GO trains coming to Acton in 2011

Acton residents should be able to board a GO train without leaving the town by the end of next year.

GO Transit announced Friday it will be expanding rail service on the Georgetown line to Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph and Acton. The two morning and two evening trains are scheduled to begin service by the end of 2011.

In the report on the Environmental Study that looked at the Georgetown to Kitchener Rail Expansion the Acton station site selected is beside the Olde Hide House, on land owned by the Town of Halton Hills.

According to the report, when the train service is introduced in Acton there is to be a south platform and station building. There will be parking for 200 cars, bus bays and a kiss and ride area.

“It’s great news,” said Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette, who has been working for years to get train service in Acton “It’s a Christmas present that has come a month early.”

“We are pleased to be offering GO train service to Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph and Acton,” said GO Transit President Gary McNeil.

“In partnership with the Province of Ontario and these regional municipalities, we can encourage existing commuters to leave their cars behind and use transit. This is also good news for existing Georgetown and Brampton customers who will have improved service as a result of this expansion.”

“As a former Metrolinx board member I would like to thank Metrolinx for expanding the Georgetown GO line into Acton,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “Halton Region is a growing community, and increased GO train service to Halton Hills is the type of infrastructure investment needed in Halton.”

GO Transit is a division of Metrolinx— the regional transportation authority for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Areas.

To begin offering train service by the end of next year, GO will be constructing new infrastructure— a storage facility in Kitchener and ticketing service at new stations in Acton, Guelph and Kitchener, as well as bringing an additional 54 new route-kilometres into to the system.

“This $18 million investment in expanded transit will ensure that the residents of Guelph, Acton, Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding areas have more transit options when they travel between these communities or into the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA),” said Metrolinx President and CEO Bruce McCuaig. “We appreciate the continued support from the Province of Ontario to deliver Metrolinx’s important mandate to provide transit solutions.”

An Environmental Assessment (EA) for the expansion of train service from Georgetown to Kitchener-Waterloo was completed in 2009 and approved by the Minister of the Environment in January 2010.

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