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Lawrence Avenue

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Lawrence Avenue is a major east–west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario , Canada. It is divided into east and west portions ( Lawrence Avenue East and Lawrence Avenue West ) by Yonge Street , the dividing line of east–west streets in Toronto.

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86-583: The western terminus of Lawrence Avenue is Royal York Road . Beyond the terminus, the road continues as The Westway , a windy arterial road that ends at Martin Grove Road constructed post-World War II to serve the growing Richview neighbourhood development to the south and the Kingsview Village neighbourhood to the north. Eastwards from a short stretch in Etobicoke; where it runs through

172-405: A 24-hour Transit Safety Communications centre operated by Communications Operators. They are mainly responsible for taking calls from the public with regards to actionable complaints, dispatching special constables or relevant emergency services to all areas serviced by Metrolinx. On December 12, 1975, a westbound GO train collided with a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus that was stalled on

258-501: A Rouge Beach Park) near the Rouge River , east of Port Union where it hits Lake Ontario . The Toronto Transit Commission 's 52 Lawrence West and 54 Lawrence East (both are the longest bus routes in the city) and 124 Sunnybrook/162 Lawrence-Donway bus routes provide service along the length of the avenue. The 54A Lawrence East surface route operates from Eglinton station to Starspray Boulevard near Rouge National Urban Park and

344-571: A division named ONxpress Operations Inc. which consists of Deutsche Bahn International Operations and Aecon Concessions. GO Transit primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area–the cities of Toronto and Hamilton and the surrounding regions of Halton , Peel , York and Durham . GO Transit's lines extend into the nearby Niagara and Waterloo Regions, the cities of Brantford and Peterborough , and Simcoe , Dufferin and Wellington counties —an area largely coextensive with

430-595: A fine under the Provincial Offences Act . GO Transit employs Transit Safety Officers, who are designated special constables that patrol Metrolinx properties, and are responsible for ensuring passenger safety and protection, enforcing relevant laws or by-laws, offering customer assistance and supporting local police, fire and ambulance, and promoting railway safety. Under the Police Services Act , Transit Safety Officers are appointed by

516-416: A full-fledged network in its own right after 1989, feeding rail service and serving communities beyond the reach of existing trains. Near the end of 1982, Ontario Minister of Transportation and Communications James W. Snow announced the launch of GO-ALRT (Advanced Light Rail Transit), an interregional light rail transit program providing $ 2.6 billion (1980 dollars) of infrastructure. Although this plan

602-405: A gap now exists with a bolder white T to enhance them. The primary corporate colour was known as "GO Green", matched the green on Ontario Highway signs, and was used on all vehicles, signage, and printed material. In 2013, GO introduced a two-tone colour scheme that changed the primary colour to a darker green, and added a second lighter apple green. The changes were made to better harmonize with

688-482: A newly established facility in Vaughan , creating up to 30 new full-time jobs. GO Transit stations are designed to provide seamless and barrier-free connections between its trains and buses. They include amenities such as elevators, washrooms, parking, pay phones, ticket vending machines, ticket sale kiosks and automated teller machines . All GO stations have Presto card readers. Most bus terminals are also served with

774-556: A passenger taps on and off with their credit card on a PRESTO card fare reader. Contactless credit cards can also be used to pay transit fares - by tapping on PRESTO fare readers - across the Greater Toronto Area and are eligible for the free transfer on those supporting transit services providers which is included in the cost of the GO Transit fare (where accepted). GO Trains use a " proof-of-payment " policy where

860-612: A pilot program to test them was conducted in Pickering before they entered service on 8 September 1970. Later buses included a combination of single-door, suburban-type transit buses built by Orion Bus Industries and New Flyer , and single-level highway coaches built by Prevost Car and Motor Coach Industries (MCI, now a subsidiary of New Flyer). Today, GO Transit operates a combination of single-level coach buses and commuter-type double-decker buses . All buses are equipped with bike racks and are wheelchair accessible . Most of

