Metrolinx to double train service through Hamilton’s West Harbour GO

The province’s transit agency says it will double GO service operating out of Hamilton’s West Harbour station by the end of August.

Metrolinx says it will add four more trips in and out of the station daily — two in the morning and two in the afternoon — with all trips running express between Clarkson and Union Station.

The move will increase the overall number of trips operating from the James Street station from four on weekdays to eight starting Aug 31.

There will be four daily trips from West Harbour to Union Station, with the first at 6:09 a.m. and the last at 7:49 a.m., while the four afternoon/evening trips from Union to West Harbour will leave downtown Toronto between 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

READ MORE: Metrolinx adding 84 new weekly GO train trips in GTHA

The news comes as part of a larger plan to add 84 new weekly train trips across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, increasing the number of rush-hour, mid-day and evening rides.

Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikens told Global News the agency has big plans for the lightly used West Harbour Station, which is expected to be a part of quarterly expansion announcements by the agency in the near future.

“It absolutely will be a bigger hub, but we have to do the infrastructure first in order to make it a bigger hub,” said Aikens. “We have good plans for West Harbour and for all of those Hamilton-area stations, we just need to do the infrastructure first in order to be able to accomplish that.”

The primary piece of infrastructure Aikens is referring to is a third rail, which she said is challenging work due to the “uniqueness” of the area between Dejardins Canal and the station.

Also at issue are negotiations with Canadian National Railway which controls most rail lines in and around Hamilton.