GO Transit Arrives at Niagara Region

New Provincial Transit Service Brings Mixed Reaction from Residents

Sep 14, 2009 Angela Browne

When GO Transit was first announced for Niagara, it arrived with much fanfare and media support; however, the news about this new service is not all good.

Niagara Region is a two-tier municipality located just outside of Hamilton, Ontario, and has been traditionally known as both a manufacturing belt and a tourism belt. With four larger communities and eight small to mid-sized townships, the upper tier of Niagara Region serves close to half a million residents. It also has the distinguished status of being the only incorporated regional municipality in Ontario without an inter-municipal transit service of its own, which generally makes accessing employment and getting around this region without a personal vehicle difficult.

GO Transit Announces a New Service to Niagara

After years of lobbying the provincial government and Go Transit authorities, Niagara was finally noticed on the provincial transit service's strategic plan. In May 2009, it was announced that weekend GO Train service will be serving Grimsby, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. These GO Trains will be using pre-existing VIA Rail train stations to board and disembark passengers and take them to Toronto, and in reverse, take Toronto residents to the Niagara area. A same day pass would cost less than a day pass for either VIA Rail or Coach Canada or Greyhound bus lines. The service has proven to be very popular with residents on both sides of the track, starting with hundreds leaving each day from Niagara and hundreds leaving Toronto each day to visit Niagara.

However, this service is for weekends and holidays only and while originally intended to end on Thanksgiving weekend, its demand appears to be convincing authorities into considering a year-long service of this type. Weekday GO Train service has been discussed, but in order to achieve this, new tracks have to be built to accommodate the new trains and to support their speed at commuter rates. Further, new trains would have to be built to accommodate weekday service demand, as weekend GO Trains used for Niagara are available primarily because GO Train service elsewhere in the province is reduced on weekends leaving these trains available for use in Niagara.

A new Go Bus route has been announced, which started to operate earlier this month. This service, unlike the weekend Train service, is available for weekday commuters. There are eight buses going back and forth each day between the far reaches of Niagara Falls to St. Catharines and to Grimsby and to en route to Burlington, where commuters can hop the weekday Go Train to advance to Toronto or to various other cities in its suburbs, such as Oakville and Mississauga. This option is idea for those commuters not going to Toronto, but to those suburban communities, because the present Coach Canada and Greyhound services do not provide adequate direct service to these communities.

GO Transit Perceived as Unfair Competition to Other Services

GO Transit, whether in the form of buses or trains, is taxpayer subsidized, which is why it costs less to use. Other services, such as Greyhound Canada and Coach Canada, have provided up to 26 trips out of Niagara to Toronto (and in reverse) each day for many years, receive zero dollars of tax money. Many commuters feel these buses provide a more direct route, a comfortable ride and access to a washroom. The Niagara Falls-Toronto routes have been profitable because of the two casinos in Niagara Falls, as well as the fact both lines have built a considerable commuter market. Each bus leaves from the downtown terminal, picks up other passengers on its way and directly takes all persons on the bus on one ride to Toronto, with the option of passengers being let off at Union Station.

When GO Transit service was announced in Niagara, it was perfectly rational for representatives from these two companies to express concern. While they realize that most commuters will remain with them, even if a few leave to join the GO Transit, they may have to cut routes and reduce service in other areas. This is already a major issue facing Greyhound Canada in other regions. Many commuters prefer the direct route from downtown, as opposed to having to transfer to at least two different city buses, before boarding the GO bus and then later boarding the Burlington GO Train to reach their destination. The direct route is the one that is usually prefered by those that don't drive, as parking in the downtown is not necessary, but parking will be required for commuters using the Go Bus option. Another problem is that the GO Transit option is not likely to push Niagara Regional authorities into implementing a much needed inter-municipal transit service within its own boundaries. At a recent Committee of the Whole Meeting of regional council held October 29, 2009, regional councilors had the opportunity to discuss regional transit and ask its consultant on the issue questions. News media reports show that regional councilors still tend to be very divided on this issue, on both costs and governance. This is what has prevented them from acting on this issue for the past forty years.

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