946-538: A pilot service to London, Ontario , with one train towards Toronto in the morning and one train returning to London in the evening. At this time, the Presto card cannot be used for such trips and riders must pre-purchase digital tickets in advance. Improvements are being made to Union Station , which is the busiest passenger transportation facility in Canada, and is expected to have its current passenger traffic double in

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1032-450: A priority as it moves forward with The Big Move regional transportation plan. On an average weekday, GO runs 322 train trips carrying 206,167 riders, and 2,386 bus trips carrying 48,477 passengers. This adds up to 254,644 passengers throughout the entire system. In 2017, GO Transit ridership totalled 68.5   million, and if expansion plans are realized, is projected to total over 200   million by 2055. At least 91 per cent of

1118-474: A single rail line along Lake Ontario 's shoreline. GO Train service ran throughout the day from Oakville to Pickering with limited rush hour train service to Hamilton. The experiment proved to be extremely popular; GO Transit carried its first million riders during its first four months, and averaged 15,000 per day soon after. This line, now divided as the Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West lines ,

1204-480: A single train line to seven lines. GO Transit has been constituted in a variety of public-sector configurations. Today, it is an operating division of Metrolinx , a provincial Crown agency with overall responsibility for integrative transportation planning within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and is projected to grow dramatically with electrification, increased frequency and new stations through

1290-593: A three-person crew: two operators control the train from the cab at the front end of the train and handle related operations, while a third crew member is the Customer Service Ambassador . Stationed in a designated car in the middle of each train, the Customer Service Ambassador operates the doors and wheelchair ramp , makes station stop announcements, and is dedicated to assisting customers on board. Alstom Transport

1376-591: A ticket sales booth or vending machine. As of 2016, the capital costs of building a GO Transit train station is about $ 50 to $ 75 million. Most GO stations include large commuter parking lots, some of which have recently included large parking structures, and also include onsite bus loops for buses making timed connections to GO Buses. Some GO train stations are shared with Union Pearson Express (commuter train services from Toronto Union Station to Pearson Airport ), Via Rail (Canada's national passenger rail services) and Amtrak (which offers passenger train service to

1462-529: Is a concession road , 5 concessions (10 km) west of Yonge Street , and runs through many residential neighbourhoods, most notably Mimico and the Kingsway . It is classified as a "minor arterial" road by the city of Toronto. The road begins in the south near the shoreline of Lake Ontario , just south of Lake Shore Blvd. It then travels through the neighbourhoods of Mimico, the Queensway, Sunnylea ,

1548-650: Is a minimum of six lanes wide. Lawrence Avenue served as the "Base Line" for the Scarborough Township Survey in the 1800s and remains a key road in the area. Lawrence Avenue east of Meadowvale Road in Scarborough was part of Colonel Danforth Trail until the early 1970s. Royal York Road Royal York Road , historically known as Church Street or New Church Street , is a north-south arterial road in Toronto , Ontario , Canada . It

1634-485: Is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario , Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto , GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven million across an area over 11,000 square kilometres (4,200 sq mi) stretching from Kitchener in the west to Peterborough in the east, and from Barrie in

1720-625: Is a unified smart card -based payment system used throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Presto is a sister operating division of Metrolinx and the card can also be used on numerous local transit agencies in the GTHA such as the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and York Region Transit (YRT) as well as on OC Transpo in Ottawa. As of April 21, 2024, free transfers exist for all connecting local transit systems throughout

1806-405: Is also used by a number of other commuter railways across North America . They have a seating capacity of 162 and a standing capacity of 248 per coach, or 5,256 per train (maximum crush load). All upper levels of the coaches on rush hour trains are designated "Quiet Zones". The coaches are primarily hauled by MPI MPXpress series locomotives. The current model, the 4000- horsepower MP40PH-3C,

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1892-537: Is currently undergoing a major expansion project to improve train service. The project will electrify the Lakeshore East , Barrie , and Stouffville lines, the Lakeshore West line as far as Burlington, the Kitchener line as far as Bramalea, and increase train frequency on various lines to 15 minutes or better on these corridors, with several new stations being built both within Toronto and throughout

