Our councillor, Mike Layton, has been getting (more) press in recent weeks as he pushes for Go Trains to ease the burden on a very busy TTC to and from Liberty Village.
Mr. Layton, says area residents and workers who use the GO train to travel (the roughly three kilometres between the Exhibition stop and Union Station) are paying the highest rates in the system based on distance. – $4.85 for a five-minute ride. And they must shell out even more if they want to use the TTC to reach their final destination.
At this time, there is no easy solution to improve service to those who currently use the King Streetcar and the population in Liberty Village is expected to double in the coming years, Mr. Layton says it only makes sense for the TTC and GO Transit to work together and give riders a break with an integrated fare.
Metrolinx, the provincial agency that operates GO Transit, also indicated its “willingness to examine the possibility of an integrated fare.” The province recently increased service on the Lakeshore line – which is the line our Liberty Village station is on. “About 650 people board the train at the station on a typical day, with another 600 disembarking there. There is capacity for more commuters to use the station. They are currently studying what effect adding TTC riders would have on the current volume of commuters.
Mr. Layton is also asking that Metrolinx consider adding a stop on the existing GO line to the north of Liberty Village – the Georgetown line that will also provide service to the airport. YES PLEASE!!
Will this solve the transportation woes of Liberty Villagers? Maybe, maybe not but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
The original article can be found here.
