GO train service on 2 weekends this month is encouraging, but Waterloo MPP questions why it can't continue

GO Transit will offer limited weekend train service between Kitchener and Toronto for two weekends this month.

On Feb. 17 and Feb. 25, there will be:

• A train leaving Kitchener at 11:05 a.m. and arriving at Union Station at 12:49 p.m.
• A train leaving Kitchener at 4:05 p.m. and arriving at Union Station at 5:51 p.m.
• A train leaving Union Station at 1:38 p.m. and arriving in Kitchener at 2:26 p.m.
• A train leaving Union Station at 6:38 p.m. and arriving in Kitchener at 8:26 p.m.

Similar weekend trains were offered during reading week in the fall of 2023.

In its schedule changes page, the transit agency Metrolinx says the weekend trains coincide with winter reading week for university students.

Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife, a member of the NDP, said she was "encouraged" to see the weekend trains, but it raised questions for her.

"Because if Metrolinx can offer weekend service for one week in the fall and one week in the spring for reading a week, then why can't we actually have at least one train every weekend?" Fife told CBC News.

Fife says she's talked to students at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University who are frustrated with what they say is a lack of options when it comes to getting between Waterloo region and Toronto. Fife says some have reported to her that GO buses are full on weekends and some people are left behind.

She said tech companies, too, have raised concerns with her as it would be easier for workers to get back and forth between the two cities if there was regular train service.

'Let's make it a reality'

Fife says she doesn't feel like she's getting answers from the provincial government when it comes to clear timelines and service delivery guarantees for GO Transit service to Waterloo region.

"The fact of the matter is, is that this door is open right now. And now that we know that it's possible, let's make it a reality for the people of Waterloo region," Fife said. "The economic cases there, the educational cases there. And this is a community that is deserving of improved GO service without a doubt."

In an email, a Metrolinx spokesperson told CBC News CN gave them "permission to operate the extra trains" for the two days. They did not answer whether there will be more weekend trains in the near future.

"Transforming the Kitchener line into a two-way, all-day rapid transit line is a massive undertaking made up of many different packages of work, that once complete, will fit together seamlessly to deliver increased service and connections from Union Station to Kitchener GO," the email said.

"Currently Metrolinx has increased GO train service by four trips per day on weekdays, meaning customers now have 10 Toronto-bound trips from Guelph GO and 10 Guelph-bound trips from Union Station to pick from."