Ontario government extends weekend GO Train service to Niagara Falls

A GO Transit locomotive sits on the tracks at Union Station in Toronto, Tuesday, Jan. 15 2008. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)

The Ontario government is extending weekend GO Train service between Toronto and Niagara Falls to run all year long in an effort to draw more visitors to one of the province’s busiest tourism hubs.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Friday and said the increased service would be a “huge boost” to the region.

“This is just one part of our mission to build Ontario by bringing more transit options to one of the fastest growing areas of the province,” Ford said.

Prior to Friday’s announcement, the service only ran Monday to Friday and seasonally over the weekends.

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The change will now see trains make two round trips each day on Saturday, Sunday and holiday Mondays starting Oct. 15.

Riders can purchase weekend passes for $10, which provides unlimited travel on any one of those days. For an extra 5$, riders can get unlimited travel for the full weekend, including holidays.

The announcement is welcome news to businesses in Niagara Falls, which were particularly hit hard following COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions.

Before then, Niagara Falls would regularly see 12 million visitors annually.

That number dropped by two thirds at the height of the pandemic, according to Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, who spoke with CTV News Toronto back in May of 2020.

Year-round weekend service to Niagara Falls from Union Station was first introduced in 2019 but came to a screeching halt following the onset of COVID-19.

GO train service to Niagara is currently is available on weekdays, and seasonally on weekends. 

Ford explained he had always planned to resume the service “as soon as possible” and said that Friday’s announcement makes good on that promise.