November 23rd, 2015

Liberal Minister of Transportation refuses to explain Kitchener GO train delays: NDP

Following a Kitchener MPP publicly criticizing her own Liberal government’s GO train plans as deficient, Catherine Fife, the Ontario NDP MPP for Kitchener-Waterloo, asked the Minister of Transportation to provide concrete timelines for two-way, all-day between Kitchener and Toronto.

“Last week, a member of the Liberal caucus, the MPP for Kitchener Centre, publicly admitted that the Liberal’s current plan for Kitchener–Waterloo GO trains is inadequate. She knows, just like the people of Kitchener–Waterloo do, that your government promised two-way, all-day GO trains to Kitchener in five years just 18 months ago,” said Fife. “In April of this year, Premier Wynne backtracked. We won’t see the first GO train from Toronto to Kitchener arrive in the morning until 2025 at the earliest.” 

Experts have said that a fast, reliable, two-way, all-day rail connection with Toronto would help generate 37,600 jobs and create an additional $838M in annual personal income tax revenue.

“It’s a simple question: When can the people of Kitchener–Waterloo expect more than one-way GO trains between Kitchener and Toronto? Five years, 10 years, or longer?” asked Fife.  

The Minister of Transportation would not provide Kitchener GO train commuters with a concrete timeline or even an explanation for the mounting delays. 

“The Minister of Transportation can’t seem to explain why the delivery date for two-way, all-day GO trains continues to be pushed back even though his predecessor said Kitchener will see: ‘GO train service that runs every 15 minutes between Waterloo Region and Toronto within 5 years,’” said Fife.