1978-639: Is estimated to cost $ 4.9 billion and serve 30   million additional riders by 2031. Other possible future rail service extensions identified in GO Transit's 2020 plan include Niagara Region , Bolton , Brantford , Peterborough and Uxbridge . Metrolinx also announced plans in January 2011 to electrify the Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East and Kitchener rail lines, as well as the Union Pearson Express . In 2021, Metrolinx announced

2064-635: Is more powerful than its predecessor, the EMD F59PH . It is capable of pulling or pushing trains of 12 coaches instead of 10. More than 60 of these locomotives have been ordered since their introduction in 2006, with a further 16 types of an even more powerful model, the 5400-horsepower MP54AC, which can pull a full 12 car train more efficiently. Opposite the locomotive, trains are bookended by cab cars , which are coaches with driver controls incorporated into them. GO Transit upgraded their entire cab car rail fleet with newly designed, more crashworthy cab cars in

2150-442: Is projected to roll out in phases between 2025 and 2030. The 10-year regional express rail plan will cost $ 13.5 billion and will require 150 kilometres (93 mi) of new track, including new bridges and tunnels. Starting January 1, 2025, the consortium ONxpress will take over the operation and maintenance from Alstom of the GO Transit train system in addition to introducing the improvements required for GO Expansion. ONxpress has

2236-402: Is responsible for providing train operations, taking over from Bombardier Transportation in 2021. GO trains achieve on-time performance of approximately 95 per cent, and a refund will be provided if a train is more than 15 minutes late, with some conditions. GO Bus service consists of a combination of routes, many of which stand in for train service when it is not operating and/or which extend

2322-679: Is the keystone corridor of GO Transit. Expansion of rail service continued in the 1970s and 1980s, aimed at developing ridership in with the introduction of the Georgetown (now Kitchener ) line in 1974 and the Richmond Hill line in 1978. The Milton GO Train line opened in 1981, followed by the Bradford (now Barrie ) and Stouffville lines a year later, establishing GO Transit's present-day service of seven rail corridors. Other than establishing new rail corridors, GO Transit introduced

2408-663: The Bloor-Danforth line is the major transit terminal that these services feed into. North of Bloor, the main route is 73 Royal York, which also goes along Albion Road in the Rexdale area, and south of Bloor, the primary route is 76 Royal York South, which mainly carries commuters from Mimico. There are two additional routes that serve parts of Royal York because they use it to feed into the subway. These routes are; 48 Rathburn (which uses Royal York from Bloor to Anglesey), and 15 Evans (Bloor to Evans). The Mimico GO Station on

2494-579: The Bombardier BiLevel Coaches in 1979, in order to increase the number of passengers carried per train. These unique rail cars were developed in partnership with Bombardier Transportation . Also in 1979, the former Bay Street GO concourse at Union Station was built to accommodate these additional passengers. GO Bus service began on September 8, 1970, extending the original Lakeshore line to Hamilton and Oshawa, as well as providing service north to Newmarket and Barrie. It eventually became

2580-537: The GO Expansion , which is scheduled to be completed in phases through 2025–2032. Cities in and around the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) expanded greatly during the 1950s, influenced by growth in immigration and industrialization. Much of the existing commuter service was provided by the Canadian National Railway (CN), which faced mounting pressure to expand its service beyond

2666-519: The GTHA . It will also bring all-day, two-way service to the inner portions of the Barrie, Kitchener and Stouffville lines. GO Transit will increase the number of train trips per week from 1,500 (as of 2015) to about 2,200 by 2020 and expand to 10,500 weekly trips upon completion. Most of the extra trips will be in off-peak hours and on weekends. The expanded services, new infrastructure and electrification

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2752-589: The Highway 407 and Highway 403 corridors, providing service between Peel and York Regions. In 2012, GO ordered new Enviro500 double-decker units for its fleet. Designated as "Go-Anywhere" models, they have a redesigned front end, based on the Enviro400 (and which would later form the basis for the global Enviro500 MMC refreshed design), and a height of 4.1 metres (13 ft 5 + 7 ⁄ 16  in), 10 cm ( 3 + 15 ⁄ 16  in) lower than

