A second rail track near Aurora could help bring all-day GO train service to Barrie.
Metrolinx officials went before Barrie city council on Monday night to provide an update on what’s being done to bring more trains to town.
“We're building a passing track north of Aurora and that would allow us then to provide hourly service to Barrie,” says Bruce Sevier, a spokesperson. “All of this work is designed to set the table for faster more frequent services from Barrie, all the way to Union Station.”
Council was also told Metrolinx is in the environmental assessment stage on plans it has to make some corridor improvements, but the long-term big picture is more trains running more times.
“Once it’s two-way all day during mid-week, people that go to work in Toronto that didn't have an option maybe other than a long bus ride it gives them those extra capabilities of having a service where they can get a train every hour,” says spokesperson Anthony Irving.
All-year weekend service to Barrie is still fairly new, but ridership has been strong in both directions.
“We're getting a lot of people that are actually coming up to Barrie. It's not just a one-way service where people are just going down to Toronto to go to a Jays’ game let’s say.”
Metrolinx is also considering express service to and from the city.
