Richmond Hill line

Richmond Hill is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It operates between Union Station in Toronto to Gormley GO Station in the north in Richmond Hill. Trains on the line operate only during weekday peak hours (morning trains southbound, afternoon trains northbound), while off-peak weekday times are served by the GO bus route 61.

Richmond Hill
GO Train travels south through the Don Valley
Overview
Owner	Metrolinx (Toronto) Canadian National Railway (York Region)
Locale	Toronto; Richmond Hill
Stations	6 (plus 1 under construction)
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	GO Transit rail services
Operator(s)	GO Transit
Daily ridership	10,293 (2016)
History
Opened	May 1, 1978
Technical
Line length	42.3 km (26.3 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map km 45.9 Bloomington 42.3 Gormley 33.8 Richmond Hill 29.5 Langstaff Richmond Hill Centre Highway 407 25.9 Doncaster Junction 22.7 Old Cummer Don River Highway 401 19.6 Oriole Leslie Don Valley Parkway CPR Belleville subdivision CPR trestle Don River Don Valley Parkway CPR trestle CPR North Toronto subdivision Prince Edward Viaduct Line 2 Bloor–Danforth Don River CPR Belleville subdivision Don Yard 0 Union Station

History

A Richmond Hill commuter train service had been announced in 1969 by the provincial government, but its implementation was cancelled in 1970 in favour of bus commuter service.[1]

Following a promotional opening on Saturday April 29, the Richmond Hill line became the fourth GO Transit rail line on Monday, May 1, 1978. The opening had been delayed because the BiLevel coaches ordered for the Lakeshore line were not delivered on time, so existing Lakeshore line trains were not available to be redeployed on the Richmond Hill line.[2]

The layout of the line remained generally unchanged from 1978 to 2016, when the line was extended north to the new Gormley station. This extension was part of the GO 2020 strategy, which aims to extend the line north to Aurora Road in Whitchurch-Stouffville.[3][4] Phase I of the project, which was completed in late 2016, established the Gormley GO Station where the line intersects Stouffville Road, created a train layover facility at Bethesda Road, and graded the corridor for the extension.[4] Phase II of the project will extend the line further north to the new Bloomington GO Station, which is planned to open by 2021.[5]

Route

The Richmond Hill line operates over the CN Bala Subdivision, which is owned by Metrolinx between Union Station and Doncaster Diamond, where the line crosses the CN York Subdivision. North of Doncaster Diamond, the line is owned by Canadian National and is part of its transcontinental freight route.

The Via Rail Canadian transcontinental service from Vancouver to Toronto operates along the entire route of the Richmond Hill line, but does not stop at any stations other than Union.[6]

Stations

Station	Community	Municipality	Regional Mun.	Fare zone	Distance (km)[7]	Connections
Bloomington (Opens 2021)	Oak Ridges	Richmond Hill	York	TBD	45.9
Gormley	Gormley			62	42.3
Richmond Hill	Richmond Hill			61	33.8
Langstaff	Langstaff			60	29.5	(via Richmond Hill Centre)
Old Cummer	North York	Toronto		05	22.7	TTC
Oriole					19.6	(via Leslie station) TTC
Union Station	Toronto			02	0.0	TTC

Future

As a part of the GO Transit Regional Express Rail (RER) initiative, train service along the Richmond Hill line is planned to be expanded over the next decade. During peak hours, trains would run in peak direction every 15–30 minutes along this line.[8] To implement the planned RER service, the Richmond Hill line would need $1 billion in flood mitigation and a grade separation in the Doncaster area.[6]

See also

• Toronto Transit Commission
• York Region Transit
• Canadian National Railways

References

1. "Refund request 'amusing to robarts, but not to Medcof". The Era. 3 June 1970. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
2. "Rail line ready but trains late". The Liberal. 22 February 1978. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
3. "GO Transit reveals Strategic Plan - GO 2020". GO Transit. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
4. "Expansion Projects". GO Transit. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
5. "New GO station blooms in Richmond Hill". Metrolinx News. Metrolinx. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
6. Kalinowski, Tess (17 April 2015). "GO to add almost 50 per cent more trains in next 5 years". Toronto Star. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
7. Delcan/Arup (30 July 2010). "Electrification Baseline Draft Report" (PDF). GO Transit. GO Transit. Retrieved 12 December 2016. (Page 58)
8. "Ontario Improving GO Transit Service Along All Corridors" (Press release). Ontario Ministry of Transportation. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2018.

External links

• GO Transit: Richmond Hill GO Train & Bus Service Schedule (PDF)
• AECOM (August 2009). "Richmond Hill Layover Facility Environmental Assessment (EA) and Project Design" (PDF). GO Transit. ITC-2006-EN-002. Retrieved 2017-07-17.