BARRIE, ON, Jan. 29, 2012 /CNW/ - Patrick Brown, Member of Parliament for Barrie; Dipika Damerla, Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure; Jeff Lehman, mayor of the City of Barrie; and Gary McNeil, GO Transit president, marked the start of train service at the new Allandale Waterfront GO Station today. The new station allows GO Transit to extend service further into downtown Barrie, which will improve access and increase ridership on the Barrie line.
"Our government is proud to invest in key infrastructure projects that create local jobs and economic growth, and improve transit for Canadians," said MP Brown. "The new Allandale Waterfront GO Station will reduce traffic congestion, cut commute times, and support growth and development in Barrie. Since my term on Barrie City Council over a decade ago, a downtown GO Train station has been a key aspiration of our community to help revitalize our urban core. I am so pleased that our government has made it a reality."
"The McGuinty government is committed to public transit," said Parliamentary Assistant Damerla. "The new Allandale Waterfront GO Station will make it easier for commuters to take transit and help meet growing demand for more service along the Barrie line. Our investments in transit are creating jobs and improving our environment."
The new GO station, just south of Barrie's waterfront area, includes a side rail platform with heated shelters, a mini-platform and platform snowmelt system. There is also an enclosed pedestrian tunnel with ramps, a six-bay bus platform with shelter and parking with a Kiss 'n' Ride drop-off lane. Bicycle shelters and approximately 150 parking spaces for cars and scooters have been added, along with landscaping, fencing, and an electrical and communications building. Gowan Street has also been upgraded and improved to support easier access to the station. The new station is located on the north side of the GO Barrie line on the existing north track, between Essa Road and Bayview Avenue.
"Ridership growth in this region has exceeded our expectations, and we are pleased to provide a second downtown access to GO service," said Mr. McNeil. "Over the last five years and through partnerships between our municipal, provincial and federal governments, we were able to restore and expand GO service in Barrie."
"We are very proud to open the new Allandale Waterfront GO Station today," said Mayor Lehman. "This is not only an important pillar in the redevelopment of the Allandale station lands, it provides Barrie residents with an urban station for GO Train service in the city centre and continues the city's efforts to make commuters' lives easier."
The total investment in the new Allandale Waterfront GO Station is $9.2 million. A total of $5.5 million was provided by the federal and provincial governments through the GO Transit Improvement Program — $3.5 million was for the station construction and an additional $2 million for the platform snowmelt system. The remaining $3.7 million was provided by the City of Barrie for tunnel work and additional funding was provided for improvements to Gowan Street.
GO Transit is the Province of Ontario's interregional public transit system linking Toronto with the surrounding regions of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). GO carries about 57 million passengers a year in an extensive network of train and bus services that spans over 10,000 square kilometres. On a typical weekday, GO runs more than 180 train trips and over 2,100 bus trips that carry about 217,000 passengers — reducing the number of car trips in the GTHA by about 187,000. GO Transit is a division of Metrolinx, an agency of the Province of Ontario. For more information on GO services, visit www.gotransit.com.
Investing in Ontario's roads, highways, transit, hospitals and schools is part of the Government of Ontario's plan to create jobs, grow local economies and ensure the province remains strong and competitive for years to come.
Learn how the Government of Canada is taking important steps to support economic growth. Canada's Economic Action Plan provided almost $12 billion in new infrastructure stimulus funding over two years and accelerated the $33-billion Building Canada Plan. This will contribute to long-term economic growth in communities across Canada through investments in public infrastructure, such as roads, water treatment, green energy and transit.
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| Pierre Floréa Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Ottawa 613-991-0700 David Salter Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Bob Chiarelli Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Ontario 416-327-1815 Rebecca James-Reid Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives City of Barrie 705-739-4220, extension 4462 |
Media Relations Transport Canada, Ottawa 613-993-0055 Bob Nichols Communications Ontario Ministry of Transportation Toronto 416-327-1158 Vanessa Thomas Media Relations Metrolinx 416-874-5974 |
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