Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from Ajax, Rob Cerjanec, has launched a community petition urging the Ontario government to immediately restore express GO Train service to Durham Region and move forward on electrifying the Lakeshore East line.
“Commuters in Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, and Oshawa face some of the longest daily commutes in Ontario,” Cerjanec said. “They deserve a transit system that is fast, frequent, and reliable. Instead, the government has not made meaningful progress on bringing back express trains and stalled on electrifying the GO Lakeshore East line, leaving our region behind.”
Express service on the GO Lakeshore East line was cancelled in September 2021 to accommodate Ontario Line and East Harbour construction, with a promised return in August 2024. However, no timeline or update has been provided. The government first committed to GO Train electrification in 2018, but the project has repeatedly stalled, said a statement from the MPP.
Release Public Timeline
The petition calls on the province to restore express service to and from Durham Region on the Lakeshore East line, and to proceed without further delay on electrification, including releasing a clear public timeline with updated milestones and delivery dates.
“Reliable transit is not a luxury—it is a necessity for working families, for reducing congestion on our overcrowded highways, and for cutting emissions,” Cerjanec said. “Durham residents are tired of waiting. It’s time for Metrolinx and the government to deliver on its promises.”
The petition is open for signatures from Ajax and Durham Region residents at www.golakeshore.ca.
Let’s make the main priority of getting the GO-Train to Bowmanville first, we can worry about electrification after the fine people of Clarington get to access the GO-Train from stations in Clarington.
Electrified trains won’t resolve anything. It’s a way to catering to the sustainability crowd that don’t understand the true pollution of ev things. Glad to great you are happy to push it off and look towards expansion.
The Oshawa to Bowmanville extension has been nothing but talk,talk,talk,vote for me ,I will make it happen.(for over 30 years)It nice to know it moving in “baby steps”,so to speak. Being retired with 40 years of service with CP Rail. I can tell you it is No easy feat to construct track from Oshawa to Bowmanville,especially when it was constructed as a single rail line ,well over 100 years ago(1912) Please consider this,getting the rail line over the 401 highway to the CP Rail line from the Oshawa Via, GO, station(why they call Oshawa station Durham college or something is beyond me,but I know it’s something political) Now the design is over the 401,double tracking over and under bridges,that were constructed to handle single trackage will be a construction feat in its self(example over the Harmony Creek) then onward to Bowmanville. one interesting point on the CP Rail line over the Oshawa Creek bridge,it was rebuilt during the late 1960s ,you can see support structures in place for a doulble track.AND ABOVE All THIS CPRail(sorry,CP Rail is now CPKC,sorry I’m old school) I agree,before you plug in this train set with electricity,GET THE TRACKS LAID! Without all the political B.S. that is always derailing it,then you can all STAND CLEAR OF DOORS. (One final point,CP RAIL does not want in any way shape or form of delays on this line during construction,all rail traffic on this line is time sensitive)1