Full steam ahead for new GO station in Hamilton

Minister Glen Murray addresses the need for increased transportation infrastructure in downtown Hamilton.

In a press conference on Friday May 31 at the downtown Hamilton GO station, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Glen Murray announced plans for a new GO station to be built on James Street North.

Under the boiling afternoon sun, Murray, joined by local MPP Ted McMeekin, Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina and other government officials, outlined the need surrounding transportation infrastructure investment and development, and the importance of the project for Hamilton.

The station will be constructed nearby the historic Liuna Station and include multi-level parking with 300 spaces, new bus bays, a pick-up and drop-off zone and pedestrian walkways. The station’s main point of service will be to add two more train trips in the morning and afternoon to Toronto on the Lakeshore line, every day of the week. The current GO station on Hunter Street near St. Joseph's Hospital will continue to operate and will not be affected by the addition of the James North station.

The announcement follows recent buzz about continuing LRT (Light Rapid Transit) talks and what Metrolinx and the Ontario Government’s “Big Move” strategy means for Hamilton. While evading direct discussion of LRT in Hamilton, Murray did stress the need to catch Hamilton up with other cities in terms of transportation. Specifically, Murray outlined the need to do so in order to retain McMaster graduates.

“Young people who graduate from McMaster look around and see no LRT, they see limited GO service, they don’t see subways in this region, and they look to Chicago and they look to New York… [where] they see good governance [with transportation],” Murray said.

While a final budget and an exact time frame are still in the works, the station is set to begin construction in early 2014 and be completed by 2015. This schedule is coordinated to align with the Pan/Parapan Am Games’ arrival in Hamilton during the summer of 2015, although the station will continue operations after the Games are done.

A preliminary rendering reveals the plan for the new GO station, to be built on James Street North in 2014.