Editing Kitchener line (section)

==History==

===Services===

The GO Transit Georgetown line opened on April 29, 1974, becoming the second line in the GO Transit rail network. Peak-direction train service operated between [[Georgetown GO Station|Georgetown]] and Union Station, replacing a commuter service previously operated by [[Canadian National Railway]] (CN).<ref name=transittoronto>{{cite web
|url=http://transit.toronto.on.ca/regional/2102.shtml
|title=GO Transit's Kitchener Line
|last=Garcia
|first=Daniel
|publisher=Transit Toronto
|date=25 June 2015
|access-date=22 August 2015}}</ref>

Service was extended beyond Georgetown to Guelph on October 29, 1990, but was again cut back to Georgetown on July 2, 1993.<ref name=transittoronto/>

Limited weekday midday service was introduced in April 2002, with four trains in each direction between Union and Bramalea.  These trains were discontinued in 2011 to facilitate construction of the Georgetown South Expansion project.

On December 19, 2011, the Georgetown Line was renamed the Kitchener Line as service was extended to [[Kitchener railway station|Kitchener]], making one intermediate stop at [[Guelph Central Station|Guelph]]. Another intermediate stop, [[Acton GO Station|Acton]], opened on January 7, 2013.<ref name=transittoronto/>

Weekday midday service was re-introduced in September 2015, with hourly service between Mount Pleasant and Union.<ref name=TheStar-2015-08-19>{{cite web
|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/transportation/2015/08/19/go-boosts-brampton-trains-and-bus-service-to-pearson.html
|title=GO boosts Brampton trains and bus service to Pearson
|last=Kalinowski
|first=Tess
|publisher=Toronto Star
|date=19 August 2015
|access-date=22 August 2015}}</ref>

In September 2019, GO Transit introduced limited off-peak train service along the entire length of the line, with two new weekday round trips operating between Toronto and Kitchener outside of peak periods.<ref name=Schedule/><ref name="SteveMunro-2019-08-16">{{cite web |url=https://stevemunro.ca/2019/08/16/go-transit-service-changes-effective-september-3-2019/ |title=GO Transit Service Changes Effective September 3, 2019 |publisher=[[Steve Munro]] |first=Steve |last=Munro |date=August 16, 2019 |access-date=August 31, 2019 }}</ref><ref name="TrainChgs201909">{{cite web |url=https://www.gotransit.com/en/trip-planning/go-service-updates/train-schedule-changes |title=Train Schedule Changes |publisher=[[GO Transit]] |access-date=August 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828085514/https://www.gotransit.com/en/trip-planning/go-service-updates/train-schedule-changes |archive-date=August 28, 2019 }}</ref>

On October 18, 2021, service to [[London, Ontario]] began as a pilot project; one train per weekday in each direction runs as an extension of Kitchener line service, with intermediate stops in [[Stratford, Ontario|Stratford]] and [[St. Marys, Ontario|St. Marys]]. The existing [[Via Rail]] station in each community served as each stop.<ref>{{cite news |title=GO trains to run between London and Toronto with stops in-between |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/go-trains-to-run-between-london-and-toronto-with-stops-in-between-1.6176351 |access-date=September 15, 2021 |publisher=CBC News |date=September 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Ontario Newsroom|url=https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1000808/ontario-launching-go-train-service-to-london|access-date=2021-09-15|website=news.ontario.ca}}</ref> Service beyond Kitchener was discontinued following the end of the project, on October 13, 2023.<ref name="London-end">{{cite web |last1=Varley |first1=Kristylee |title=GO service between London and Toronto will end this fall |url=https://london.ctvnews.ca/go-service-between-london-and-toronto-will-end-this-fall-1.6463090 |website=CTV News London |access-date=2 July 2023 |date=30 June 2023}}</ref>

On April 8, 2023, hourly weekend service was introduced between Mount Pleasant and Union, with Kitchener express bus connections at Bramalea.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Metrolinx announces new GO bus route, expanded weekend service on Kitchener line {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9576890/new-go-bus-route-expanded-weekend-service/ |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref> Since the weekend service was introduced, passengers have complained about overcrowding on the new express buses between Bramalea and Kitchener, which at certain times resulted in some passengers being unable to board the buses.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 5, 2023 |title=Weekend GO buses between Kitchener and Brampton are so full, they're leaving people behind |work=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/waterloo-region-bramalea-route-30-go-transit-bus-full-metrolinx-1.6862535 |access-date=June 9, 2023}}</ref>

