Several GO bus routes rerouted away from downtown Toronto due to congestion

Congestion in downtown Toronto has hamstrung the city’s bus station as a slew of summer events return for the first time since the pandemic, causing several GO bus routes to be diverted to suburban train stations.

An announcement posted to the GO Transit website said Route 16 (Hamilton), Route 21 (Milton) and Route 31 (Georgetown) buses would not enter downtown Toronto over the Sept. 10 and 11 weekend.

Instead, passengers will be asked to switch from their bus to a Lakeshore West GO train at Mississauga’s Port Credit GO Station.

The move has been forced by congestion as a result of summer events, sports games and construction projects, a spokesperson for provincial transit agency Metrolinx told Global News.

“The congestion in the downtown core has increased this summer, particularly on the weekends due to the return of events like the CNE, FanExpo, Blue Jays, TFC games and concerts such as Rolling Loud. Construction has also contributed to congestion,” the spokesperson said.

The decision to reroute buses away from downtown Toronto has been taken several times across the summer.

The three eastbound buses — 16, 21 and 31 — will not attempt to enter downtown Toronto, terminating in Mississauga. Other bus routes will continue to operate from GO Transit’s Union Station bus terminal.

The new two-storey bus terminal was unveiled to the public at the end of 2020, offering a centralized space for GO bus passengers to travel on routes across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and the Golden Horseshoe.

“We are actively communicating with our customers to ensure lots of awareness and planning can be possible while riding with us,” the spokesperson added.