With gas prices continuing to sit at record highs, this week’s announcement that the provincial government is investing in improving GO train services to the Greater Golden Horseshoe area — including Barrie — is coming as welcome news to those who depend on the service regularly.
The provincial government announced Tuesday that it has awarded a contract to ONxpress Transportation Partners to modernize and transform the GO rail network and bring frequent, two-way, all-day service to the area.
The project, which is expected to generate thousands of new jobs and create economic opportunities across the region, will include adding more than 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.
The contract is valued at an estimated $1.6 billion, Kimberly Truong, an assistant senior issues advisor for the Ministry of Transportation, told BarrieToday.
Electrification work — including at Barrie’s Allandale station — is not expected to start until after the two-year development phase.
The work to upgrade the rail corridor to a second set of tracks has already begun between Toronto and King City, Truong explained, noting additional corridor widening to Aurora and localized passing tracks between Aurora and Barrie will begin after the development phase.
“There has been some reduced evening and weekend service, as work is performed overnight and on weekends," Truong said.
Once the work is completed, Truong said both the Barrie South and the Allandale Waterfront stations will see two-way, all-day GO service every 30 minutes as part of expansion.
Metrolinx, the Crown agency of the government of Ontario that manages and integrates road and public transport in much of the province’s Golden Horseshoe region, along with ONxpress Transportation Partners are set to enter a 24-month development phase to work together on design, early investigations, schedule optimization and key initial construction work.
This work will also 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.
Jennifer Evans recently started commuting from Barrie to downtown Toronto a few times a week. Although she has the option of driving, given the rising gas prices, she has chosen to take advantage of the GO train.
Evans told BarrieToday any improvement would be a great thing for commuters, but added for those who find themselves commuting longer distances, she’d like to see more than just more trains as part of the project’s end goal.
“For me, it's not a case of just additional trains. Every 45 minutes is fine. It would just be nice if a few of them were express,” she said.
With more and more people returning to offices, Evans says having a few scheduled express trains would go a long way in helping to reduce commute times.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin told BarrieToday she believes the news will have a big impact locally.
“We saw when the GO train first came to Barrie after years of waiting it was really welcomed by a lot of local residents, especially commuters," she said. "There are still a lot of people that have to commute to get to work, so if we can make that commute a little bit easier, more flexible and faster that means a better quality of life for those individuals as they can spend that time with family and on recreational activities.”
In order to get that done, it means transportation systems need to be sped up, Khanjin added.
“What we announced… is exciting news for our area and our community because it means we are getting the infrastructure ready through the Greater Golden Horseshoe to be able to upgrade all of the tracks,” the MPP said. “We know electrification has to happen in order for us to have faster trains, and trains more often.
"This announcement is welcome news because it’s the infrastructure and the groundwork we’ve got to start building now so that we can address growing communities like Barrie — and surrounding areas like Innisfil — to be able to get more reliable and faster GO train transit," Khanjin added.
Although many local commuters would love to see an express train out of Barrie, Khanjin acknowledged that while it’s something she’d also like to see, it isn’t in the cards just yet
“We have to be realistic. There’s infrastructure we have to build before we get there and electrifying the tracks is certainly one of them," she said. "We can’t put the cart before the horse here and we really need that horsepower of electrification of the tracks to get people moving and for us to get — whether it’s an express train or more train times locally — that infrastructure is key.”
The upgrades will not only get people from Barrie and Innisfil to where they need to go, but will also help bring more people north, Khanjin said.
“We have a gorgeous waterfront and the project… and the Allandale Station… is going to be a nice ‘Welcome to Barrie’ initiative,” she said. “The GO train is going to be at the beautiful Allandale station, but also we are moving Barrie Transit there.
"If you’re coming as a visitor, not only is the first thing you’re seeing our stunning waterfront, but you’re also connected to Barrie Transit to take you wherever you need to go," Khanjin added. "The lucky thing is when people do arrive… they have access to our great downtown core: restaurants, entertainment and theatres. They also have access to lake recreation and think it has great potential to bring more people up north.”
Construction is expected to start in 2023 with plans to add additional services over time beginning in 2025-26. The province is also moving ahead with the remainder of GO rail expansion’s early works as well as off-corridor projects, which include building new corridor infrastructure and improving and expanding existing infrastructure and stations.
