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Daily, year-round GO train service between Hamilton and Niagara is one step closer to becoming a reality. Niagara politicians are stepping up their campaign and committing $40 million needed for the rail service, which they say would cost a total of between $100 and $120 million .
The proposed plan is calling for year round train service between Niagara and Hamilton which would tie into the existing Lakeshore west line to Toronto. There would be 7 trains in and 7 trains out. They would make stops in Grimsby, St.Catharines and Niagara Falls.
The project is pegged at $120 million, the region has pledged a third of that but is still waiting on commitments from both the Provincial and Federal government.
Officials say they worked through 17 obstacles since their last meeting with the province in March. One of them included the Welland canal crossing. City officials managed to get commitment, in writing from the St.Lawrence Seaway management corporation for dedicated crossing times.
The other major hurdle, using the existing Canadian National Railway lines without coming into conflict with freight shipments. CN has agreed to the GO train proposal but it would cost $50 million to make the necessary track improvements. A cost officials have accounted for in their overall budget.
The new GO train line is projected to have an economic impact of about $195 million and the Niagara GO team is hoping for a fully functional system as early as 2017. The proposed plan will be presented to the province in April and decision on whether the new train line is a go would come no later than June when the province is set to announce its next phase of GO rail projects.
