We're always doing some renewal at the centre of it all – Union Station.

In recent years, you've seen us add stairways and elevators, and improve passenger information signs, but much more is on the way.

In fall 2008, we renumbered all of our train and bus platforms and updated signs to show the new platform numbers. These changes will improve accessibility and make it easier to navigate the station. To see which platform your train or bus is departing from, please check out our real-time Union Station departure board. 

Major construction projects include rehabilitation of the roof over the train platforms, a new platform for tracks 13 and 14, and a second GO concourse, in the west end of the building. We will also be replacing the tracks, modernizing the signal system to let us run more trains, and building a midday train storage yard east of the station. When completed, all of this will improve service for our customers. Visit the Union Station Revitalization Program website.

Several other big projects are in the works across the GO network. These fall under the GO Transit Rail Improvement Program (GO TRIP), with the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and municipal governments in the Greater Toronto Area all playing a role in the funding. The projects include adding many kilometres of new track on the Lakeshore and Georgetown lines to allow for better train service, underpasses or overpasses that will separate GO Train service from CPR or CN freight traffic on the Georgetown, Bradford, and Stouffville lines, and improvements to allow GO Train service to extend north to Barrie. Visit the GO Transit Rail Improvement Program (GO TRIP) website.

On December 15, 2008, Metrolinx announced it is the new proponent of the expansion of GO service on the Georgetown GO line to Etobicoke, Bramalea, Brampton, and Georgetown, including a rail link between Union Station and Pearson International Airport.   

The project will be evaluated under the Transit Environmental Assessment (EA) process, which is expected to begin in spring of 2009.  

Metrolinx is managing the EA portion of the project and GO Transit will provide expertise in rail service planning, in consultation with its transportation partners: CN, CP, VIA Rail, City of Toronto, and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.  

The Georgetown expansion is part of the GO Transit Rail Improvement Program (GO TRIP), an expansion initiative funded by the federal and provincial governments and local municipalities through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund. The Union-Pearson link component of the project will be financed and operated by a private-sector operator.  

Building on previous studies, Metrolinx will present a revised project plan. All interested parties will have opportunities to comment on service improvements for travellers on the Georgetown line and to the airport.  

Metrolinx is a Crown agency of the Province of Ontario. For more information visit www.metrolinx.com.

Find out about stations we've recently opened, as well as new ones on the way. Visit the New Stations page on this website.

Our new locomotives are in action!

We’re continuing to get delivery of our 27 new MP40 locomotives and will buy 20 more arriving in 2010.

GO Transit is also working with the manufacturer, MotivePower Industries, to develop a dual-mode locomotive that can run on diesel or electric power, capable of operating on electrified or non-electrified lines. The Province has proposed that we electrify our Lakeshore corridor.

These new locomotives are helping us improve our on-time performance and allow us to accommodate even more passengers, as we can now pull two extra railcars. These machines are faster, more fuel-efficient, and more environmentally friendly.

The new locomotives are running on the Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, and Milton lines, where station platforms are being lengthened to accommodate the extra passenger cars. The ability to pull 12 railcars makes GO Transit’s commuter trains the longest in North America.

For more information, please visit the new locomotive unveiling event webpage.

We introduced 12 double decker buses in 2008 and have another 10 on order for delivery in March 2009.

The new double decker buses operate on Hwy. 403 and Hwy. 407. GO’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service along Hwy. 407 currently operates over 500 trips every weekday during the school year.

Each 43-foot-long (13-metre), wheelchair-accessible, low-floor bus can seat 78 passengers − 46 on the upper level and 32 on the lower level − and will increase the number of passengers GO can transport per bus by 37% compared to our existing buses.

Customer amenities include reclining seats on the upper level, individual reading lights, 12-volt power outlets, and individually controlled air conditioning vents.

The new buses are also equipped for passenger accessibility and have modern safety features.

We’ll also be getting 56 more accessible highway buses over 2009, two of which will be hybrids.

Launched in the fall of 2000, GO's Bus Rapid Transit service began by operating along Highway 407 to serve the York University campus. It has grown and flourished, with greatly improved services and new park & ride lots. The GO BRT service is now one of our fastest growing services, yielding 12,000 rides on a typical day. As part of this service, we are working with the City of Mississauga to build new, exclusive bus lanes on roads in Mississauga along Highway 403. Visit Mississauga's BRT website for more information on this project.