Mississauga’s new mayor says that adding long-awaited GO train service to the city is one of his top goals as he gets ready to take office next month.
Tens of thousands of residents and workers in Mississauga, along with many more in Milton, have been waiting for years for expanded train service on an important GO line connecting both areas.
The idea of having two-way, all-day train service along the Milton GO route, which includes stops at several Mississauga stations heading to Toronto and back, seemed more likely with Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s announcement in early 2024 that the province fully supports the plan.
When pledging his government’s backing for improved GO train service in Mississauga and Milton, Ford urged the federal government “to be a full funding partner” in this project.
In 2021, Ottawa agreed to fund half of the estimated $1 billion Milton GO improvement plan.
However, discussions are still ongoing, and a funding agreement has yet to be finalized.
After winning decisively in Monday’s election, Mississauga mayor-elect Alvin Tedjo (he’ll take office on Nov. 16) promised during a press conference Tuesday morning to actively seek expansion of the Milton GO line.
“We need to ensure we’re securing funding for two-way, all-day GO here in the city of Mississauga along the Milton line,” Tedjo told reporters and residents at Celebration Square. He added that “we have a lot of municipal priorities that we’re going to advance … (there are a) lot of things we need to discuss with the provincial government.”
Tedjo mentioned multiple times during a heated mayoral campaign that residents are calling out for better transit options alongside lower taxes, safer neighborhoods, and affordability in their everyday lives.
Earlier in 2024, officials from the Ontario government introduced major plans for expanding GO train services aimed at “delivering all-day, two-way GO rail service along the Milton corridor by creating a fully separated passenger rail line.”
“The Milton GO rail corridor is the fourth-busiest line on our network and serves as an essential transit link between Milton, Mississauga and other parts of the Greater Golden Horseshoe,” stated officials from the province at that time.
The plan also included reinstating train trips while enhancing stations with new customer amenities (like expanding south parking lots and building a pedestrian bridge at Milton station) as well as advancing planning work needed for future two-way, all-day service.
“Everyone in Ontario deserves access to reliable transit options that connect them to good-paying jobs and housing,” said Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria then. He noted that improvements along the Milton corridor are “essential next steps in our mission to get commuters where they need to go when they need to be there.”
Around one year later, in January 2025, the province directed its transit agency Metrolinx to significantly broaden GO train services across southern Ontario.
At that time Premier Ford and Sarkaria sent a letter asking Metrolinx “to explore next-generation GO passenger train” services within Greater Golden Horseshoe. Referring to this proposal – something often suggested by Mississauga City – as GO 2.0; they asked Metrolinx to look into converting freight lines into passenger rail systems.
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