2838-548: The Humber Heights – Westmount neighbourhood, Lawrence crosses the Humber River and enters Weston in the former city of York. East of Weston it enters North York, and passes through the neighbourhoods of Amesbury , Maple Leaf , Glen Park , Lawrence Heights , and Lawrence Manor . Through this section, the street is mostly home to low-rise residential, with some retail and office locations. East of Avenue Road

2924-583: The Lakeshore West line provides commuter rail service to downtown , and other areas in the Greater Toronto Area , such as Hamilton , and Oakville . Local landmarks along Royal York Road (north to south): Major streets in Toronto which intersect with Royal York (north to south): 43°39′18″N 79°30′53″W  /  43.6550°N 79.5147°W  / 43.6550; -79.5147 GO Transit [REDACTED] GO Transit

3010-420: The Provincial Offences Act , imposes a $ 35 to $ 200 fine for fare evasion. Although children ages 0 to 12 years of age can ride fare-free on GO Transit, they may be required to show proof of age when getting a child Presto card. The GO Transit logo has remained largely unchanged since the agency was founded. The design was created by Gagnon/Valkus, a Montreal -based design firm that was also responsible for

3096-767: The Third Concession . During Hurricane Hazel in 1954, the Lawrence Avenue bridge over the Humber River was washed out after the river's water levels rose heavily as a result of the rainfall. When the Don Valley Parkway was constructed in the 1960s, Lawrence was rebuilt between the Woodbine Avenue allowance and Victoria Park Avenue , as a "jog eliminator" between the former concession roads of North York and Scarborough Townships. This portion to Kingston Road (former Highway 2 )

3182-602: The United Kingdom . These buses come in three different designs differing mainly in their size and height . All double deckers have a low-floor design and a wheelchair ramp at the front door. The first two batches of double deckers have a height of 4.2 metres (13 ft 9 + 3 ⁄ 8  in), too tall to meet many height standards set by the provincial Ministry of Transportation . Thus, they are restricted to routes which avoid low bridges and underpasses . In particular, they are found exclusively on routes on

3268-428: The 1930s with the growth of Humber Valley Village . At that point, the road was paved up to Eglinton Avenue. By the 1950s, as more surrounding areas were developed, the entire length of Royal York Road was fully paved, creating a more accessible and connected thoroughfare. In recent years, Royal York Road has undergone several infrastructure projects to improve its functionality. One of the more notable changes involved

3354-522: The 52B Lawrence West surface route operates from Lawrence station to Westwood Mall Bus Terminal in Mississauga west of Toronto Pearson International Airport via Dixon Road. There are three rapid transit stations: Lawrence at Yonge Street and Lawrence West at Allen Road on Line 1 Yonge–University , and Lawrence East on Line 3 Scarborough between Kennedy Road and Midland Avenue. Until 1974, service between Lawrence station and Bayview Avenue

3440-542: The 954 Lawrence East Express, which runs from Lawrence East Station to Starspray Boulevard. GO Transit has two commuter rail stations on Lawrence Avenue: Rouge Hill , on the Lakeshore East line and Weston on the Kitchener line . Lawrence Avenue was named after Jacob Lawrence, a tanner and farmer in the area of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue. It was a side road between lots 5 and 6 in York Township. Originally Lawrence Avenue ran only east of Yonge Street, with

3526-593: The Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police , with approval from the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services . In addition to By-law No. 2, they have the authority to enforce other certain federal and provincial laws. GO Transit also employs Provincial Offences Officers, known as Revenue Protection Officers, to enforce the proof-of-payment system. GO Transit operates

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3612-462: The Don River. Lawrence continues as a six-lane road through most of Scarborough , with many strip malls flanking its sides. Through Scarborough it is the main east–west arterial for a number of neighbourhoods, including Wexford , Bendale , Woburn , and West Hill . The segment east of Morningside Avenue is primarily residential. The road ends at Rouge Hill Drive (then becomes a driveway into

3698-426: The GO Transit network and designated as "Super-Lo", have an even lower height of 3.9 metres (12 ft 9 + 9 ⁄ 16  in), low enough to operate on virtually the entire GO bus network. They also have a longer length than previous orders, being 45-foot (13.72 m) long (the same as its coach buses), and dedicated space for luggage at the rear. The chassis for these vehicles are being locally assembled at

