Politicians pleased with GO numbers
Metrolinx is on track to hit around 25,000 passenger trips on this year’s seasonal GO train service between Niagara Falls and Toronto.
Spokesman Scott Money said due to a six-to-eight week delay in ridership reporting, Metrolinx is unable to provide 2017 numbers.
However, he said it’s expected the service will see 25,000 passenger trips when the season wraps up on Thanksgiving weekend, just as there were in 2015 and 2016.
“Our Niagara service continues to be very popular with customers,” said Money.
“They especially love the bike trails and being able to bike through wine country and Niagara Falls. Although we don’t have final numbers as yet, we know that ridership continues to be strong.”
This is the ninth consecutive year seasonal GO train service has been available between the Honeymoon Capital and Canada’s largest city.
New this year, Metrolinx has partnered with Niagara Parks and Jim Pattison Entertainment Ltd. (Ripley’s Niagara) to offer discount prices to some attractions.
As in previous years, service began over the Victoria Day long weekend, and again from June 23 until Sept. 4 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. It will also operate on the Thanksgiving long weekend.
Niagara Regional Chairman Alan Caslin said he was at the Niagara Falls station on Bridge Street last Saturday to greet visitors coming in on the 11 a.m. train.
“I greeted 633 people. All of these people coming to Niagara to spend the day, spend the weekend. It was an incredible sight to see.”
He said the Saturday before there were 750 people on the train.
“I missed that one, but in talking with the Metrolinx people who do that route on a regular basis, they said it was essentially standingroom only. They’ve actually asked for two more cars to be put on the train because it’s that popular.”
Caslin said more attention is being given to the service, especially since the announcement from the provincial government that regular, year-round GO trains will start arriving in Niagara Falls by 2023.
“When we met with Metrolinx … at the beginning of the season, we asked them to advance the schedule from 2023 all the way to Niagara Falls to 2021. They took note of that, and they asked us in return for better occupancy on the train.”
Caslin said local officials came together with Niagara Parks and other tourism agencies in the region to raise awareness of the seasonal service.
“We’re seeing almost double the traffic this year than we’ve ever seen before. We’re pulling our part in contributing to the occupancy of the train, and we’re hoping, in return, that Metrolinx finds its possible to advance the schedule to 2021 all the way to Niagara Falls.”
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said he’s also hearing ridership numbers are “up in a meaningful way.”
He said the train is a simple, convenient, and predictable service, and keeps travellers away from vehicle congestion.
“The WEGO picks up from the train station, and takes you wherever you want to go, and that’s integrated into our transit system, so you don’t need to have a car, and it’s definitely been reflected in the attendance. At the end of the day, the barometer of success is the amount of people participating, and I think the only thing holding us back from even bigger numbers is just awareness.”
He said a lot of people in the Greater Toronto Area are still “completely unaware” of the seasonal service.
Diodati said while marketing of the service has improved, the best thing for marketing would be to have better consistency, “and the way to have that is to have yearround service.”
“Once it becomes year round and predictable, I think those numbers are going to go through the roof because, let’s face it, Niagara Falls is a destination, it’s an anchor for that service, and it’s going to be a strong draw for all linkages along it. When you make it simple and predictable … people are going to see it as part of their daily planning.”
Diodati said he believes strong seasonal ridership helps support the argument for expanding regular service to Niagara Falls by 2021, instead of 2023.
“I think it helps those making the political argument when you can show the empirical data to say, ‘hey, look, here’s the numbers, look at the trajectory. This is just a weekend service, and look how it’s growing.’ There’s obviously demand, and all you have to do is look at the congestion on the highway, look at the congestion in the city. I would rather see more trains more often than widening the highway.”