No. H 243/07
For release - December 16, 2007
BARRIE, ONTARIO — The Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, GO Transit and the City of Barrie today celebrated the completion of construction on GO Transit's Bradford rail corridor to extend GO Transit rail service to the City of Barrie. With construction completed, GO Transit rail service between the new Barrie South Station and Union Station in downtown Toronto will officially begin at 5:43 a.m. on Monday, December 17, 2007.
"Projects such as the extension of GO Transit rail service to the City of Barrie demonstrate this government's commitment to improving Canadians' quality of life and promoting environmentally-sound transportation alternatives such as commuter rail," said Patrick Brown, Member of Parliament for Barrie, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. "This government is also working hard to make transit more accessible for all Canadians and help ease traffic congestion in urban areas."
"GO train service to Barrie will mean that commuters can sit back, enjoy their morning coffee, get a head start on work, or simply relax," said Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley. "Restoring GO train service to Barrie is a concrete example of the McGuinty government's commitment to making public transit a convenient reality."
"This new service will provide people living in Barrie and throughout the Greater Toronto Area with a new transit option that will cut commute times and reduce traffic congestion," said the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance. "Public transit investments, such as the GO Barrie extension, also help drive the economy and demonstrate the federal government's commitment to investing in transportation infrastructure."
"GO Transit is a real boost for Barrie and will make a genuine impact on our quality of life," said the member of the Provincial Parliament for Barrie, Aileen Carroll. "I'm proud to be a member of the government that brought the GO back to Barrie."
Construction on the project began in February 2007, and was completed earlier this month. The project included:
extending GO Transit's Bradford rail corridor to the City of Barrie, including upgrades to rails, ties, signals and crossings;
the construction of a new GO Transit station in the City of Barrie at Mapleview Drive, known as Barrie South Station, with 480 parking spaces, a bus loop and GO Transit ticket vendor machines;
the construction of a new overnight train storage facility at Minet's Point Road in the City of Barrie; and
upgrades to GO Transit's existing Bradford Station.
Four trains will leave Barrie South Station in the morning for Union Station between 5:43 a.m. and
7:15 a.m. Four trains will return from Union Station to the Barrie South Station between 4:10 p.m. and 7:35 p.m.
"We're excited to be going back to Barrie," said GO Chairman Peter Smith. "The GO Trains will give Barrie area residents another convenient commuting option."
"City staff has been working with GO Transit and MTO for several years on this project, and on behalf of Council, I thank the staff involved in this project for working so diligently on seeing this through to completion." said Barrie Mayor Dave Aspden. "Hopefully, in the future, residents of both the Greater Barrie Area and GTA would be able to take advantage of weekend service to enjoy cultural, shopping and sporting activities."
Construction on the project is valued at $25 million, with the federal government, the province and the City of Barrie each contributing one third of the project costs.
This expansion is part of the GO Transit Rail Improvement Program (GO TRIP), a $1 billion-dollar expansion initiative funded by the federal and provincial governments and local municipalities, through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund.
The Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund provides federal funding to large-scale transportation infrastructure projects of major national and regional significance.
For more information and/or updates on this project, call 416-869-3600, extension 5199, or visit GO Transit's website at www.gotransit.com/gotrip.
For more information on the train and bus schedules and fares regarding GO Transit service to the city of Barrie, visit www.gotransit.com.
A backgrounder with further information on the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund is attached.
- 30 -
Contacts:
Karine White
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
Bob Nichols
MTO Communications Branch
416-327-1158
Cheri Harris
Communications Officer
City of Barrie
705-739-4220 ext. 4529
Vasie Papadopoulos GO TRIP 416-869-3600, ext. 5175
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.
BACKGROUNDER
CANADA STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE FUND
The Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund supports large-scale projects of major national and regional significance. Through this fund, the federal and provincial governments agreed to provide up to $385 million each to support major GO Transit rail infrastructure improvements over seven years. Municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Hamilton will also provide funding.
On November 6, 2007, the Government of Canada unveiled the details of its historic $33-billion infrastructure plan. Called Building Canada, this infrastructure plan is building a stronger, safer and better Canada, providing more funding, over a longer period of time – from 2007 to 2014 – than any previous federal infrastructure initiative. Building Canada is focused on delivering results that matter to Canadians – cleaner air and water, safer roads, shorter commutes, and prosperous, liveable communities.
Under FLOW, the federal government's long-term transportation action plan for the GTA, which was announced March 6, 2007, federal funding will help reduce congestion, improve the environment and increase economic growth in one of the fastest growing areas in Canada. The GTA will be receiving investments of almost $1nbsp;billion, reimbursed after the projects start and as work is undertaken.
