The Barrie line runs on the former Northern Railway of Canada route. This is the oldest operating railway line in Ontario, with passenger service beginning in 1853.[3]
History
In 1852, construction began on the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway, which would run from Toronto to Collingwood.[4] The line opened on May 16, 1853, when passenger train service began operating between Toronto and Aurora (then Machell's Corners).[3] On October 11, 1853, service was extended to Allandale, then opposite Barrie on the south shore of Kempenfelt Bay.[5]
In 1968, MPPWilliam Hodgson introduced a private member's bill to move that the government of Ontario establish GO Transit services north of Metro Toronto.[6] That year, a community group known as the GO North Committee distributed "GO North" stickers for motorists to adhere to their automobile's windshield to advocate for GO Transit commuter rail service north of Toronto.[7]
John Crawford Medcof, operating a company named Railroad Boosters, rented a train for one-day service between Barrie and Toronto on 16 October 1969,[9][10] earning a profit.[11] He gave the proceeds to the government of Ontario to support a north GO train service promised by John Robarts in late 1969, but asked for the government to return the money when the provincial government announced it would not establish a Richmond Hill line service in 1970.[12][10] He applied for a grant of CA$97,200 from the federal government to operate a commuter train for twelve weeks, with one train leaving Barrie in the morning for Toronto, and a return trip at night.[11] The grant was approved per the government's local initiatives program in December 1971.[11] The train was operated by Canadian National Railways, and charged the same fares as those for the GO Transit bus service.[11] Another trial commuter service from Barrie to Toronto was operated in late 1972, carrying 13,483 passengers.[13]
On April 1, 1972, CN introduced commuter service from Barrie to Toronto, as required by the Canadian Transport Commission. The service was transferred to Via Rail in 1978.[15] As a result of federal government financial cutbacks to Via Rail, the service was transferred to the provincial government and integrated into the GO Transit network on September 7, 1982, but service only extended to Bradford.[15] On September 17, 1990, the line was extended to Barrie, but was again cut back to Bradford on July 5, 1993.
Pre-2012 peak service expansion
On September 8, 1998, GO Transit added a second daily round trip to the line.[15] In the early 2000s, GO Transit opened three new stations on the line: Rutherford on January 7, 2001;[15]York University on September 6, 2002;[16] and East Gwillimbury on November 1, 2004.[17] By the end of 2005, the number of daily trains on the line had doubled again to four in each direction.[18]
In 2006, GO Transit built a bridge at the Snider diamond,[19] which is the junction between the Barrie Line and Canadian National's primary east–west freight line, the York Subdivision. Since CN controlled both corridors, the passage of passenger trains over the diamond was often delayed by freight trains passing through the intersection. Constructing the bridge and associated trackage resulted in a grade separation of the two lines, eliminating such delays. Construction of the bridge began in February 2006, and the bridge was opened in December 2006. The entire project was completed in June 2007.[20]
On December 17, 2007, the Bradford Line was extended to the new Barrie South GO Station and was renamed the "Barrie Line".[21] Construction had begun on February 2, 2007, to construct the new Barrie South station, a new layover facility and new tracks, signals and crossings along the existing 20 kilometres (12 mi) railway corridor. The project cost $25 million, funded by two thirds by the federal and provincial governments, and one third by the City of Barrie.[22]
On December 15, 2009, Metrolinx purchased the portion of the Newmarket Subdivision within the City of Toronto from CN for $68 million. The Barrie line trackage, from Union Station to Barrie, is now fully owned by Metrolinx. As part of the agreement, the Canadian National Railway continues to serve five freight customers located on the Newmarket subdivision between Highway 401 and the CN York Subdivision.
In the summer of 2012, a pilot train service was introduced on weekends and holidays between June and September.[24] Two trains in each direction completed the entire route, while an additional four trains ran between Union Station and East Gwillimbury GO station.[25] The summer service cost CA$520,000 to operate, including train crews, safety and enforcement, station staffing and fuel.[26] Bidirectional weekend service was offered again in summer 2013, with four trains in each direction covering the entire route from Toronto to Barrie, making all stops and having a bus connection at Rutherford GO Station for non-stop service to Canada's Wonderland.[26][27] It cost CA$400,000 to operate.[26] For the summers of 2014, 2015 and 2016, the same train service was provided, but without non-stop buses to Canada's Wonderland, requiring those passengers to transfer instead to York Region Transit local bus service at Maple GO Station.[28]
On December 31, 2016, year-round weekend train service was introduced with service every 75 minutes in both directions between Toronto and Aurora, including three daily trains per direction covering the full route between Toronto and Barrie.[29]
On December 30, 2017, the Downsview Park GO Station (an intermodal station intersecting with the Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) new Line 1 Yonge-Universitysubway extension) opened, and service to York University station was correspondingly reduced to peak hours only.[30][31] At the same time, the Barrie line's weekend train service was improved to every 60 minutes between Union and Aurora, and new hourly weekday off-peak service was introduced between Union and Aurora, as well as additional peak period trains between Union Station to Bradford GO Station.[32] Although the station was intended to entirely replace York University GO Station, limited peak-period service was maintained to York University station following the opening of Downsview Park station.
