At a media event today, Ontario’s Minister of Transportation, Glen Murray announced that the Ontario government is upgrading Etobicoke North GO Station “to make it easier for commuters to take public transit”.

Improvements to the station on GO Transit’s 31 Kitchener line include:

• Extending the platform to accommodate 12-car trains;
• Installing a raised mini-platform that connects to on-board train ramps for increased accessibility;
• Adding heated shelters and more lighting;
• Improving the bus loop and drop-off area; and
• Creating 10 more accessible parking spaces.

According to CityNews Toronto, the improvements cost about $5 million. The City report also quotes from Minister Murray, who explained more about the project:

“We often talk about the big projects but a lot of that [$9.1 billion in provincial funding] are not huge projects,” Murray told reporters. “This is a smaller project but it’s a critically important one,” he said, adding the line will be used for the Union-Pearson Express, the planned high-speed connection to the airport.

The government is already investing money to upgrade the train line, not only to support the UP Express line, but also to improve service along the entire south end of the 31 Kitchener line, as part of its Georgetown South Corridor project.