Necessary upgrades along the entire Lakeshore East route are essential to providing faster, more frequent service on electric trains and a connection to the new 15.6-km Ontario Line subway at the future East Harbour Transit Hub.

A work block is scheduled for this weekend which is important for both GO Expansion and the Ontario Line. It includes removal of an old and out-of-use platform on the Queen Street bridge, that was once in use when a Grand Trunk Railway station existed on the site.

Metrolinx schedules weekend construction very carefully  to limit impacts where possible and ensure the optimal amount of work can be performed simultaneously. Over this weekend, crews will also work in several other areas along the Lakeshore East Line, delivering accessibility upgrades at Eglinton GO, concrete tie replacements in Scarborough, demolitions in the Don Yard and East Harbour Transit Hub, and improvements to both the Highland Creek and Rouge River bridges.

Four aging rail bridges in Toronto’s east end – at Eastern Avenue, Queen Street East, Dundas Street East, and Logan Avenue – are reaching the end of their service life and will be replaced this summer. They will be rebuilt for the future, with new tracks designed for expanded GO services, and repositioned to make room for the Ontario Line, whose bridges will be built next to them. Metrolinx will share news as dates and times are finalized.

Once the Ontario Line is complete, Lakeshore East riders will gain a new convenient way to enter Toronto’s downtown core without going through Union Station. They will have the option of transferring to the new subway in a new station at East Harbour, by the Don River.

Seamless connections like this are part of Metrolinx’s vision for a future where transit will offer the growing population transit options that are more convenient, helping people get from point A to point B faster, while encouraging more people to leave the car at home.

Weekend details

Construction will shut down Lakeshore East rail service from approximately 9:00 p.m. on Friday, July 21, through end of service on Sunday the 23^rd. Shuttle buses will be available between the Durham College Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, and Pickering GO Stations, and the Union Station Bus Terminal.

As always, GO Bus options include Routes 90B, 92 and 96. Route 88 passengers are reminded to check connection times for shuttle buses at Durham College Oshawa GO prior to travel.

Customers who use stations in the City of Toronto will continue to have access to TTC services.

More details on the July 21-23 weekend service changes can be found on the GO website.

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