GO Transit Barrie line

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Barrie line

Distance 101.4 kilometres
Service periods Rush hour
Ridership
Bus connections 65

The Barrie line (internally: 65 Barrie) is a GO Transit train line operating in the Greater Toronto Area. The line runs from Toronto Union Station in the south to its northern terminus of Allandale Waterfront GO Station. Service on the Barrie Line is augmented by a train-bus service outside peak periods, with connections to and from the Barrie Bus Terminal at Bradford GO Station during rush hours.

Seven trips operate southbound to Union during morning rush hours and seven trips operate northbound to Allandale Waterfront during evening rush hours. All trips make all station stops.

History

Commuter service to Barrie was established on April 1, 1972 by Canadian National (CN) as mandated by the Canadian Transport Commission. CN operated one train to Toronto in the morning and one train back to Barrie in the evening. In 1978, the service was transferred to the newly formed VIA Rail.[1]

Hit by a recession in 1981, VIA Rail initiated a number of cuts to their network including service between Barrie and Toronto. After public pressure, the Province of Ontario agreed to add the Barrie service to the GO Transit network, however only as far as Bradford. GO Transit's Bradford Line service began on September 7, 1982. The line was extended to Barrie 1990, however again hit by a recession, service was cut back to Bradford in 1993 by a new government.[1]

Throughout the rest of the 1990s and early 2000s, service grew slowly. New stations were added along the line: Rutherford in 2001, York University in 2002, and East Gwillimbury in 2004. By the end of 2005, GO Transit was running four trains inbound to Toronto in the morning and four trains outbound to Bradford in the evening.[2]

After an investment of approximately $25 million from the federal and provincial government, the line was once again extended to Barrie. Service between Toronto and the new Barrie South GO Station began on December 17, 2007. Also included in the extension were upgrades to the track as well as a new train layover facility.[3] Two years later, GO Transit announced that service would be extended further into the heart of Barrie as part of a $500 million GO Transit revitalization project jointly funded by the provincial and federal government.[4] Allandale Waterfront GO Station was built close to the historic Allandale Station which previously served the CN and VIA Rail commuter service as well as the short-lived GO Transit extension. Allandale GO Station was innaugurated on January 29, 2012.[5]

Between June 23 and September 3, 2012, GO Transit piloted weekend and holiday service on the Barrie Line. Two northbound and two southbound trips operated between Allandale Waterfront and Union, as well as four northbound and four southbound trips operated between East Gwillimbury and Union.[6]

Future

The Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) Rapid Transit network will eventually connect with the Barrie line at two new points. The Spadina Subway Extension crosses the line near Sheppard Avenue West where a new integrated TTC-GO Transit station will be built. Downsview Park Station is expected to open in 2018 with the rest of the Spadina Extension. The new Eglinton Crosstown LRT will have an underground station between Blackthorn Avenue and Croham Road, approximately 200 metres west of Caledonia Road. A new pedestrian bridge over the rail corridor will connect the LRT and GO stations. Caledonia GO Station is expected to open in 2020.[7]

As part of GO Transit's Regional Express Rail project, all-day, two-way train service will be introduced on the Barrie line. GO Transit expects to run trains every 15 minutes in both directions between Toronto and Aurora during rush hour as well as off-peak. Trains will run every 30 minutes during rush hour and every 60 minutes off-peak between Toronto and Allandale Waterfront. The line will also be electrified from Toronto to Aurora.

In order to facilitate more frequent service, GO Transit will grade-separate the "Davenport Diamond"—where the Barrie line crosses CP Rail's North Toronto Subdivision. An elevated structure will carry the Barrie line between Bloor Street West and Davenport Road. Metrolinx began an extensive public consultation process in early 2015. Construction was expected to begin in 2019 with completion in 2021. Public realm improvements will also be a part of the project.[8] The Barrie corridor will eventually be double-tracked to Aurora.

Stations

Station name Date opened Notes
Toronto Union Station August 6, 1927
Caledonia GO Station 2020
Downsview Park GO Station December 30, 2017
York University GO Station September 6, 2002
  • Closed July 19, 2021.
Rutherford GO Station January 7, 2001
Maple GO Station September 7, 1982
King City GO Station September 7, 1982
Aurora GO Station September 7, 1982
Newmarket GO Station September 7, 1982
East Gwillimbury GO Station November 1, 2004
Bradford GO Station September 7, 1982
Barrie South GO Station December 17, 2007
Allandale Waterfront GO Station January 28, 2012

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 [1]
  2. GO Transit October 2005 service changes
  3. Kalinowski, Tess. "GO Restores Barrie Train after 15 Years; Eight Departures Daily Will Deliver Commuters to and from Union Station in $25 Million Expansion: ONT Edition." Toronto Star 2007: n. pag. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
  4. Archived - Canada, Ontario invest in GO service improvements across the GTA. Press release. 03 April 2009.
  5. [2]
  6. Weekend GO Train service pilot for Barrie corridor this summer (Press release) 10 May 2012. GO Transit. Retrieved on 30 May 2012.
  7. Caledonia GO Station presentation.
  8. Davenport Grade Separation Presentatio. September 2016.
v·d·e
Routes & Stations
Barrie Union - Downsview Park - Rutherford - Maple - King City - Aurora - Newmarket - East Gwillimbury - Bradford - Barrie South - Allandale Waterfront
Kitchener Union - Bloor - Weston - Etobicoke North - Malton - Bramalea - Brampton - Mount Pleasant - Georgetown - Acton - Guelph Central - Kitchener - Stratford - St. Marys - London
Lakeshore East Union - Danforth - Scarborough - Eglinton - Guildwood - Rouge Hill - Pickering - Ajax - Whitby - Oshawa - Thornton Corners - Oshawa Central - Courtice - Bowmanville
Lakeshore West Union - Exhibition - Mimico - Long Branch - Port Credit - Clarkson - Oakville - Bronte - Appleby - Burlington - Aldershot - Hamilton - West Harbour - Confederation - Casablanca - St. Catharines - Niagara Falls
Milton Union - Kipling - Dixie - Cooksville - Erindale - Streetsville - Meadowvale - Lisgar - Milton
Niagara Falls Union - Port Credit - Oakville - Burlington - St. Catharines - Niagara Falls
Richmond Hill Union - Oriole - Old Cummer - Langstaff - Richmond Hill - Gormley - Bloomington
Stouffville Union - Kennedy - Agincourt - Milliken - Unionville - Centennial - Markham - Mount Joy - Stouffville - Old Elm