Advocates worry bottleneck will limit Kitchener GO expansion

All-day, two-way GO Train service is coming to Waterloo Region…eventually.

But a transportation advocacy group has some concerns that the plan won’t achieve its goal, and they have some suggestions.

Currently, Metrolinx, the GO Transit operator, is wrapping up a public consultation period on infrastructure improvements coming to the Kitchener line in the Brampton area.

The plan is to add two new sections of track, move a CN Rail line and build a flyover.

All this work is expected to make it easier for passenger trains to get through the area while diverting freight rail traffic to other lines. It would eliminate a key bottleneck that has stood in the way of increasing service between the region and Union Station.

Haadhi Faizal, Founder, Co-Executive Director, More Transit Southern Ontario, believes that while this phase of the work will help increase service, it doesn’t go far enough and only shifts the chokepoint further down the line.

“Now what we’re seeing is the bottleneck moving from this Brampton segment, now it’s on to the single-track segment between Georgetown and Kitchener, which is a segment of track Metrolinx owns entirely. So, what we want to see is Metrolinx pursuing more double track within the segment to further allow for improved train service to Kitchener.”

Faizal believes that without the addition of more double-track segments, there will be a limit to the number of trains that can pass through the corridor and the speed at which they can travel.

All those things, in Faizal’s opinion, would prevent Metrolinx from reaching the goal of all-day, two-way trains, every 15 minutes.

Another issue for More Transit Southern Ontario is transparency around the project.

Faizal believes residents in the region haven’t been getting all the information.

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“It would be, just generally nice, if maybe there was a consultation in Kitchener about this project, because it does involve Kitchener residents. And that Kitchener residents have sort of been left in the dark about the timeline of this project. So, it would be good to see some sort of timeline.”

Information available on the Metrolinx website shows another round of public information sessions and public review periods for the project through Brampton.

The website also states: “To support a project’s design, Metrolinx engages with the public, follows recommendations from these studies and takes the necessary steps to ensure we do what is needed to deliver a project in the right way.”

In an emailed statement to 570 NewsRadio, Metrolinx said:

“Last year, Metrolinx and CN signed an Agreement in Principle for Metrolinx to purchase a 20.9 km segment of the Kitchener corridor between Bramalea and Georgetown GO stations. This agreement supports future service improvements, and the infrastructure work is now advancing through the Transit and Rail Project Assessment Process TRPAP phase.

In addition to the agreement with CN, Metrolinx continues to make key upgrades to parts of the Kitchener Line that will also help enable two-way, all-day GO service.  

This includes a 2.6 km passing track in Breslau, platform improvements at Guelph Central GO Station, a new storage track west of Guelph, as well as new layover facility at Heritage Road, which is currently under construction.  

Transforming the Kitchener line into a two-way, all-day rapid transit line is a massive, multi-year undertaking made up of many different packages of work that, once complete, will fit together to seamlessly deliver increased service and connections from Union Station to Kitchener GO.”