| Kitchener | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Metrolinx Canadian National Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Greater Toronto Area; Guelph;Waterloo Region | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Commuter rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | GO Transit rail services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | GO Transit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daily ridership | 13,300 (2019)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | April 29, 1974; 50 years ago (1974-04-29) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 102.7 km (63.8 mi) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 80 mph (128 km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kitchener is one of theseven passenger lines of theGO Transit system in theGreater Toronto Area,Ontario, Canada. It extends westward fromUnion Station inToronto toKitchener, though most trains originate and terminate inBrampton in off-peak hours.
The GO Transit Georgetown line opened on April 29, 1974, becoming the second line in the GO Transit rail network. Peak-direction train service operated betweenGeorgetown and Union Station, replacing a commuter service previously operated byCanadian National Railway (CN).[2]
Service was extended beyond Georgetown to Guelph on October 29, 1990, but was again cut back to Georgetown on July 2, 1993.[2]
Limited weekday midday service was introduced in April 2002, with four trains in each direction between Union and Bramalea. These trains were discontinued in 2011 to facilitate construction of the Georgetown South Expansion project.
On December 19, 2011, the Georgetown Line was renamed the Kitchener Line as service was extended toKitchener, making one intermediate stop atGuelph. Another intermediate stop,Acton, opened on January 7, 2013.[2]
Weekday midday service was re-introduced in September 2015, with hourly service between Mount Pleasant and Union.[3]
In September 2019, GO Transit introduced limited off-peak train service along the entire length of the line, with two new weekday round trips operating between Toronto and Kitchener outside of peak periods.[4][5][6]
On October 18, 2021, service toLondon, Ontario began as a pilot project; one train per weekday in each direction runs as an extension of Kitchener line service, with intermediate stops inStratford andSt. Marys. The existingVia Rail station in each community served as each stop.[7][8] Service beyond Kitchener was discontinued following the end of the project, on October 13, 2023.[9]
On April 8, 2023, hourly weekend service was introduced between Mount Pleasant and Union, with Kitchener express bus connections at Bramalea.[10] Since the weekend service was introduced, passengers have complained about overcrowding on the new express buses between Bramalea and Kitchener, which at certain times resulted in some passengers being unable to board the buses.[11]
As a part of theGO Transit Rail Improvement Program, theWest Toronto Diamond was grade separated. The Metrolinx Weston Subdivision, which carries the Kitchener Line as well asUnion Pearson Express andVia trains, was lowered into a trench to pass underCP's North Toronto Subdivision.[12] Trains began using the new grade separation in May 2014.[13]
The Georgetown South railway expansion project was initiated in 2009 withMetrolinx now as its proponent.[14] The project represented a significant increase in railway capacity, with the former one- to two-track[15] railway being widened to 4 tracks within Toronto, with a total of 8 tracks where the Milton line and Barrie line share the corridor. All level crossings along the corridor were eliminated using railway or roadway underpasses. The plan would allow for an increased frequency of trains on the route, increasing service from approximately 50 per day to about 300.[16] It drew criticism fromWeston community groups, which opposed the increased use ofdiesel locomotives on the basis of air pollution. They preferred instead that the corridor beelectrified.[16] The group has also requested more stations along the route.[16]
The Georgetown South project was later reduced in scope due to cost overruns: the corridor was expanded to three tracks, with the fourth track as well as the dedicated Barrie line tracks deferred to future projects. Construction on the Weston subdivision itself finished in 2015,[17] allowing Union Pearson Express to begin operating, while additional track work in theUnion Station Rail Corridor continued into 2016.[18]
In 2009 Metrolinx purchased 26 kilometres (16 mi) of track along the corridor from Toronto to Bramalea for $160 million.[19]: 10 In September 2014, it purchased the 53 kilometres (33 mi) of track from Georgetown to Kitchener from CN for $76 million.[20]
In 2019, Metrolinx conducted a series of public forums on electrification of the Kitchener line from Georgetown to Kitchener, in a change from its earlier Regional Express Rail plan, which had called for continuation of diesel train service on the western portion of the line. Electrification plans reaffirmed overall Metrolinx goals of track bed and bridge improvements, quad-tracking sections of the line, and the addition of a station at Breslau.[21]
| Station | Municipality | Connections | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchener | Kitchener |      GRT | To be replaced byKitchener Central Station[22] |
| Breslau | Woolwich | Proposed station | |
| Guelph | Guelph |  Guelph Transit | |
| Acton | Halton Hills | | |
| Georgetown | | ||
| Mount Pleasant | Brampton | Brampton Transit 505 561 | |
| Brampton | Brampton Transit 501 502 561 | ||
| Bramalea | Brampton Transit 511 | ||
| Malton | Mississauga | MiWay 505 | |
| Etobicoke North | Toronto | TTC | |
| Weston |  TTC | ||
| Mount Dennis |   TTC | Opening 2025 | |
| St. Clair–Old Weston |  TTC | Planned station | |
| Bloor |   TTC | ||
| King–Liberty | TTC | Planned station forLiberty Village | |
| Union Station |        |
GO Transit train service previously operated on weekdays only. Weekend bi-directional hourly service was introduced on April 8, 2023, with all trains terminating at Mount Pleasant GO.[23] During the times that trains do not operate, corresponding GO bus service is provided.
