Metrolinx nears Barrie Corridor start, installs new board members

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau late last week visited with officials from Maple, Ontario, where he highlighted the more than CA$1.8 billion the federal government is providing to expand and upgrade GO Transit's infrastructure.

He specifically cited the benefits of an improved GO Transit corridor between Barrie and Toronto's Union Station — which runs through Maple — that's slated to start soon.

The upgraded corridor is part of Metrolinx's ongoing Regional Express Rail (RER) effort and GO Expansion project. There are more than 200 projects worth over CA$16 billion underway to bolster GO Transit's infrastructure and establish RER service.

The Barrie Corridor is the single-largest transit project the federal government has ever funded, Trudeau said during the Feb. 7 visit, according to in a press release. The project involves the construction of 32 miles of track and train layover facilities, and several station upgrades.

The double-tracked corridor will help reduce highway traffic and air pollution, grow transit ridership, and make it easier and safer for people to get around the area, said Trudeau.
 
"Smart investments in public transit help connect communities, create good, middle class jobs, and protect our environment," he said. "They also make a real difference in people's lives, helping them get to work on time in the mornings, and be home with their families in the evenings."

Meanwhile, Metrolinx has added the following six new members to its board:
• Michael Kraljevic, a real estate professional and executive adviser to createTO;
• Emily Moore, director of the Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering at the University of Toronto;
• Paul Tsaparis, chair of York University's board of governors;
• Luigi Ferrara, dean of the Centre for Arts, Design and Information Technology at George Brown College;
• Robert Poirier, a long-time banking, investments and technology professional; and
• Clio Straram, a senior analyst at TD Bank.

The new directors replace Rahul Bhardwaj, Marianne McKenna, Bonnie Patterson, Howard Shearer and Sharleen Stewart, who departed the board.