3784-618: The GO Transit network, under the GO Transit Rail Improvement Plan , or GO TRIP , started in the mid-2000s. C$ 1   billion was invested in multiple rail and bus projects, making it the largest commuter rail project in Canadian history. This was later dwarfed by a further slate of new GO infrastructure proposed in MoveOntario 2020 , the provincial transit plan announced by Premier Dalton McGuinty in

3870-413: The GTHA. - in many cases using a Presto card or contactless credit card and their associated mobile wallets (where accepted) - are included with the GO Transit fare. The Presto system allows passengers to load money on a reloadable card. Passengers pay their fare by "tapping" on and off on busses and trains. With each tap, the system calculates the fare for the ride, and it is deducted from the balance of

3956-546: The Greater Golden Horseshoe. Under the provincial charter, GO Transit is permitted to serve cities elsewhere in Ontario, but has no plans of doing so. In total, GO trains and buses serve a population of 7   million in an 11,000 square kilometres (4,200 sq mi) area radiating in places more than 140 kilometres (87 mi) from downtown Toronto. Present extrema are Brantford and Kitchener to

4042-477: The Kingsway, and Humber Valley Village . It also serves as the boundary for two neighbourhoods north of Eglinton Avenue ; Richview , and Humber Heights . The road crosses three creeks; Mimico Creek , and two tributaries of the Humber River ; Humber Creek, and Silver Creek. Royal York Road officially ends at Dixon Road, but its alignment continues further north as St. Phillips Road, which ends at Weston Road . Weston Road north of St. Phillips continues north on

4128-482: The Lakeshore West and East lines, which can be attributed to the almost continuous development along their corridors, as well as being the only two lines with two way, all day service since their inception. This is followed by the Milton line, carrying almost 14% of all ridership. Other corridors carry 4–11% of riders each. Fares on the network are based on a zone tariff set between two specified points by GO Transit, and

4214-508: The Lakeshore trains it ran between Hamilton in the west and Danforth in the east, to Toronto; however, CN lacked the financial and physical capital to do this. Real improved commuter service was not considered until the 1962 Metropolitan Toronto and Region Transportation Study, which examined land use and traffic in the newly created Metropolitan Toronto . The idea of GO Transit was created out of fear of becoming lost in years of planning; it

4300-643: The Regional Express Rail plan, there are plans to eventually offer two-way, all-day 15-minute or better service on the central sections of the remaining five lines. Nevertheless, rush-hour service accounts for over 90 per cent of GO Train ridership. GO Transit's rolling stock uses push-pull equipment . Its passenger car fleet is composed entirely of Bombardier BiLevel Coaches built in Thunder Bay, Ontario . These double-decker coaches , which have an elongated-octagon shape, were designed in

4386-496: The United States). GO also connects with fifteen other municipal transit providers, such as the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and York Region Transit (YRT), as well as several long-distance intercity bus services, such as Ontario Northland , Megabus , TOK Coachlines and United States-bound Greyhound Lines services. Metrolinx calls many of these transfer points between services mobility hubs , and it has made them

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4472-595: The addition of a cab at the end, are still operating, with 15 old cab cars being rebuilt and reintroduced for expanded GO service. GO has always owned its locomotives and coaches, but its trackage used to be owned entirely by Canada's two major commercial railways: the large majority by the Canadian National Railway (CN) and the remainder (the current Milton line) by Canadian Pacific Railway (CP, now CPKC ). In 1988, as part of expanding service east of Pickering, GO built its first section of self-owned purpose-built trackage. From 1998 until 2009, GO owned only six per cent of

4558-566: The addition of bike lanes, particularly the 1.25-meter-wide lanes between Mimico Creek and Usher Avenue. However, these lanes have faced criticism for being too narrow, not meeting the 1.5-meter minimum standard recommended by the [1] Transportation Association of Canada , which the City of Toronto follows. Despite the improvements, concerns remain about the safety and design of these bike lanes. The Toronto Transit Commission provides bus services along Royal York Road. Royal York subway station on

