Harris on re-announced GO Train expansion: “An insult”

“Two trains and a bus” well short of All-Day Two-Way Service 

KITCHENER – After two years of waiting for committed timelines on promised All-Day, Two-Way GO Train Service to Kitchener, today’s announcement from the Liberal Government was an insult to the commuters and businesses of this Region, said Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Michael Harris.

“It’s like Groundhog Day all over again…we’re told to expect a big GO transit announcement; we hope it will finally deliver the promised All-Day Two-Way Service, and we awake to a re-announcement of increased peak trains,” Harris asserted. “Look we’ve fought for, and people were looking for, clear timelines on when they can board All-Day Two-Way GO trains and instead commuters were told they could hop on a bus…we were promised, All-Day, Two-Way, and that’s what our Region needs to reach the potential we have in the Kitchener Corridor.”

Harris noted while additionally announced transit hub funding will help support the Waterloo ION, even that comes after the province reduced their funding commitment for the LRT project from two-thirds down to one-third, leaving municipal ratepayers to pick up the tab.

“These are the kind of games this government plays with our transit priorities,” indicated Harris. “Just look at the GO commitment, Ms. Wynne cancelled expanded service in 2010 only to re-announce it before the election, and today we hear it all over again – without once committing to delivering the All-Day Two-Way Go service we were promised‎ we’d have within five years of the election.  Now despite claiming this project is a priority for the government, today’s announcement makes it entirely unclear if they’ll even be able to do it in ten.”

Harris added that while CN’s indication they are building a freight line to help with GO access on the Kitchener Corridor should have opened the way for the government’s commitment, he will continue to push for the All-Day service the people of Waterloo deserve.