Ontario to boost GO Transit's Lakeshore rail service

GO Transit on Sept. 24 will add 220 new weekly trips along its Lakeshore East and West commuter-rail lines.

The added trips mark a nearly 18 percent increase in service along the corridors, according to a press release issued by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

On GO's Lakeshore East line between Toronto's Union Station and Oshawa, Ontario, GO Transit will add 27 new train trips each weekday, doubling existing midday service on weekdays. The service boost will result in 15-minute midday frequency.

On the Lakeshore West line between Union Station and Oakville, Ontario, the agency is adding 17 new weekday trips.

The Lakeshore service boost is the largest GO train service increase in five years, according to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

"We are making GO trains run more frequently and increasing seat capacity — more than 400,000 additional train seats will be available every week," said Ontario Minister of Transportation John Yakabuski. "This will bring immediate relief to the thousands of travelers who use GO Transit in the area."

The future of GO Transit's commuter-rail electrification remains in question, however. During a briefing with reporters yesterday, Yakabuski declined to answer whether the newly elected Conservatives would honor pledges made by predecessors, including a plan to electrify GO's network, the Toronto Star reported.

The electrification plan is part of the larger GO Regional Express Rail (RER) project that began under Ontario's former Liberal leaders.