===Infrastructure===
As a part of the [[History of GO Transit#GO TRIP|GO Transit Rail Improvement Program]], the [[West Toronto Diamond]] was grade separated. The Metrolinx Weston Subdivision, which carries the Kitchener Line as well as [[Union Pearson Express]] and [[Via Rail|Via]] trains, was lowered into a trench to pass under [[Canadian Pacific Railway|CP]]'s North Toronto Subdivision.<ref name="gradesep">{{cite web
 |url        = http://www.railcan.ca/sec_new/en_new_details.asp?newId=1313
 |title      = Reduces Corporate Taxes, Sales Tax Harmonization
 |last       = Cameron
 |first      = Roger
 |publisher  = Railway Association of Canada
 |date       = 1 April 2009
 |access-date = 22 April 2009
}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  Trains began using the new grade separation in May 2014.<ref name="GO_WTDgradesep">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.gotransit.com/gts/en/project/wtd.aspx
|title=West Toronto Diamond
|publisher=GO Transit
|access-date=23 August 2015
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812105901/http://www.gotransit.com/gts/en/project/wtd.aspx
|archive-date=12 August 2015
|url-status=dead
|df=dmy-all
}}
</ref>

The Georgetown South railway expansion project was initiated in 2009 with [[Metrolinx]] now as its proponent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metrolinx.com/Docs/News/Project_START_News_Release_Final_Dec_15.pdf|title=News Release - Metrolinx is new proponent of Georgetown Line|date=December 2009}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  The project represented a significant increase in railway capacity, with the former one- to two-track<ref>http://www.mapleleaftracks.com/Store/Free/Greater%20Toronto%20Area%20Documentation.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref> railway being widened to 4 tracks within Toronto, with a total of 8 tracks where the Milton line and Barrie line share the corridor. All level crossings along the corridor were eliminated using railway or roadway underpasses.  The plan would allow for an increased frequency of trains on the route, increasing service from approximately 50 per day to about 300.<ref name="weston">{{cite web
|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/622268
|title=GO plans anger residents
|last=Kalinowski
|first=Tess
|publisher=Toronto Star
|date=22 April 2009
|access-date=22 April 2009}}</ref> It drew criticism from [[Weston, Toronto|Weston]] community groups, which opposed the increased use of [[diesel locomotive]]s on the basis of air pollution.  They  preferred instead that the corridor be [[Railway electrification system|electrified]].<ref name="weston" /> The group has also requested more stations along the route.<ref name="weston" />

The Georgetown South project was later reduced in scope due to cost overruns: the corridor was expanded to three tracks, with the fourth track as well as the dedicated Barrie line tracks deferred to future projects. Construction on the Weston subdivision itself finished in 2015,<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.metrolinx.com/en/projectsandprograms/transitexpansionprojects/gts.aspx | title=Metrolinx Georgetown South Project | access-date=2019-10-19 | archive-date=2019-10-19 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019145323/http://www.metrolinx.com/en/projectsandprograms/transitexpansionprojects/gts.aspx | url-status=dead }}</ref> allowing Union Pearson Express to begin operating, while additional track work in the [[Union Station Rail Corridor]] continued into 2016.<ref>http://libraryarchives.metro.net/RMC/18-672-Whitbred/18-672-3-APPENDIX-A-RESUMES-METRO-SYSTEMS-PARTNERS.pdf#p46 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212065847/http://libraryarchives.metro.net/RMC/18-672-Whitbred/18-672-3-APPENDIX-A-RESUMES-METRO-SYSTEMS-PARTNERS.pdf#p46 |date=2019-12-12 }} {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

In 2009 Metrolinx purchased {{convert|26|km|mi}} of track along the corridor from Toronto to Bramalea for $160 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.metrolinx.com/en/regionalplanning/rer/20170407_KitchenerUpdate_EN.pdf|title=Transforming the way our region moves|last1=Pfeifer|first1=Judy|last2=Troughton|first2=Gord|last3=Burke|first3=Chris|publisher=Metrolinx|access-date=12 January 2018}}</ref>{{rp|10}} In September 2014, it purchased the {{convert|53|km|mi}} of track from Georgetown to Kitchener from CN for $76 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/metrolinx-buys-53-km-track-section-touts-kitchener-go-upgrades-1.2776715|title=Metrolinx buys 53-km track section, touts Kitchener GO upgrades|publisher=[[CBC News]]|date=24 September 2014|access-date=27 September 2014}}</ref>

In 2019, Metrolinx conducted a series of public forums on electrification of the Kitchener line from Georgetown to Kitchener, in a change from its earlier Regional Express Rail plan, which had called for continuation of diesel train service on the western portion of the line. Electrification plans reaffirmed overall Metrolinx goals of track bed and bridge improvements, quad-tracking sections of the line, and the addition of a station at Breslau.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/metrolinx-talks-go-train-electrification-in-kitchener-1.4702403 |title=Metrolinx talks GO train electrification in Kitchener |first=Spencer |last=Turcotte |date=25 November 2019 |publisher=[[CTV News]]}}</ref>