GO trains return to Hamilton’s West Harbour station after pandemic hiatus

Trains are returning to Hamilton's newest GO station after a pandemic hiatus.

All commuter rail service ground to a halt at the West Harbour station during the COVID-19 lockdown in March and April. (Limited train and bus service continued at the downtown Hamilton GO Centre.)

The service stoppage came just months after Metrolinx announced it would double the number of trains serving hard-luck West Harbour - a $45-million station so underused half the building was closed in 2019.

Limited train service will return - two morning departures and two afternoon arrivals - at West Harbour starting Sept. 8, said Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins. When combined with two trains at the downtown station, the city is still at about half the pre-pandemic level of commuter rail service.

Metrolinx is keeping an eye on customer levels" as COVID-wary cities reopen to business and will adjust train sizes and frequency as demand rises, said Aikins.

We see ridership creeping back up, slowly," said Aikins, who noted the number of people riding GO trains and buses throughout the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton plummeted 90 per cent during the lockdown. People are feeling more confident about coming back (to transit.)"

Across the GO network, ridership is back to about 55 per cent of the pre-pandemic normal. Pandemic ridership numbers for Hamilton were not available Tuesday.

If you get back on the train in September, prepare for pandemic schedule changes, Aikins warned.

Metrolinx has adjusted timings for virtually every trip" - including at Hamilton GO Centre - as part of a network-wide effort to better match bus schedules and accommodate rail partners" in crowded corridors like CN and Canadian Pacific.

GO passengers must also wear masks - in transit, but also in stations - and will notice plastic dividers installed between seats on a growing number of trains and buses.

Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com

New GO train schedule as of Sept. 8

Hamilton GO Centre: eastbound departures at 5:55 a.m. and 6:55 a.m.; westbound arrivals at 5:52 p.m. and 6:52 p.m.

West Harbour station: eastbound departures at 6:13 a.m. and 7:13 a.m.; westbound arrivals at 6:03 p.m. and 7:03 p.m.