WHITBY, Ontario — The Ontario government announced Thursday it has awarded a contract for planning to extend GO Transit’s Lakeshore East line to Bowmanville, Ont., an extension of nearly 20 kilometers (12 miles) eastward from the current terminus in Oshawa.
Bowmanville Construction Partners has received the early-stage contract for advance infrastructure planning on what is projected to be a $730 million project. The government projects the extension could lead to almost 17,000 daily trips and 4.9 million annual boardings by 2041. It is expected to reduce travel time from Bowmanville to Toronto Union Station by 15 minutes.
“This contract brings us one step closer to extending the Lakeshore East GO line further into Durham Region, bringing GO train service to the people of Bowmanville for the first time,” Premier Doug Ford said in a press release. “Our government is supporting the largest transit expansion in North America, reducing gridlock, cutting commute times and improving the movement of people and goods throughout the province.”
The CBC reports that the project has long been discussed, with provincial transit agency Metrolinx completing the environmental study in 2011. Metrolinx is now once again accepting public comment on that plan.
Those two 90 degree curves near Thorton’s corner east will really slow the trains down. That is a restriction that IMO needs long range planning to eliminate those curves.