4644-549: The branding of Metrolinx and its other operating divisions, as well as to improve its display digitally. GO Transit By-law No. 2 is a document of rules and regulations governing actions of passengers and employees while on GO Transit property, which includes land, facilities, trains, buses and other structures. Besides issues relating to fares, the by-law specifies permissible and prohibited actions such as staying in designated safe areas, commercial or distribution activities, parking and other personal actions that promote or endanger

4730-407: The card. The card can also be linked to a credit or debit card and set on autoload, so that it automatically adds a certain amount of money as soon as the balance decreases past a certain level. Since August 11, 2022, contactless credit/debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Interac) & their associated mobile wallets such as Apple and Google Pay have been accepted on GO Transit in which

4816-491: The corporate identities of Canadian National and Hydro-Québec . The firm's team wanted to create a unified logo using the initials of the Government of Ontario ("GO"), via two circles with a T incorporated into it. Lead designer Frank Fox described the creation of the logo as "a happy accident. More or less, we had this feeling among us that this couldn't be true. We went off trying many other solutions, but nothing else

4902-472: The east side of the valley. This detour runs through The Bridle Path , one of Toronto's most affluent neighbourhoods. East of Leslie Street , Lawrence becomes a principal arterial road, passing through Don Mills . East of the Don River is the Lawrence Avenue exit of the Don Valley Parkway and on the southside is Old Lawrence Avenue where the road used to lead to a lost bridge that once crossed

4988-536: The exceptions are situated within Toronto proper. There are also 16 bus terminals served by GO buses, many of which provide local transit connections, as well as intermediate stops and ticket agencies . The first buses operated by GO Transit, a suburban variant of the GM New Look bus , were unveiled at Queen's Park on August 11, 1970, about a month before commencing operations on its expanded services east, west and north of Toronto. Operated by Gray Coach ,

5074-461: The fare system is run on an " honour system ". Passengers are required to carry a valid GO paper or digital ticket or pass, a tapped-in credit/debit card/mobile wallet or Presto card to prove that they paid for their fares. Passengers may be subject to random fare inspections at any time during travel. This system is designed to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Enforcement of this system is carried out via Metrolinx's By-law No. 2 that, by reference to

5160-433: The leadup to the 2007 provincial election . With re-investment in regional transit, GO experienced growth in its train network: all day service was restored to Oshawa in 2006 and Aldershot in 2007; service was expanded to Barrie South in 2007, to Lincolnville in 2008, to Kitchener in 2011, to Gormley in 2016, to Bloomington in 2021, and an excursion train operated on summer weekends to Niagara Falls . This service

5246-423: The mid-1970s for GO Transit by Hawker Siddeley Canada as a more efficient replacement for GO's original single-deck coaches, built by the same company. Later coaches were manufactured by Can-Car / UTDC and the most recent coaches are produced by Bombardier Transportation and since acquired by Alstom , which now owns the designs and manufacturing facilities. GO Transit owns 979 BiLevel Coaches. This type of coach

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5332-445: The morning and outbound in the afternoons and early evenings), with off-peak service on these routes being provided solely by buses . Since then, hourly off-peak train service or better has been added to 5 of these lines. The present off-peak service is as follows: The Richmond Hill and Milton lines continue to operate during rush hours only, although there has been an increasing number of trips on these lines in recent years. As part of

5418-467: The name Metrolinx. GO Transit continued as an operating division alongside two other major initiatives: the Union Pearson Express and Presto card . As part of the 2011 provincial election , Premier Dalton McGuinty made a campaign pledge to provide two-way, full-day train service on all corridors. Metrolinx continues to plan for this service expansion, which is now known as GO Expansion . Part of Metrolinx's Big Move regional transportation plan , it

5504-404: The nearest train line, with the 40s and 50s reserved for express services along the 407 ETR corridor which does not have a corresponding train line. GO Transit's commuter rail services ( reporting mark GOT ) carry the large majority of its overall ridership. Until 2012, five GO Train lines operated only during weekday rush hour periods in the peak direction (inbound towards Union Station in

