Kirby GO Station

Kirby
General information
LocationKirby Road west of Keele Street
Vaughan, Ontario
Coordinates43°53′21″N 79°31′28″W / 43.88917°N 79.52444°W / 43.88917; -79.52444
Owned byMetrolinx
PlatformsSide platforms[1]
Tracks2 + 1 bypass[2]
Connections York Region Transit
Construction
Parking1000[2]
AccessibleYes
Services
Preceding station GO Transit Following station
King City Barrie
Planned expansion
Maple

Kirby GO Station is a planned GO Transit train station to be built by Metrolinx on Kirby Road in Vaughan, Ontario, as part of GO Transit's Regional Express Rail (RER) expansion program. Approximately 1000 parking spaces will be provided on the east side of the station. A bus loop and a kiss and ride area will also be provided.[1]

Although a station in the area had previously been supported by local politicians,[3] it wasn't until 2015 that Metrolinx proposed it, as part of a larger list of possible future station sites.[4] The station was ultimately included on the list of stations to be built in the RER program.[5] In March 2018, a Metrolinx report found that the station would save them C$437 million, with introduction of express service expected to reduce the impact on riders north of Kirby.[6]

In December 2018, an Auditor General's report found that Metrolinx improperly approved the station under political pressure from then-Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca and recommended that the MTO conduct an independent review of the station.[7][8] The report found that the station would cause ridership loss of 57,000 people in 2031.[9] Because of this, the timing of the station's construction and opening is uncertain and the station remains unfunded as of 2022.[10][11]

  1. ^ a b "Kirby GO Station - Public Meeting Slides" (PDF). metrolinx.com. Metrolinx. April 30, 2018. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Kirby GO Station - Transportation and Traffic Impact Analysis" (PDF). metrolinx.com. Metrolinx. August 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  3. ^ Martin-Robbins, Adam (April 16, 2014). "Maple/Kleinburg councillor drives petition for new GO station in north Vaughan". YorkRegion.com. Torstar. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  4. ^ Woo, Leslie (September 22, 2015). "New Stations Analysis: Methodology and Process" (PDF). metrolinx.com. Metrolinx. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "GO Regional Express Rail 10-Year Program: New Stations Analysis" (PDF). metrolinx.com. Metrolinx. 28 June 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  6. ^ "GO Expansion RER New Stations Business Case Analysis" (PDF). metrolinx.com. Metrolinx. March 2018. pp. 43–46. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  7. ^ Spurr, Ben (5 December 2018). "Metrolinx improperly approved GO stations under political pressure, Ontario's auditor general finds". Toronto Star. Torstar. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  8. ^ Queen, Lisa (December 5, 2018). "Former MPP Del Duca 'influenced' choice of Vaughan GO train station: report". Vaughan Citizen. Torstar. Metroland Media. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "Chapter 3|Section 3.06|Metrolinx—GO Station Selection" (PDF). auditor.on.ca. Auditor General of Ontario. December 5, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  10. ^ "Committee of the Whole Report". pub-vaughan.escribemeetings.com. City of Vaughan. May 7, 2019. p. 8. Retrieved February 29, 2020. the timing of Kirby GO station is uncertain as it undergoes MTO's independent assessment and proposed "Market Driven Approach" for delivery
  11. ^ Al-Shibeeb, Dina (March 31, 2022). "On the right track? Vaughan looks to GO Transit rail lines to connect growing city". Vaughan Citizen. Metroland Media. Retrieved July 20, 2024.