The Ontario government's commitments to strengthen Ontario's public transit include:
MoveOntario 2020, a $17.5-billion public transit investment — the largest build of its kind in Canadian history. This 12-year plan will help replace 300 million car trips per year;
an additional $830 million provided for strategic transit projects in the GTA and Hamilton through the 2006 MoveOntario initiative. This investment will help ease congestion, improve air quality and create jobs across the province;
Greater Toronto Transportation Authority, operating as Metrolinx — created to develop a seamless and sustainable regional transportation system for residents and businesses within the GTA and Hamilton;
the Presto card — an integrated fare collection system that will eventually enable commuters to travel on public transit from Durham to Hamilton using a single transit card;
the High Occupancy Vehicle Lane Network Plan — a 25-year project to add HOV and commuter bus lanes to the 400-series highways and the Greater Golden Horseshoe that will ease congestion and offer faster, more reliable commute times to carpoolers and transit users; and
ReNew Ontario - the government's infrastructure investment plan. In ReNew Ontario's first five years, the government will have invested $11.4 billion in public transit, highways, borders and other transportation.
GO Transit Improvements
GO Transit carries over 165,000 passengers an average of 32 kilometres every day on its rail system. During rush hour, almost every seat on all GO trains is filled. The new expansion will enable GO to accommodate the more than 40,000 additional passengers forecast to use the system during peak periods by 2011.
The GO Transit Rail Improvement Program (GO TRIP) includes 12 GO rail projects across the system and an expansion of the GO Bus network. These projects are underway, with completion expected in 2010. Below is an update for each project:
Stouffville corridor
Construction began in May 2006 on a GO train rail underpass, which will allow GO Transit to avoid delays caused by freight train traffic. The project is expected to be completed by December 2008.
Lakeshore West corridor
A third track is being added on two sections to allow more GO train service and reduce delays:
Port Credit Station (Mississauga) to Kerr Street (Oakville). The environmental assessment has been completed and approved. Construction began in April 2007 and is expected to be completed by November 2009.
Burlington Station to Bayview Junction (Hamilton). Construction on the corridor is substantially done, and will be finalized by March 2008. All-day service to Aldershot Station began in September 2007.
Milton corridor
A new train storage site was built to accommodate longer 12-car trains near Milton Station. This allows trains to be stored closer to where they start and finish in order to minimize delays and reduce unnecessary train trips. The site has been operational as of January 2007.
Construction to accommodate the longer trains on the Milton corridor stations is also complete, which will enable GO Transit to operate 12-car trains. Twelve-car trains will increase the carrying capacity by 20 per cent.
Georgetown corridor –West Toronto Diamond
Construction is underway on the West Toronto Diamond rail-to-rail grade separation. This rail underpass will allow GO trains to avoid delays and conflicts with freight trains. The enabling works are complete, and the construction of the grade separation is anticipated to begin in spring 2008.
Georgetown South (Weston corridor)
An Individual Environmental Assessment is underway to identify improvements required to accommodate increased GO train frequency and options for an airport transportation link between Union Station and Pearson International Airport, including the proposed Air Rail Link project. This study will address the associated environmental impacts and the need for improved infrastructure for increased GO Transit service and for an airport transportation link to the airport. The Terms of Reference for this study was submitted to the Ministry of Environment on Friday, October 27, 2006 for approval.
Georgetown North corridor
Construction began in Fall 2006 to improve track capacity along the corridor, to accommodate two new rush hour trains and provide limited off-peak service to the Mount Pleasant GO Station in North Brampton. Construction is expected to be completed by July 2009.
Bradford corridor
Construction of the Snider rail-to-rail grade separation at the CN York subdivision freight line started in February 2006, and was completed in December 2006. This GO train rail overpass allows GO Transit to avoid delays caused by conflicts with freight trains.
GO Transit rail service along the Bradford corridor to the City of Barrie will be operational on December 17, 2007. The City of Barrie will see four trains departing from a new GO Transit Barrie South Station to Union Station in the mornings during the week, and four trains departing from Union Station to the City of Barrie in the afternoons during the week.
Lakeshore East corridor
Improvements to accommodate three-track operation at the Danforth, Scarborough and Eglinton stations, as well as the expansion of three bridge overpasses, are underway. Completion of this project is anticipated for mid-2008.
Union Station Rail Corridor Program
GO Transit awarded the contract for the signal improvements to Siemens. Design work will begin in December 2007, with overall completion expected in 2014. The work on this project will include a complete replacement of the 70-year-old-track signal system at Union Station.
Additional improvements to Union Station are also ongoing, including new tracks and platforms. This will help improve the efficiency of the train network, and increase operational capacity.
The Don Yard has been redeveloped by GO Transit for their daytime train storage needs. The Don Yard is currently fully operational.
Other service areas
On March 20, 2007, the GO Transit Board approved two new bus routes:
One route begins at the University of Guelph, passes through the Aberfoyle Park-and-Ride lot, and then on to Square One Shopping centre in Mississauga, before ending at the Cooksville GO Station. It then returns in the opposite direction to the University of Guelph.
The second route begins at the University of Guelph, passes through the Aberfoyle-and-Ride lot before ending at the Meadowvale GO Station. It then returns in the opposite direction to the University of Guelph.
These services began on September 4, 2007.
December 2007
