that far surpass our GO Expansion full business case and will transform GO Transit into a world class transit system to move the region like never before."
- Phil Verster
President and CEO of Metrolinx
"Over the last two years, Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx have adapted our contracting approach for these important On-Corridor works. The result is the awarding of a contract that will allow us to work collaboratively with our partners to implement an expanded and modernized GO transit system in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area that meets our future transportation needs."
- Michael Lindsay
President and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario
"Our government is building Ontario. One of the ways we are achieving this is by delivering more public transit infrastructure to get riders to where they need to be, safely and on time. Not only do we have a plan in place to enhance transit services in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond, but through our proposed transit-oriented communities, we are building vibrant and mixed-use communities that will bring more jobs, housing and community amenities closer to transit stations to make life easier for commuters for generations to come."
- Kinga Surma
Minister of Infrastructure