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Metrolinx has launched daily GO train service between Toronto and Stratford, Ont., in a move that Premier Doug Ford says will support tourism and employment.
Residents say the expanded service that began on Monday is good news, but there are concerns about whether there will be enough ridership to support it. The new year-round service means GO trains on the Kitchener line will travel further west from Toronto’s Union Station than previously.
Metrolinx says the expanded service will provide one daily round trip, seven days a week, but the service will be different on weekdays than on weekends.
Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma took the first train out of Stratford on Monday.
“Just to get on it and to hear the first call of the voice saying, ‘Welcome aboard: GO train to Union Station, with all stops in between’ — it just authenticated the whole thing.”
Ritsma said the service will benefit residents, commuters, students and tourists. He said he was “elated” to hear that the service will be permanent, but added people will need to use the service to make it a success.
“It certainly checks a lot of boxes,” Ritsma said. “We will have to do our work here as well to promote the service.”
An image taken from a video by Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma shows a GO Train pulling into the southwestern Ontario city on Monday. (Submitted by Martin Ritsma)
The expanded service is as follows:
- A weekday morning express trip will leave Stratford at 6:16 a.m. and arrive at Union Station at 8:47 a.m., while a weekday afternoon express trip will leave Union Station at 4:52 p.m. and arrive at Stratford at 7:28 p.m.
- Weekday express trips will make stops in Kitchener, Guelph, Acton, Georgetown, Mount Pleasant, Brampton and Bramalea.
- A weekend morning express trip will leave Union Station at 8:49 a.m. and arrive at Stratford at 11:16 a.m., while a weekend evening express trip will leave Stratford at 6:16 p.m. and arrive at Union Station at 8:45 p.m.
- Weekend express trips will make stops in Kitchener, Guelph, Mount Pleasant, Brampton, Bramalea and Bloor. Weekend trips to Stratford will be six cars long.
‘The more options, the merrier,’ resident says
For people in Toronto who have family in Stratford, the service marks a major change.
Gregor Reynolds, a Toronto resident born and raised in Stratford, said he goes home about once a month, and until Monday, day trips from Toronto to Stratford were out of the question.
“Today is a big day. Up until now, our only option was $55 one way for a two and a half hour ride … That’s a lot of money for not a lot of service. The more options, the merrier,” Reynolds said.
From 2021 to 2023, Metrolinx launched a two-year pilot project that provided GO train service between Toronto and London, with a stop in Stratford. The project was cancelled in 2023 due to long ride times and low ridership.
“Am I concerned that they’ll cancel it? Yes, my heart has been broken before,” Reynolds said.
“In the end, I want people to be able to come to Toronto for a day trip, have a good time, go to an event, go to a sports game and be able to train back,” he added.
“And also for Toronto people, we want them to be able to go to the theatre, hop back, go there for a little, go walk around the river, see the swans. I hope it doesn’t get cancelled.”
In a post on the social media platform X on Monday, Ford said: “Starting today, we’re launching daily GO train service year-round to Stratford, supporting local tourism and jobs and connecting people across Ontario.”
Metrolinx said customers may need to adjust where they are waiting on the platform. Customers are urged to wait near the accessibility ramp and listen to announcements at their station.
