Richmond Hill line

Richmond Hill
GO Train travels south through the Don Valley
Overview
Type	Commuter rail
System	GO Train
Locale	Greater Toronto Area
Stations	5
Daily ridership	10,000 (2008)
Website	Table 61
Operation
Opened	May 1, 1978
Owner	Metrolinx (Toronto) Canadian National Railway (York Region)
Operator(s)	GO Transit
Technical
Line length	33.8 kilometres (21.0 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map Legend Bloomington Gormley 33.8 Richmond Hill Richmond Hill Centre 29.5 Langstaff 29.5 Highway 407 25.9 Doncaster Junction 22.7 Old Cummer Don River Leslie Highway 401 18.2 Oriole DVP CPR trestle Don River DVP CPR trestle Prince Edward Viaduct Don River CPR Belleville sub. GO Lakeshore line Don Yard 0 Union km

Richmond Hill is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto to Richmond Hill, running along the Canadian Northern Ontario Railway lines owned by CN.

A Richmond Hill commuter train service had been announced in 1969 by the provincial government, but its implementation was cancelled in 1970 in favour of bus commuter service.^[1]

After the Lakeshore East, Lakeshore West, and Georgetown lines, the Richmond Hill line was the fourth in the GO network to open. The opening was delayed because the Bombardier BiLevel Coach ordered for the Lakeshore line were not delivered on time, and hence redeployment of the Lakeshore line coaches for service on the Richmond Hill line was delayed.^[2] Following a promotional opening on Saturday April 29, 1978, regular service began on Monday May 1. Unique amongst GO rail corridors, the initial lineup of four stations has not changed since opening day.^[3]

As part of the GO 2020 strategy, the corridor will be upgraded and extended to Aurora Road in Stouffville.^[4][5] Phase I of the project, for which construction will begin in the fall of 2011 and be completed in the fall of 2013, will establish the Gormley GO Station where the line intersects Stouffville Road, create a train layover facility at Bethesda Road, and grade the corridor for the extension.^[5] Phase II, which will begin after completion of Phase I, will consist of the construction of Bloomington GO Station and grading of the route.^[5]

On April 16, 2015, the Ontario government is working with Metrolinx to have more train service along the Richmond Hill line, known as GO Regional Express Rail (RER) over the next decade. During peak hours, trains would run in peak direction every 15-30 minutes along this line.^[6] For RER service, the Richmond Hill line would need $1 billion in flood mitigation and a grade separation in the Doncaster area. VIA Rail trains on the Canadian use the tracks but do not stop any of the stations except for Toronto.^[7]

Stations

	Community	Municipality	Regional Mun.	Fare zone	Distance (km)	Connections
Bloomington (future)	Aurora and Oak Ridges	Aurora	York	TBA	TBA
Gormley (future)	Gormley	Richmond Hill		TBA	TBA
Richmond Hill	Richmond Hill			61	33.8	YRT Bus
Langstaff	Langstaff			60	29.5	Blue, Purple, Pink, YRT Bus (via Richmond Hill Centre Terminal)
Old Cummer	North York	Toronto		05	22.7	TTC
Oriole					18.2	(via Leslie Station) TTC
Union	Toronto			02	0.0	TTC

See also

• Toronto Transit Commission
• York Region Transit
• Canadian National Railways

References

1. "Refund request 'amusing to robarts, but not to Medcof". The Era. 3 June 1970. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
2. "Rail line ready but trains late". The Liberal. 22 February 1978. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
3. Significant dates in GO Transit
4. "GO Transit reveals Strategic Plan - GO 2020". GO Transit. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
5. "Expansion Projects". GO Transit. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
6. Ontario improving GO Transit service along all corridors
7. Tess Kalinowski, Transportation reporter (17 April 2015). "GO to add almost 50 per cent more trains in next 5 years". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2016-03-30.

External links

• GO Transit: Richmond Hill GO Train & Bus Service
• GO Transit: Richmond Hill GO Train & Bus Service Schedule (PDF)