On weekdays during peak periods in the peak direction, approximately two trains per hour operate the full route between Toronto and Kitchener, while additional trips operate shorter segments to and from Toronto. Express trains typically serve all stations between Kitchener and Bramalea, and operate non-stop between Bramalea and Union.
Outside of peak periods, service operates hourly between Mount Pleasant and Union, of which two off-peak in each direction also cover the entire route from Kitchener to Toronto.[4][5][6]
The 2008 proposal to extend services past Georgetown to Kitchener included some components which have not yet been realized. In addition to the now-realized stations in Kitchener, Guelph and Acton, the report proposeda station in Breslau which would serve as apark-and-ride facility forWaterloo Region. Alayover yard inBaden was also proposed.[24] The Breslau station received further approval in an official expansion plan in June 2016.[25]
The provincial initiative known asGO Regional Express Rail proposes a substantial increase in Kitchener line service over the next decade. During peak hours, trains would run in peak direction every 30 minutes from Kitchener to Union Station and every 15 minutes from Mount Pleasant to Union Station. Electrification will be in place from Bramalea to Union Station, with trains running every 15 minutes along the electrified line throughout the day.[26] CN Rail owns a 19-kilometre (12 mi) segment of the line between Georgetown and Bramalea that will be bypassed by a 30-kilometre (19 mi) track to which freight traffic will be shunted.[27] Once completed, Metrolinx will acquire the track segment between Bramalea and Georgetown.[27]
A new station is also proposed where the line crossesEglinton Avenue in theMount Dennis neighbourhood. It would interface with the western end of theLine 5 Eglinton LRT atMount Dennis station, and open when that line opens in 2024.[28]
TheRegion of Waterloo is planning to buildKitchener Central Station, a transit hub, at the north-east corner of King and Victoria streets in Kitchener. The hub would serve GO Transit trains and buses as well as other local and intercity public transit services.[22]
As part of Toronto mayorJohn Tory'sSmart Track initiative, new stations are planned where the line crossesSt. Clair Avenue West and nearLiberty Village.[29]
As of December 2018[update], Metrolinx is considering replacing itsEtobicoke North GO Station with a proposed Highway 27–Woodbine station about 2 kilometres west, nearWoodbine Racetrack.[30] Metrolinx wants to demolish Etobicoke North station site to effect service improvements.[31]
In February 2020, Metrolinx held a series of Public Information Centres detailing plans for expansion on the line. During peak hours, the plan calls for hourly peak direction service from Kitchener and 30 minute service from Georgetown. Both of these will run express from Bramalea, with trains from Kitchener making a stop at Weston. The plan also calls for full 10 minute bi-directional service from Bramalea and hourly off-peak services running express from Bramalea to Union Station, with weekday trains stopping at Bramption and Mount Pleasant.[32]
On April 30, 2021, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Metrolinx released a preliminary business case for mid-term infrastructure improvements which would permit more frequent Kitchener line service, as well as a Request for Qualifications for smaller, short-term infrastructure improvement projects on the line.[33] The business case, dated to March 2021, estimated a reduction of GO train travel times from Kitchener to Toronto's Union Station from 111 minutes to 98 minutes with infrastructure improvements which would lift existingslow orders on the line due to poor infrastructure repair.[34]: 1 With grade separation ofSilver Junction near Georgetown, there would be a further reduction to 90 minutes, along with improved reliability due to the elimination of the need for atrain meet at Georgetown,[34]: 19 as well as the mitigation of potential conflicts with freight operations.[34]: 2 Metrolinx estimated that ridership on the line with full improvements would be 11,008,500 per year, compared to 7,035,100 per year with no improvements ("business as usual"); the vast majority of the increased ridership would be attributable to the instituting of all-day, two-way service.[34]: 22 In May 2022, Metrolinx announced that the construction contract was awarded to Dagmar Construction Inc. The work would include:[35]
The connection was given new life with the launch of Eglinton LRT, operating from Jane Street east to Kennedy. A stop near Black Creek Drive would include a connection with the GO Kitchener line and a new stop on the Union Pearson Express.
