Transport minister says Metrolinx service cuts ‘temporary in nature’

Ontario’s transportation minister says reductions across the GO Train network are temporary as Metrolinx cuts service on several routes because of crew issues and track work.

The revised schedule will remain in place until at least next spring. Weekend service on the Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West lines will be reduced from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes. Bus trips will replace train service on the Barrie, Stouffville and Niagara lines, while rush-hour service remains unaffected.

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All of those changes are temporary in nature.

Metrolinx said the changes followed enhanced summer service and reflected a return to more typical ridership patterns. Sarkaria said using buses would allow crews to work on tracks when trains were not running.

He cited the Niagara Line, where slow zones imposed by Canadian National Railway for repairs have made a round trip take nearly three hours. Buses are currently somewhat faster and would allow more work on the line, he said. Sarkaria did not specify what prompted Metrolinx to make the cuts.

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Let’s supplement some of those with bus routes because they’re a bit faster just now, and that will allow for more work to be done on that line.