GO Train service between London and Toronto ending this fall as VIA Rail returns

A pilot project that provided Go Train service between London and Toronto will no longer operate starting this fall, its parent company Metrolinx has announced. 

But VIA Rail announced it is planning to bring back a similar train route that hasn't run since before the pandemic. 

The London GO pilot project will run its last route on Friday Oct. 13, exactly about two years after it first launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also had stops in St Mary's and Stratford.

The service was a result of an agreement between Metrolinx, Ontario's regional transit agency, CN, and VIA Rail Canada, to operate with the existing infrastructure, including tracks and stations. 

Now that the arrangement is ending in the fall and the contract will not be renewed, Metrolinx will no longer have access to the infrastructure. 

"We remain committed to serving commuters and will look to redeploy those assets where appropriate to meet demand," a Metrolinx spokesperson said in a statement.

In its first six months after launching, Metrolinx officials couldn't determine how successful the program was due to the pandemic's upending of ridership. 

Ridership numbers provided to CBC News from March, 2022 to May of this year remained fairly steady, with the highest boarding in September and October. 

Plans for return of VIA Rail's 82-83 route in the works

Via Rail has announced that it has charted a course that will bring back train 82-83, which used to run between London and Toronto before the pandemic.

"We are currently in discussions with our infrastructure partners to coordinate the resumption of this service and these discussions are going well," a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Via Rail's current operation in the Quebec-Windsor corridor has a daily average of 50 frequencies, a drop from pre-pandemic numbers which saw 62 daily frequencies.

"Although our train services were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of available rolling stock is the core reason we have been unable to resume our full schedule."

As Via Rail introduced its 32 new train sets that started in the spring and will continue through 2025, the Crown corporation is rebuilding its car inventory, allowing for the return of some previously suspended frequencies. 

Although there's no date on when the trains will return, the corporation said it hopes to have more positive news to share in the coming days.