5590-423: The next 10 to 15 years. Improvements underway include a new roof and glass atrium covering the platforms and railway tracks, new passenger concourses, additional staircases and vertical access points and general visual improvements to the station. Other longer term options such as a second downtown station and/or connections to a future Relief Subway Line are also being studied to meet future demand. GO Transit

5676-496: The north to Niagara Falls in the south. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 56,036,900. GO Transit operates diesel-powered double-decker trains and coach buses , on routes that connect with all local and some long-distance inter-city transit services in its service area. GO Transit began regular passenger service on May 23, 1967, as a part of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation . Since then, it has grown from

5762-419: The older buses in the fleet are 45-foot (13.72 m), single-level D4500CT coach buses built by Motor Coach Industries , which can seat 57 people and features a platform lift . The first models of this type entered service in 2001 and orders have continued until 2015. In April 2008, GO began operating 43-foot (13.11 m) Enviro 500 double-decker buses built by British manufacturer Alexander Dennis in

5848-562: The previous models. The lower height allows these buses to meet many more clearance standards as a result and are used on a wider variety of routes, including those that travel on Highway 401 . Three additional batches of "Go-Anywhere" Enviro500s were ordered until 2015. Despite the lower height, these buses are still too high to fit in a number of GO terminals, namely Hamilton , Yorkdale , York Mills , and Union Station . Beginning in 2016, GO Transit began placing further orders of Enviro500 double-deckers. These buses, designed specifically for

5934-501: The province would re-assume funding responsibility for GO Transit two years later, and this was completed with the abolition of the Greater Toronto Services Board on January 1, 2002. The Greater Toronto Transportation Authority was created in 2006, with the responsibilities of co-ordinating, planning, financing and developing integrated transit in the GTHA. This agency was merged with GO Transit in 2009 under

6020-482: The railway trackage on which it operated. Starting in 2009, Metrolinx incrementally acquired further trackage from the two commercial railways in order to improve GO service. As of 2014, Metrolinx has complete ownership of the Barrie, Stouffville and Lakeshore East lines, and a majority of the Lakeshore West, Richmond Hill, and Kitchener lines. CPKC still owns most of the Milton line. This puts Metrolinx ownership at 69 percent of GO Transit's trackage. Each train runs with

6106-498: The reach of train service to communities beyond their terminal. Other GO buses are independent of rail services, such as the Highway 407 series of routes, which provides an orbital-type service that encircles Toronto proper and makes connections between all train lines. There are also routes that serve Pearson International Airport and seasonal destinations such as several colleges and universities. The vast majority of GO train stations have connecting GO bus service, of which almost all

6192-607: The road enters the Old City of Toronto , and is a major arterial for the North Toronto neighbourhood. This is one of the wealthiest parts of Toronto. Lawrence remains almost wholly residential through this section, with many single-family homes. Lawrence Avenue East is interrupted at Bayview Avenue , by the west branch of the Don River . A detour north on Bayview leads to Post Road and a connection back to Lawrence Avenue on

6278-525: The road heading west to Weston being named McDougall Avenue. East of Victoria Park Avenue, the road was also referred to as 1st Concession Road based on the original survey of the old Township of Scarborough (the line between Concession D and Concession 1). In sections west of Yonge Street, the route for the current road would have been the Fourth Concession with Eglinton Avenue as Line between Third and Fourth Concession and St. Clair Avenue as

6364-422: The safety of passengers. It covers items like paying fares, parking, general behaviour, fines and rule enforcement. These rules can be enforced by a "proper authority" which is defined as "an employee or agent of GO Transit wearing a GO Transit uniform [or] carrying an identification card issued by GO Transit, a GO Transit Special Constable, or a municipal police officer". Any contravention of the by-law can result in

6450-414: The same general alignment as Royal York, eventually leading into Vaughan . Royal York Road has a rich history that traces back to the late 19th century. Originally named Church Street in the village of Mimico , this road began as a dirt path north of the village. The transformation of Royal York Road started in the 1920s with the development of The Kingsway , an affluent residential area, and continued in

