What to know
- A Whitby resident has launched a petition demanding the return of GO Transit’s suspended Lakeshore East express service, which has been halted since 2021.
- Commuters report significantly longer travel times due to the loss of express trains, with frustration mounting over Metrolinx’s lack of clear timelines or explanations.
- Metrolinx says express service cannot resume because construction on the system’s expansion has taken the essential third track out of service, though it has added more rush-hour trips to ease crowding.
- Petitioners argue communication has been insufficient and that alternatives should be explored.
Durham Region riders have spent years frustrated by longer commutes on GO Transit’s Lakeshore East line, and now there’s a petition to bring back its express service.
Daily GO train rider Satvir Singh is spearheading the petition and demanding the return of the service, which has been suspended since 2021. The express service previously made limited stops between Oshawa and Toronto’s Union Station.
From personally facing longer travel times to witnessing the vague construction updates from Metrolinx, he’s now making a region-wide call online for clarity, accountability, and urgency.
“Metrolinx has not provided meaningful transparency on any aspect of the delay,” Singh told Now Toronto, adding that the agency has failed to restore the service by August 2024. “That deadline passed without explanation. Since then, no updated timeline or substantive reasoning has been shared.”
The petition urges Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford and Durham MPPs to intervene, to which Singh says his multiple inquiries to Metrolinx and local officials for a direct answer have been uninformative and went unresolved.
According to Singh’s petition, the cancellation of express service has added 30 to 60 minutes to daily commutes for riders across Durham. The result has been students being drained before class even begins, parents missing dinners, and workers who feel like they spend more time on the train than at home. For Singh, he says the Whitby to Union trip that once took 44 minutes now takes about 59.
“Commuters are losing roughly half an hour each day simply sitting on the train, time that could otherwise be spent with family or used productively at work,” he said. “The increased travel time also contributes to greater fatigue, both when arriving at the office and when returning home.”
METROLINX’S RESPONSE TO EXPRESS TRAINS ON LAKESHORE EAST
Metrolinx pointed to ongoing work for the GO Expansion program, East Harbour construction, and the Ontario Line for the delays, which have required taking the Lakeshore East’s third track out of service. That track is essential for express trains to pass all-stop trains, meaning express service must remain suspended for now, the agency explained to Now Toronto in an email statement.
Preparatory work, the agency says, is “well underway,” including corridor widening, station upgrades, and bridge construction in anticipation of electrification and a future fourth track.
In the meantime, the agency notes it has added six new rush-hour trips and offers 10-minute service during peak periods, changes intended to ease crowding and maintain frequent service.
“We appreciate how important express service is,” Metrolinx said. “We are working hard to balance current service impacts with construction work that will enable future increases.”
COMMUTERS SAY MORE TRIPS IS NOT ENOUGH
Singh doesn’t dispute the need for the infrastructure improvements, but the lack of clear communication and what he calls the unwillingness to explore alternatives, such as implementing semi-express trains.
“The third track remains available from Rouge Hill to Danforth and is being used by VIA Rail. The out-of-service segment is limited to the Danforth–Union stretch,” he said.
As for the added trips, he says it mostly benefits Scarborough riders.
“Trains tend to fill before those stations when service is less frequent,” Singh said. “However, for Durham Region commuters, these changes have not resulted in any kind of improvement in travel times.”
Beyond being transparent, Singh wants to see urgency that matches what the province has shown for other projects. He points to the $70-million acceleration of the Gardiner Expressway rehabilitation as proof that infrastructure timelines can be expedited when they become a priority.
The petition is quickly gaining momentum, with nearly 1,300 signatures by the time of publication. For many and Singh alike, the movement is not just about express service, but being heard by the agency.
“Commuters deserve transparency and a realistic timeline,” he said.