Due to the temporary closure of the York University campus during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto, all service to York University GO Station was suspended on March 18, 2020.[33] On July 19, 2021, Metrolinx announced that the station was permanently closed.[34]
Davenport Diamond grade separation
200m 220yds
Davenport Diamond
Location of Davenport Diamond in Toronto
The Davenport Diamond was an at-grade rail-to-rail crossing of the GO Barrie line and east–west CP Rail North Toronto subdivision tracks near Davenport Road in Toronto. It was one of the busiest train intersections in North America.[35] In order to increase service frequency on the Barrie line, GO Transit identified the need to remove the diamond and build a grade separated crossing. In 2015 Metrolinx initiated a Transit Project Assessment Process (an environmental assessment process specific to transit projects) based on the preferred option of constructing an overpass to carry the GO line over the east-west CP Rail line.[35]
The grade separated crossing (which Metrolinx calls the Davenport Diamond Guideway[36]) is on a 1.4-kilometre (0.9 mi) long, 8.5-metre (28 ft) high rail bridge. It lies between Bloor Street West and St. Clair Avenue West parallel to Lansdowne Avenue. The bridge will allow GO Transit to run all-day, two-way service on the Barrie line without freight traffic disruptions. The 2015 estimated cost of the project was $120 million.[37][38]
The project began construction in 2017.[35] The Davenport Diamond Guideway went into service on Monday April 3, 2023, and the grade-level Davenport Diamond went out of service on the prior weekend. The ground-level track approaching the diamond will be removed.[39][needs update]
At the same time of building the guideway, further community improvements were added in the immediate vicinity, including noise wall and bearing pads, a rail overpass above Wallace Avenue and a pedestrian underpass at Paton Road, as well as a replacement of the Bloor Street West bridge.[40][better source needed]
The Aurora station building is a federally designated heritage site
There are 10 stations on the Barrie line, excluding the terminus at Union Station in Toronto.
In addition to Union Station, four station buildings along the Barrie Line are federally protected by the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act. At Allandale Waterfront and Newmarket stations, historic station buildings remain but are used for other purposes, while at Aurora and Maple stations, the historic stations buildings continue to be in use.[42] The station building at King City was built in 2005; the 1850s building was relocated to Black Creek Pioneer Village in the 1960s, then to King Township Museum in 1989. Bradford station is not protected and has been heavily altered.
Federally designated heritage railway station was GTR station c. 1900. Northern Railway of Canada station from 1850s became freight shed and demolished.
Original 1853 Northern Railway of Canada station moved to King Township Museum in 1989 and current station built in 2005. Connections with Ontario Northland bus services
As of November 2019[update], the Barrie line has weekday service consisting of seven trains southbound from Barrie and three trains southbound from Bradford in the morning, and seven trains northbound to Barrie and two trains northbound to Bradford from Union Station in the afternoon.[46] The line also has hourly, two-way service between Union and Aurora during off peak times.
Weekend service consists of hourly trains in both directions. Five trips in each direction cover the full route from Toronto to Barrie, while the remainder operate between Toronto and Aurora. Trips terminating in Aurora have connecting GO bus service to Barrie.[46]
During the times and directions that train service does not operate, service is provided by GO bus routes 63 (Toronto–King City), 65 (Toronto–Newmarket) and 68 (Newmarket–Barrie).[46]
The maximum speed on the line is 128 kilometres per hour (80 mph), between Bradford and Barrie South.[2] Trains are limited to 24 kilometres per hour (15 mph) in some parts, but can travel at least 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) over most of the line.[2]
Due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic, starting on May 13, 2020, most off-peak train service was suspended and replaced with buses due to low ridership.[47] Off-peak train service was gradually reintroduced throughout 2021.
