Tell the neighbours – someone’s having work done.

Weston GO Station – an important community hub – is about to undergo significant upgrades.

The Metrolinx announcement of a list of renovations and advancements for GO Transit’s Kitchener Line stop recently went out to customers – and the neighbourhood – with work beginning June 5, 2019.

Serving both GO Transit and UP Express, it’s become a center of local community activity as Metrolinx has become another member of the neighbourhood.

On Sunday mornings many cars can be found in our parking lot while Grace Restoration Ministries holds morning church service. Reverend Barbara Lindsay sees Metrolinx as a good neighbour, recognizing: “Metrolinx is an asset to our ministry; we would not function without the service they provide us.”

And on warm Saturday mornings last summer, the main parking lot at Weston was used by the local farmer’s market before moving to its permanent location this year. And in the cold winter months, the station is a welcoming stop at the annual Weston Santa Claus parade.

The station is located on the south side of Lawrence Avenue West, just east of Weston Road. With GO Transit and UP Express, it not only connects the community to Toronto Pearson International Airport, but downtown Toronto to the southeast and Brampton and beyond to the northwest.

Starting in June 2019, Metrolinx is heading back to Weston Station to begin work on a third platform and a new track through the station limits. These enhancements are required to facilitate further increases to GO train service along the Kitchener corridor.

Here are some of the key improvements announced for Weston Station:

• A new rail platform with enhanced safety features.
• A new track through station limits connecting into the Kitchener fourth track completed late last year.
• Fully accessible connection to new and existing platforms.
• Improvements to station signage and landscaping.

Driving through Weston there are strong reminders of the early days of the community, and the vibrant mural at the GO/Up station created by artist Mahmood Popal perfectly tells that story. Extending the length of the kiss-and-ride at the main station, the mural uses historical imagery to capture the heart of a Weston resident.

Weston Station has become an important part of the community’s life and travels.

Now that hub is about to get upgrades to keep that movement going.