Plans are in the works to bring two new GO train stations to Simcoe County and York Region.
The Town of Innisfil has been short listed as a possible new stop on the Barrie GO train line. Right now the only GO transit going to Innisfil is a bus.
"This is a real boost for the Town of Innisfil, the economy and everything,” says Innisfil Mayor Gord Wauchope. “It's going to be a lot easier for commuters and with our industrial lands hopefully opening up in 2019 it'll certainly be great for the people who travel from the city up to Innisfil."
The station would be located just south of the growing community of Alcona, right where the existing railroad crosses the 6th Line.
"We’ve come from 200 stations and locations down to 12 that we're recommending,” says Anne Marie Aiken, a spokesperson for Metrolinx. “We've come a long, long way to analyze them and we're pretty confident in these spots."
Innisfil has been working for years to get on the short list. The town's already approved $2 million to buy up land and another $2.8 million to help Metrolinx build the station.
"We’ve been saving our pennies over the last few budgets and we're certainly prepared to put money into this project because it's something our residents really want," says deputy mayor Lynn Dollin.
Trains to and from Barrie will increase from about 12 a day now to more than 30 on weekdays. Weekend service would operate year round with several trains each day.
Metrolinx hopes to use electric trains.
“[Electric trains] allows you for more trains because they can stop faster and accelerate faster, so there's lots of that work to do," says Aiken.
In addition to the Innisfil station, Metrolinx is also considering a second station for Newmarket. The Metrolinx board will vote on the proposals next week.
If approved, construction on the new stations could start in 2018.
