GO Transit bringing back 30-minute or better service on Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West lines

The first GO Transit MP40 locomotive arrives at the platform in Toronto on Jan. 15, 2008. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

GO Transit is bringing back 30-minute service or better on its Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West lines as part of a broader plan to boost train and bus frequency as more people return to work and other events.

The transit agency had dramatically scaled back its service in January due to staffing shortages and reduced ridership resulting from the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

That included a move to only hourly train on the Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West lines during evenings and weekends.

However as of April 2, the transit agency says that it will be brining back “30-minute service or better” on its busiest train lines in response to an expected increase in ridership.

It says that it is also adding two additional UP Express trips in each direction at the end of each day.

As a result the last eastbound trip will down depart Pearson International Airport at 11:27 p.m. and the last westbound trip will leave Union Station at 11 p.m.

Service frequency on the UP Express will remain at 30 minutes for the time being, compared to 15 minutes pre-pandemic.

“Beyond adding service, teams continue to monitor ridership on each bus and train closely to identify which train trips need extra coaches and which routes need more buses,” a release from Metrolinx detailing the service changes states. “That work to lengthen certain trips has started and will continue.”

GO Transit has previously reported an increase in ridership as the province lifts public health restrictions, however a spokesperson told CP24 two weeks ago that ridership was still only at 26 per cent of its pre-pandemic norm.