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(March 2019)
Capacity expansion
Second track under construction in 2015 between Rutherford and York University stations
In April 2015, the government of Ontario announced that as part of a broad GO Transit expansion project called Regional Express Rail, service on the Barrie line would increase from 7 daily train trips to over 20 daily train trips by 2020.[51][a] The railway electrification system is expected to be completed by 2024 and will feature two-way, all-day service every 15 minutes between Union Station and Aurora GO.[51] However, on August 12, 2021, Metrolinx announced that, after electrification there would be 15-minute, two-way, all-day service beyond Aurora to Bradford, and 30-minute two-way, all-day service to Barrie South and Allandale Waterfront.[52]
Additional stations
In the September 2015 planning document "New Station Analysis", an initial list of 22 potential GO station sites were identified. These were, from north to south, at Innisfil, Holland Yard, Mulock Drive, St John's Sideroad, Yonge Street, Bathurst Street at Side Road 15, Dufferin Street, Kirby Road, Keele Street at Teston Road, Langstaff Road, Highway 7, Steeles Avenue, Finch Avenue, Downsview Park, Wilson Avenue, Lawrence Avenue, Caledonia Road, Rogers Road, St Clair Avenue West, Davenport Road, Dupont Street, and Bloor Street.[53]
Of these, most were rejected as unsuitable, either because they were too close to other stations,[54] or for failing to meet other criteria, such as connections to other services, proximity to urban growth centres,[55] construction viability, urban density, or necessary infrastructure.[56] Others were rejected because they were considered for other lines on the network.[57] Four sites were considered for either the Barrie line or the Kitchener line.[58] The sites at Highway 7 in Vaughan and at St Clair Avenue West were not included as part of the 10-year RER expansion, but are part of a future expansion program.[59] The candidate location Bathurst Street at Side Road 15 was deferred for future consideration.[60]
The design for Caledonia station on Line 5 Eglinton includes provisions for a connection to the Barrie line, including a pedestrian bridge above the Barrie line and provisions for elevator access to future GO platforms.[64] Metrolinx announced that an environmental assessment for the station would begin in the summer of 2015.[65]
Metrolinx is considering a station in Innisfil for a future expansion, to be located at approximately mile marker 52 (kilometre 83.7). They analyzed two sites just east of Sideroad 20: 5th Line near Lefroy's Lormel subdivision and 6th Line near the future Sleeping Lion development in south Alcona.[66] Innisfil town council stated its preference for the 6th Line location, which was ultimately chosen by Metrolinx,[67] and approved use of $2 million to acquire land and $2.6 million to partially fund the station's construction.[68]
Concord GO Station
To provide an interchange with Viva, a bus rapid transit service in York Region, a new station was proposed at Highway 7. The site was called Concord station, after the Concord neighborhood in which it would be located.[69] The city of Vaughan has integrated the station into its design plans for a mixed use development near the intersection of Highway 407 and the rail corridor. Both the municipal government of Vaughan and the regional government of York have identified this location as a potential site for the station, which requires GO Transit to perform an environmental assessment.[70] In January 2013, Vaughan municipal clerk sent a Vaughan City Council resolution to York Regional Council requesting Metrolinx consideration for four priority projects, among them all-day two-way service on the Barrie line, creation of the Concord GO Station, and creation of a Kirby Road GO Station.[71] The station would be located near the old CN Concord Station (located north of Highway 7 on east side of tracks on the current Barrie line) that dated back to the Northern Railway of Canada Thornhill Station c. 1853 and demolished in 1978. In 2023, a business case for the station was released.[72]
Ridership
In 2012, the Barrie line served about 7,500 passengers a day,[73] or approximately 2 million per year. By 2008, the annual number of riders on the Barrie line was almost 3.1 million, an increase of 18% from 2007 and 167% from 2001.[74] About 2,300 of the 3,000 daily peak passengers to Union Station boarded at Aurora (about 1,000), Rutherford (about 800), and Newmarket (about 500) that year.[75]
The weekend summer service had 105 riders per train in 2012 (32,000 total for six trains per day), and 220 riders per train in 2013 (41,000 total for four trains per day).[26]
From 2010 to 2014, ridership on the line increased 70% based on cordon count data.[76] For 2015, there was a weekday morning peak of 5,852 boardings and 227 alightings at the stations on the line, all other passengers alighting at Union Station in Toronto.[76]
2015 weekday morning peak ridership
Station
Boardings
Alightings
Allandale Waterfront
254
0
Barrie South
263
0
Bradford
229
2
East Gwillimbury
337
5
Newmarket
358
15
Aurora
1,113
15
King City
444
1
Maple
1,701
2
Rutherford
1,121
22
York University
32
165
Notes
^As of April 2015, there are seven daily southbound weekday morning trains on the Barrie line, and seven daily northbound weekday evening trains.
planningAlliance and Meridian Planning Consultants (November 1, 2013). "Draft Concord GO Centre Secondary Plan"(PDF). City of Vaughan. Archived from the original(PDF) on April 29, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
