Ford pushing all-day Milton GO train service

Hitting the byelection campaign trail, Premier Doug Ford is vowing to get plans for all-day GO train service to Milton back on track.

While the premier touted an overall 15 per cent expansion in GO service — with about 300 additional weekly trips on the Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, Milton, Kitchener and Stouffville lines as of April 28 — he said the province still needs Ottawa’s assistance.

“We’re going to keep urging the federal government to join us in a true cost-sharing partnership to build a fully separated passenger rail line, so we can finally make twoway all-day GO train service a reality here in Milton,” Ford said Monday at the Milton GO station.

“We’re 1,000 per cent committed,” he said, stumping for the May 2 byelection in a riding his Progressive Conservatives have held since 2018. Asked about the fact his handpicked candidate, former threeterm councillor Zee Hamid, was an active Liberal until a few weeks ago, Ford insisted he’s “not big on political stripes.” “I welcome all Liberals, that’s how we got elected. You can’t get elected in this country, in this province, in any city based on one stripe,” he said.

As part of the transit changes, every second UP Express train will be a non-stop run to and from Union Station to Pearson Airport. That means riders using Bloor and Weston stations will have to wait 30 minutes instead of 15 minutes.

Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, meanwhile, said after two terms in government, it is Ford’s fault transit isn’t moving the way it should.

“Gridlock is a major priority here in Milton and across the GTA, but Doug Ford’s false promises, delays and dithering have only made the problem worse,” said Crombie, flanked by Liberal candidate Galen Naidoo Harris.

Naidoo Harrispointed out that Ford cancelled planned upgrades to Milton’s GO station four years ago and has yet to move forward with a second station in the area.

“This riding has had a Conservative MPP since 2018 and it’s only now, when this seat is at risk, that Doug Ford has managed to find Milton on the map,” said Naidoo Harris.

While the federal Liberal government pledged a share of funding for all-day service in 2021, Queen’s Park has maintained more money is needed for such a massive undertaking.

Ford’s Tories have high hopes of holding both Milton and the London-area riding of Lambton-KentMiddlesex next month.