Doug Ford Announces $730 Million GO Train Service Expansion Contract
Ontario has awarded a contract for the planned extension of GO Transit service to the Durham region, which Prime Minister Doug Ford says is “one of the fastest growing regions not just in the province, but across the country.”
The expansion will connect thousands of daily commuters to downtown Toronto and other parts of the GTA, Ford said during a press conference at Whitby on 15 June. “As the region’s economy grows, our infrastructure needs to keep pace,” Ford said.
Transportation Secretary Caroline Mulroney said at the conference that the $730 million expansion is part of a $70 billion 10-year plan to build an integrated high-speed public transportation system in the Golden Horseshoe, the urban region surrounding Toronto.
The Lakeshore GO train line will extend 12 miles further east, terminating in the town of Bowmanville, and four new stations are planned along the line in the Durham region.
The contract awarded to Bowmanville Construction Partners for advanced infrastructure planning is “an important milestone in this critical project,” Ford said. The plan to expand the line was first announced in 2022.
He talked about the region’s other infrastructure plans, which include new hospitals, 68,000 new long-term care beds, and $28 billion in road and highway investments.
“We are seeing an unprecedented number of families settling down roots here in Durham,” Ford said, adding that new businesses and investments are also coming into the region. Ford gave the example of General Motors $2 billion investment to retool its assembly plants in Ingersoll and Oshawa, creating 2,600 jobs. Oshawa is located in the Durham region.
