Doug Ford directs Metrolinx to work on new transit plan [Video]

Premier Doug Ford is asking Metrolinx to look into diverting freight rail trains from existing rail lines in order to accommodate the eventual expansion of GO Transit service in the Greater Golden Horseshoe area.

In a Jan. 9 letter, Ford directed Metrolinx Board of Directors Chairman Donald Wright to take the necessary steps to start work on what the premier is calling “GO 2.0.”

The proposed plan would free up capacity to expand GO passenger train service by “diverting freight rail traffic through the construction of a freight rail bypass” adjacent to Highway 407.

In his letter, Ford suggests that the bypass would serve as a “missing link” and would run between the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) main line near Trafalgar Road in Milton and the Canadian National (CN) bypass line at Bramalea.

He said that the plan “could help alleviate congestion and reduce travel times for passengers,” as …