 | A request that this article title be changed toGrimsby station (GO Transit) isunder discussion. Pleasedo not move this article until the discussion is closed. |
 Grimsby | |||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Casablanca Boulevard, Grimsby,Ontario Canada | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 43°12′15″N79°35′48″W / 43.20417°N 79.59667°W /43.20417; -79.59667 | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Metrolinx | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Fare zone | 81 | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opening | TBD | ||||||||||
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Grimsby GO Station is a proposedcommuter rail station on theGO Transit train and bus network inSouthernOntario, Canada. Located in the town ofGrimsby in theRegional Municipality of Niagara, it would be a stop on theLakeshore West line, east of the proposedConfederation GO Station inHamilton.[1] It was expected to open in 2021[2] and would have been the first station to open in the planned Niagara extension, which will also include stops atSt. Catharines andNiagara Falls stations.[2]
Three potential sites for the station along the Grimsby SubdivisionCanadian National Railway track were considered. The three sites were at Bartlett Avenue in the east, at Victoria Avenue in the town centre adjacent to theGrimsby station used byVia Rail, and at Casablanca Boulevard in the west.[3][4]
In November 2018,Metrolinx sent a letter to the government of theRegional Municipality of Niagara stating that it was halting the delivery process for this station and other stations in the Niagara extension, as theGovernment of Ontario was instead seeking private financing of their construction.[5]
Ahead of the2025 Ontario general election, all major political partiespromised to build the GO station if elected.[6]
As part of anenvironmental assessment for the broader rail expansion project to Niagara Region, three potential sites in Grimsby were evaluated for the cultural heritage impact of construction of a train station building and associated facilities such as parking andplatforms.[3] This included reviewing the book1876 illustrated Historical Atlas of the Counties of Lincoln and Welland, Ontario, for features inLincoln County andWelland County,historic counties in the province now part of Niagara Region; none of the three sites were found to have features of historic value requiring preservation by document review.[7]
Field reviews were undertaken in January and March 2010 to identify and photograph cultural heritage resources within or near each potential station site.[8] These identified six cultural heritage resources that may incur an impact from a railway station, all adjacent to the Victoria Avenue site.[9]
The April 2011Niagara Rail Service Expansion Environmental Study Report recommended the Casablanca Avenue site as the preferred option for a train station in Grimsby.[10] Among the reasons cited were that adjacent lands are primarily commercial, there are no cultural or natural heritage features to protect, no watercourses are impacted, and GO Transit already operates a GO Bus service at the site.[11]
The Bartlett Avenue site (LA8) is part of Lots 1 and 2 of Concession 1 of the historic LincolnCounty.[7] The vacant site is on the east side of Bartlett Avenue and south of theQueen Elizabeth Way,[9] at mile 25.67 of the Grimsby Subdivision.[12] The site is within the provincialGreenbelt of theGolden Horseshoe, officially designated as "Tender Fruit and Grape Lands" provincially and a "Specialty Crop Area" municipally.[13][14]
The Victoria Avenue site (LA9) is adjacent to the site of the Grimsby railway station built in the 1990s, on the site of the second and third stations in Grimsby that were destroyed by fire. It is part of Lots 9 and 10 of Concession 1 in the historic Lincoln County.[7] The site is on the south side of the Canadian National Railway tracks, extending west of Ontario Street and east of Maple Avenue.[9] It is surrounded by developed areas consisting of residential structures from the late 19th century and early 20th century, as well as commercial and industrial buildings.[9] Of the six cultural heritage resources identified adjacent to the site, the only one protected by theOntario Heritage Act is the formerGreat Western Railway station built in 1853.[15]
Land at this site is municipally designated for commercial development.[13] The site is at mile 27.4 of the Grimsby Subdivision.[12]
The Casablanca Boulevard site (LA10) is part of Lots 19 and 20 at Concession 1 Lincoln of the historic Lincoln County.[7] The site required an additional field review for cultural heritage resources in September 2010 after the site under consideration was expanded.[8] It is a vacant 5.4 hectare parcel of land that straddles the Canadian National Railway tracks west of Casablanca Boulevard,[16][17] and is at mile 29.37 of the Grimsby Subdivision.[12]
North of the railway tracks, the lands are designated for commercial development. The land to the south is within the Greenbelt, and is officially designated as "Tender Fruit and Grape Lands" provincially and a "Specialty Crop Area" municipally.[13][14] The site may also have unidentified or unexplored archaeological resources.[18]
Thelevel crossing at Casablanca Boulevard may requiregrade separation in the future.[19] As of 2011, the site will require a capital investment of $10 million for development, excluding track improvements and grade separation, and future expansion will cost $12.6 million.[20]
TheNiagara Rail Service Expansion Environmental Study Report specified the developed site will include a station building on the north side of the Canadian National Railway tracks, aparking lot with 470 spaces, akiss and ride and taxi drop-off area, and bus bays.[10][21] These will be linked by apedestrian tunnel to a platform on the south side of the tracks.[10] The site can accommodate an additional 970 parking spaces on the south side of the tracks, and a platform on the north side of the tracks for future development.[10][22]
There is currently no local transit service in Grimsby for connector services,[23] though the Town of Grimsby Official Plan (2009) states the town intends to "explore opportunities for the provision of public transit".[24] GO Transit operates a park and ride stop at Casablanca Boulevard on hourly service betweenBurlington GO Station and Niagara Falls.[23]