6536-587: The summer of 2015, incorporating an improved visibility, safety features and comfort for train crews. Rolling stock is maintained at the Willowbrook Rail Maintenance Facility , located west of Mimico station in Toronto and at the newer Whitby Rail Maintenance Facility . The Willowbrook facility occupies the Willowbrook Yard, a historical freight yard established by Grand Trunk Railway in 1910. GO Transit acquired

6622-475: The train ridership is to and from Union Station in downtown Toronto, while about 70% of all bus passengers travel to and from the City of Toronto. The average trip taken by a passenger is 33.5 kilometres (20.8 mi) long. Most GO Transit commuters have a private vehicle available to them for their commute, but choose to use GO Transit instead. About 80% of train commuters and 60% of bus commuters choose GO Transit over driving. Over half of GO's ridership occurs on

6708-471: The type of passenger using the ticket. Tickets are sold for single trip, or passes for one day or one month. Tickets can be used on a GO train, bus, or a combination of both. They can be purchased at train stations, bus terminals and ticket agencies. Passenger categories exist for adults, youth, students, seniors and groups. As of March 9, 2019, passengers aged 12 and under can ride GO Transit fare-free. The Presto card , available on all GO trains and buses,

6794-539: The west; Orangeville , Barrie to the north; Peterborough and Newcastle to the east; and Niagara Falls to the south. The GO system map shows seven train lines (or corridors), all departing from Toronto's Union Station and mostly named respectively after the outer terminus (or former terminus) of train service: Although colours are assigned in a consistent fashion to each line in all official media, in colloquial parlance lines are only ever referred to by their names. Buses are numbered in blocks of 10, corresponding to

6880-555: The yard from Canadian National sometime after its inception, and built and expanded the Willowbrook facility there to maintain the expanding fleet. GO Transit built a second maintenance facility covering 500,000 square feet (4.6 hectares) in Whitby to accommodate additional trains for its upcoming Regional Express Rail project, and was completed by the end of 2017. A limited number of old cab cars, which resembled standard coaches with

6966-496: Was "approached as a test, but recognized to be a permanent service". In May 1965, the government of Ontario granted permission to proceed with the launch of Canada's first specially-designed commuter rail service, at a cost of CA$ 9.2 million ($ 86 million in 2023 dollars). Government of Ontario Transit (later shortened to "GO Transit") started as a three-year long experiment on May 23, 1967, running single-deck trains powered by diesel locomotives in push-pull configuration on

7052-422: Was also extended to Burlington on the Lakeshore West line in 1992. In a series of cost-cutting measures, then– Ontario Premier Bob Rae announced a "temporary" reduction in spending on services, causing all of the expansions of the 1990s to be reduced or eliminated. All day train service was restored from Burlington to Whitby, and peak service was finally brought to Oshawa in 2000. A large initiative to expand

7138-399: Was good enough." The logo has since become woven into the cityscape of Toronto, and is a prominent identifier of the agency. As one graphic design expert stated, it achieved "an enviable goal that most graphic designers strive to accomplish with any logo they design". Only one minor revision was made after the original version was unveiled: while the G and O used to touch each other,

7224-546: Was later expanded to all year round. GO Transit also went through three major reconfigurations. In January 1997, the province announced it would transfer funding responsibility for GO Transit to GTHA municipalities. The Greater Toronto Services Board, composed of regional municipality chairs, city mayors and municipal councillors, was created as a municipal agency in January 1999, and GO Transit became an arm of this agency in August 1999. However, then-Premier Mike Harris announced

7310-415: Was not implemented, certain key objectives from it were established in other ways: additional stations were built, all-day service to Whitby and Burlington was established and networks of buses and trains interconnected the network. GO extended limited rush hour train service on the Bradford, Georgetown and both Lakeshore lines and began offering off-peak service on the Milton line in 1990. Train service

7396-501: Was provided by the 52 Lawrence and was replaced by the 11 Bayview and 28B Davisville bus routes before they were reorganized in 1991, with the 124 Sunnybrooke replacing it. The 58 Malton bus provided service between Lawrence West station to Westwood Mall in Mississauga until 2014. There are also two express buses that run only during rush hours: the 952 Lawrence West Express, which also runs from Lawrence Station to Pearson Airport, and

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