(GO Transit, The City of Barrie, and the Government of Canada issued the following press release on December 16.)
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.