TORONTO, April 8, 2009 /CNW/ - GO Transit and CN announced today that the Toronto area commuter rail agency will acquire CN’s Weston Subdivision for expanded GO service between Union Station and regions northwest of the city.
This strategically important rail line runs from a point near Strachan Avenue and Wellington Street West in downtown Toronto, northwest through the city to CN’s main east-west freight line near the intersection of Steeles Avenue and Bramalea Road. The purchase is valued at C$160 million.
GO currently runs its Georgetown commuter rail service over the line, which also accommodates VIA Rail trains running between Toronto, Kitchener, and other points in southwestern Ontario. In total, the two passenger carriers operate 46 trains per day over the line, while CN operates three daily local freight trains along this corridor.
Under its agreement with GO Transit, CN will continue to serve its freight customers on the Weston Subdivision. VIA will also continue to operate trains on the line.
By owning the Georgetown rail corridor, GO is better positioned to add more service, build new infrastructure, and expand its operations along that line. This acquisition aligns with GO Transit’s Strategic Plan, GO 2020.
“This is a major step forward for future growth and expansion along this already busy corridor,” said GO Transit Chairman Peter Smith. “This purchase sets the framework for future GO rail corridor purchases, and we look forward to continuing our strong, long-standing partnership with CN.”
Claude Mongeau, CN executive vice-president and chief financial officer, said: “CN is pleased to have reached this line-sale agreement with GO Transit. GO is a valuable CN customer - the vast majority of its services in the Greater Toronto Area operate over CN’s rail network - and we believe this transaction and our continuing partnership with GO will help to advance commuter rail and its clear environmental benefits to the Toronto region. At the same time, our line sale - reflecting CN’s tight focus on asset management - will also generate value for the company.”
GO Transit is the Province of Ontario’s interregional public transit system linking Toronto with the surrounding regions of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). GO carries nearly 55 million passengers a year in an extensive network of train and bus services that spans over 8,000 square kilometres.
CN - Canadian National Railway Company and its operating railway subsidiaries - spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information on CN, visit the company’s website at www.cn.ca.
For further information: Contacts for CN: Media, Mark Hallman, Director, Communications, Media, (905) 669-3384, mark.hallman@cn.ca; Investment Community, Robert Noorigian, Vice-President, (514) 399-0052, robert.noorigian@cn.ca; Contacts for GO Transit: Media, Vanessa Thomas, Media Relations & Issues Specialist, (416) 869-3600 x5264
