LONDON, Ontario — A two-year pilot program offering GO Transit commuter rail service between London and Toronto — hampered by its lengthy travel time — will not be renewed when the trial period ends in October, the London Free Press reports.
The single round trip, which debuted in October 2018, is currently scheduled for exactly four hours in each direction to cover the 114 miles between London to Toronto Union Station.
VIA Rail Canada trains, which use a more direct route, can take as little as 2 hours, 10 minutes, but — using July 5 fares as an example, according to a June 30 search — cost anywhere from C$41 to C$176 (for “Business Plus”) one-way compared to the C$30 for a one-way GO fare. Driving can take 2 to 3 hours depending on traffic.
Ridership has never been impressive, averaging 32 per trip a month after the service began [see “New GO Transit service to London …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 6, 2021] and 65 per day in February 2022. At that time, Deputy Mayor Josh Morgan — now the city’s mayor — said he was not surprised by the ridership, saying the service needed to be faster and more frequent
Morgan told the Free Press last week that the city would continue to try to get better rail and transit service.
“Where I always saw a lot of potential in this was the fact that it connected people shorter distances away,” he said. “London is a hub and we do know people are looking to move in and out of our city. We need more frequent, faster rail service to and from the [Greater Toronto Area] … We’ve been advocating with the federal government lately for the improvement of VIA Rail service to London. For me, that has been the focus lately.”
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