Province commits to building Caledon-Vaughan GO Rail Line in new transportation plan

By Rob Paul

Last week, Premier Doug Ford announced Ontario's transportation plans for the Great Golden Horseshoe to help manage the expected growth over the next 30 years.

Ford was joined by Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson and Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, and, as part of the plan, the Ontario Government publicly committed to multiple new transportation options for Caledon, including the long-awaited Caledon-Vaughan GO rail line.

This builds on the Ministry of Transportation's move in January to direct Metrolinx to advance the business case for the new GO rail service.

Caledon Council, alongside its counterparts in the Cities of Vaughan and Brampton, have been actively pursuing this vital regional link for years as they prepare for significant expected growth over the next three decades. 

“As a municipality projected to grow to 300,000 people and 125,000 jobs by 2051, advancing GO train service to Caledon now is smart, forward-looking planning. It's a critical step in our pursuit of multiple transportation options for Caledon,” said Thompson. 

“GO train service will help preserve Caledon's quality of life, protect our environment and greenspaces, and reduce traffic congestion. We thank Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney for taking this important next step. We also recognize the efforts of our MPP, Sylvia Jones, who has been a strong advocate for this exciting project.” 

A Caledon-Vaughan GO line would serve a catchment of approximately 1.3 million people, encompassing an area from Toronto to Caledon, Vaughan and Brampton.

“Caledon is a community in need of public transportation options that address the needs of the traveling public, and our government recognizes the need to plan for the future,” said Sylvia Jones, MPP for Dufferin-Caledon. “Bringing GO rail service to Caledon is one way we are doing that in an environmentally responsible way. Rail service, in addition to new connections for passenger vehicles, allow us to provide residents with a variety of convenient transportation options that support their needs and preserve our community's quality of life.”

Once built, the Caledon-Vaughan GO line would be the first new GO rail line constructed since 1982.  

“I am pleased to welcome today's announcement that the Province of Ontario has committed to advancing the Caledon-Vaughan GO rail line as part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe Transportation Plan,” said Bevilacqua. “The Caledon-Vaughan GO rail line is a strategic location to expand the regional transportation network because of its location within the Vaughan Enterprise Zone. Encompassing more than 3,800 acres, or approximately 1,566 hectares of employment land, the Vaughan Enterprise Zone is one of the largest employment areas in the GTA, projected to accommodate 60,000 jobs over the next 20 years. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with the Province of Ontario and Metrolinx to maximize the economic and social benefits of the Caledon-Vaughan GO line.”

The need for commuter rail service between Caledon, Vaughan, and Toronto's Union Station has been identified and established through many studies, including the Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan (RTP-2008), MoveOntario 2020 and GO 2020 Strategic Plan as a desired service in the near-to-medium (15 years) timeline. 

“This is great news for our region, which is seeing tremendous growth. Improved transit service is important for long-term growth and for healthy and livable communities,” said Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown. “I was pleased to support the efforts of Mayor Thompson and Mayor Bevilacqua.”

In 2010, Metrolinx investigated and completed the Bolton (Caledon) Commuter Rail Service Feasibility Study, which reconfirmed the need for commuter GO rail service based on the growth in population and employment and high potential demand for rail ridership.

Moving forward with better public transit options is expected to help with the congestion commuters face in the Region. As part of the transportation plan, Ontario will also be building the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413.

Environmental groups like Environmental Defence have referenced the damage the highways will do in the long-term while recommending focusing solely on developing public transit across the province.

“Providing better public transit options could relieve a lot of the congestion commuters in the region face,” started Environmental Defence. “The Province could better support these communities by spending $6 billion (the expected cost of Highway 413) on transit. By placing stations in Bolton, Vaughan and Toronto, the new train line would remove thousands of daily commuters off already congested Highways 27 and 427. 

“There is no better way to grow and shape our suburbs and alleviate car dependency than commuter rail infrastructure. Building Bolton's future around a new train station would help shape its future growth from sprawling, car-dependent subdivisions to a more vibrant mixed use and walkable community. In fact, Peel Region would be able to allocate higher growth numbers within Bolton and alleviate pressures to expand in other more environmentally sensitive areas.”