Province reaches land deal with CN to expand Kitchener GO service

The Government of Ontario has reached an Agreement-in-Principle with CN Rail to purchase land to construct dedicated GO tracks on the Kitchener Line.

“Today, we’re taking two pivotal steps towards delivering two-way, all-day GO train service between Kitchener and Toronto,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “Under Premier Ford’s leadership, our government is delivering the largest transit expansion in North America to tackle gridlock, keep workers on the job and support economic growth.”

The Agreement-in-Principle is the latest step to build faster two-way, all-day rapid service on the Kitchener Line as part of the Kitchener Extension Project. This project will add 40 km of new, two-way track and includes track re-alignments, signal upgrades, bridge work and platform expansion along the corridor.

“A critical part of expanding GO service in this Region is working collaboratively with freight partners like CN to separate freight and passenger traffic. This Agreement-in-Principle allows us to continue to do precisely that, bringing more infrastructure and ultimately more service to the Kitchener corridor. In the past five years, weekly trips on the Kitchener corridor have more than doubled, from 215 trips in 2019 to 444 weekly trips today,” said Michael Lindsay, president and CEO, Metrolinx.

“This is a transformative moment for Kitchener and our shared vision with the Government of Ontario to fully-realize two-way, all-day GO service for our community and all municipalities served by the Kitchener Line,” said Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of Kitchener. “The Agreement-in-Principle with CN Rail, along with upcoming GO Transit service increases, marks a major leap forward in our collective efforts to connect our Innovation Corridor, from Kitchener to Toronto, through reliable, efficient transit. This will reduce commute times and unlock new opportunities for economic growth, job creation and quality of life for our residents.”

When complete, the new Kitchener Line will enable:

To Bramalea GO:

• Two-way, all-day service, seven days per week.

To Mount Pleasant GO

• 30-minute two-way, all-day service, seven days per week
• Additional trains during peak rush hour travel times to provide enhanced service to Union Station in the morning and to Mount Pleasant GO in the evening

To Kitchener GO

• 60-minute two-way, all-day service, seven days per week
• Additional trains during peak rush hour travel times to provide enhanced service to Union Station in the morning and to Kitchener GO in the evening

“CN is pleased to reach this Agreement-in-Principle with the Ontario government for the sale of a portion of our Halton corridor subdivision. By enabling the province to move forward with the Kitchener Extension Project, this transaction supports fast and reliable transit across the entire Kitchener corridor. CN remains committed to working closely with the province to ensure a smooth transfer of the line and commends Premier Ford and Minister Sarkaria for their leadership in making this agreement possible. This project reflects CN’s belief that the best path to growing passenger rail, commuter services in this instance, is through separate and dedicated infrastructure,” said Mark Grubbs, vice president, Safety & Environment CN Rail.

Featured image: (Government of Ontario)