Metrolinx will be reintroducing the 4:50 p.m. express trip between Union Station and Kitchener after overcrowding issues plagued the Kitchener GO line throughout the month of January.
The express service was cancelled earlier this month to make room for service changes to the Kitchener GO line.
The Progressive Conservatives announced back in December that a number of morning trains to Union Station that usually begin in Brampton will also make stops in Kitchener, Guelph and Acton.
The changes resulted in packed platforms and overcrowded trains.
Commuters took to social media to complain about the loss of the express service, posting photos of riders standing on the stairs and in the corridors on the trains. One person claimed that passengers were standing in the bathrooms.
Metrolinx added two more coaches to the 5:02 p.m. train leaving from Union Station to help ease the overcrowding. This increased capacity on the trains by 360 seats.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown wrote an open letter to the Minister of Transportation on Jan. 9 alleging that the government made the service changes without consulting commuters in Brampton. He also asked the government to reconsider the cancellation of the express train and to add more coaches to the Kitchener GO line.
In an announcement on Monday afternoon, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster called the 4:50 p.m. express trip a “crucial service” for customers and apologized for the service transition.
“I want to just apologize to our customers for their stress on Jan. 7 and (Jan.) 8 as we introduced the new service,” Verster said. “We are going to make much better preparations this time round to make sure everybody understands what trains have changed in size, length and platforms.”
Metrolinx said the new train, which will be operational on Feb. 13, will provide more than 1,000 new seats during the afternoon commute.
The train will run express between Union Station and Bramalea GO stations and then service all stops afterwards to Kitchener.
