General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | 24 Essa Road Barrie, Ontario L4N 9C8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 44°22′27″N79°41′16″W / 44.37417°N 79.68778°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Metrolinx/City of Barrie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | GO Transit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 side platform 6 bus bays | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 1 + 1 bypass | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Connections | Barrie Transit Simcoe County LINX Ontario Northland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | 150 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Station code | GO Transit: AD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fare zone | 69 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 19 June 1905 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Closed | 1980 (building; reopened 1990-1993) 1996 (platform) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Allandale Waterfront GO Station [1] [2] is a train and bus station serving as the northern terminus of GO Transit's Barrie line. The station was built just south of Allandale Station, a historic train station that occupies a large property on the southern shore of Kempenfelt Bay (Lake Simcoe) in the waterfront area of Barrie, Ontario, Canada. The current and former station were built on a burial site of the Huron indigenous peoples.
Construction of the new facility began in 2009. GO Transit announced on 15 June 2011 that the station would open in the autumn of 2011, [3] [4] but construction delayed its opening until January 2012. Bus service to the station began on 28 January 2012, with the train service following two days later. [5] A ceremonial train trip from Allandale Waterfront GO Station to Bradford GO Station officially opened the station on 29 January 2012. [6]
The Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Union Railway (OS&HUR) first built a station here in 1853. Four historic stations, the last of which still stands on the site near the present station, was built in 1904 and opened by then-operator Grand Trunk Railway on 19 June 1905. [7] [8] [9] The station was used by Grand Trunk and later Canadian National Railway (both of which had trains branching northwards from here to serve either North Bay or Meaford), Ontario Northland, and Via Rail until closing in 1980. [9] However, Ontario Northlands's Northlander and Via's Canadian continued to stop at the closed station's platform until 1992 and 1996 respectively. In 1990, GO Transit itself reopened it during its first attempt to extend service into Barrie (running one rush hour train per direction), but terminated the service in 1993 due to low ridership. In 1992, during this reopening period, the Northlander was rerouted to the Bala Subdivision east of Lake Simcoe, but the Canadian served the platform until September 22, 1996, when it was also rerouted. Shortly thereafter, CN lifted the rails between the junction just to the north of the station to Longford, but the branch to the northwest, the former Meaford Subdivision, was retained as a connector to the shortline Barrie-Collingwood Railway. [10]
The Allandale Community Development Corporation or 'ACDC' (with City interests) purchased the buildings and adjacent 7 acres (28,000 m2) from CNR after train service was discontinued in the 1980s. [11] ACDC then sold the station to CHUM Ltd in 2000.
CHUM Ltd. purchased the 6.9 acres (28,000 m2) of land, including the station buildings, for CA$1,050,000 in 2000. CHUM planned to restore the Allandale Station building as part of their plan to develop of a new broadcast centre on the site for their television station, CKVR, but changed their plan in 2004. In 2007, CHUM agreed to sell the property to the city for the same amount CHUM originally paid. CHUM received a Charitable Donation tax receipt reflecting the increased value of the property since 2000 largely due to the restoration and site works completed by CHUM. [12]
Construction of the new Allandale Waterfront GO Station (located adjacent to the historic Allandale Station) broke ground in spring 2010 and the station officially opened on 28 January 2012. Redevelopment of the station cost approximately $5 million. [13]
The Allandale station site is located on a site used by indigenous peoples. Prior to the original railway construction, a large pit of several hundred indigenous peoples' remains was found. Other ossuaries were found in 1884 and 1889. [14]
It was the subject of an archeological excavation, during which objects were recovered from the Uren substage of the Middle Ontario Iroquoian period. [15] It has been dated to the late 12th to early 13th century and was used as a fishing station by the Huron people. [15] It is the only documented fishing station from the Uren period, and one of few sites of that period to have been discovered. [15]
The site is regarded by archeologists as a temporary location "for exploitation of local fish resources". [16] Numerous fish remains were found in the site's midden, but no longhouses were found there. [16]
Analysis of the fish remains indicates that various species were caught for consumption at this site. These include species in the family Catostomidae (110 white sucker, 23 longnose sucker, and 103 specimens from other genus Catostomus species), family Percidae (34 yellow perch and 1 walleye), as well as 12 Ictaluridae, 14 largemouth bass and 4 smallmouth bass, 5 Centrarchidae, and specimens from several other species. [16]
In 2011, human bone fragment remains were discovered underneath the crawl space of the original station's office building at the site during an excavation for an archeological site assessment as part of grading work for the new train station. [17] These were later determined to have been in the fill used as backfill for the foundation, but were of indeterminate origin. [17] An incisor found amongst those remains was interpreted to be part of the Uren archeological material, but data are insufficient to ascertain its ultimate origin. [17]
The Huron-Wendat people consider the site to be a disturbed site of indigenous remains which could be an ossuary. The original train station and yard's construction disturbed the remains and the new station disturbed them further without proper archaeological study. [14] Further, the construction of the GO station did not follow Government of Ontario heritage regulations, which prohibited the disturbance of human remains at a known site. [14]
The station buildings comprise a federally designated heritage railway station protected by the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act. [18] The Italianate structures are near the southwest shore of Kempenfeldt Bay, separated from it by a public park. [19] [15] The station complex was originally adjacent to the bay until the land behind the station was infilled and levelled to build a rail yard. [19]
The station complex consists of a station building, an office building, and a restaurant adjacent to each other along the rail line. They have a uniform roof pitch, and form an atypical layout for a railway station. [19] The low-pitched roof and deep overhanging eaves are indicative of Prairie School design influence. [15] Two of the buildings were designed by the Detroit firm Spier & Rohns and built in 1904 by Richard Scruton. The station opened in 1905. [15]
The interior and exterior features of the buildings are provincially protected under an Ontario Heritage Trust conservation easement. [15] The station building was considered the "flagship of the Grand Trunk" upon its opening. [19]
Allandale Waterfront station has a weekday train service consisting of 7 trains southbound to Union Station in the morning, and 7 trains returning northbound from Union Station in the afternoon. At other times, GO bus route 68 operates hourly to Aurora GO Station where passengers can transfer to the all-day train service to Toronto. [20]
Weekend train service consists of 5 trains in each direction throughout the day. GO bus route 68 also operates hourly to Aurora GO station or East Gwillimbury GO station where passengers can connect to the hourly weekend train service to Toronto. [20]
Simcoe County LINX bus service from Wasaga Beach serves this station. [21]
Intercity services using the Barrie Bus Terminal are slated to move to the Barrie Allandale Transit Terminal [22] which is being built adjacent to the GO station.
Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part of the extended urban area in southern Ontario known as the Greater Golden Horseshoe. As of the 2021 census, the city's population was 147,829, while the census metropolitan area had a population of 212,667 residents.
Orillia is a city in Ontario, Canada, about 30 km north-east of Barrie in Simcoe County. It is located at the confluence of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality. It is part of the Huronia region of Central Ontario. The population in 2021 was 33,411.
Innisfil is a town in Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County, immediately south of Barrie and 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Toronto. It has historically been a rural area, but since it is geographically sandwiched between the high-growth areas of Barrie and the York Region, there has been growing residential development in Innisfil.
Union Station is a major railway station and intermodal transportation hub in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station is located in downtown Toronto, on Front Street West, on the south side of the block bounded by Bay Street and York Street. The municipal government of Toronto owns the station building while the provincial transit agency Metrolinx owns the train shed and trackage. It is operated by the Toronto Terminals Railway, a joint venture of the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, which directs and controls train movement along the Union Station Rail Corridor, the largest and busiest rail corridor in Canada. Constructed in 1927, Union Station has been a National Historic Site of Canada since 1975, and a Heritage Railway Station since 1989.
Simcoe County is a county and census division located in the central region of Ontario, Canada. The county is located north of the Greater Toronto Area, and forms the north western edge of the Golden Horseshoe. The county seat is located in Midhurst. The cities of Barrie and Orillia are geographically within Simcoe County, but are both politically independent single-tier municipalities.
Bradford is the primary country urban area of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario, in Canada. It overlooks a farming community, known as The Holland Marsh, located on the Holland River that flows into Lake Simcoe.
Oro-Medonte is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, on the northwestern shores of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County.
Barrie is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto in a generally northward direction to Barrie, and includes ten stations along its 101.4 kilometres (63.0 mi) route. From 1982 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2007, it was known as the Bradford line, named after its former terminus at Bradford GO Station until the opening of Barrie South GO Station.
The Northern Railway of Canada was a railway in the province of Ontario, Canada. It was the first steam railway to enter service in what was then known as Upper Canada. It was eventually acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway, and is therefore a predecessor to the modern Canadian National Railway (CNR). Several sections of the line are still used by CNR and GO Transit.
Maple GO Station is a train and bus station on GO Transit's Barrie line, located in Maple, Ontario, Canada. It is Ontario's oldest operating railway station, with passenger service dating back to 1853.
Aurora GO Station is a railway station and bus station in the GO Transit network located on Wellington Street East between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Barrie line train service, and connects with York Region Transit local bus routes, and the GO Express Bus between Newmarket Bus Terminal and Union Station Bus Terminal.
Newmarket GO Station is a train and bus station in the GO Transit network located in the Old Davis Tannery Centre on the north side of Davis Drive East in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, and is a stop on the Barrie line train service. It is a little over two kilometres east of the Newmarket Bus Terminal, at Davis Drive West and Eagle Street, which is a terminus for GO Bus, York Region Transit and Viva BRT services.
Bradford GO Station is a railway station and bus station in the GO Transit network located in Bradford, Ontario in Canada. It is 67 km north of Union Station in downtown Toronto, and was the terminus of the Bradford line before it was extended to Barrie and renamed the Barrie line on December 17, 2007.
Metrolinx is a transportation agency in Ontario, Canada. It is a Crown agency that manages and integrates road and public transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). It was created as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority on June 22, 2006, and adopted its present name as a brand name in 2007 and eventually as the legal name in 2009. It is headquartered at Union Station in Toronto.
The Barrie-Collingwood Railway, commonly referred to as the BCRY, is a shortline railway operating between the towns of Innisfil and Utopia in south central Ontario, Canada. The line was started in 1998 and runs on former Canadian National (CN) trackage which was collectively purchased by the railway's namesake municipalities. The BCRY continues to run under the ownership of the City of Barrie and is operated by Cando Rail Services Ltd., based in Brandon, Manitoba.
The Barrie Bus Terminal, also called the Barrie Transit Terminal or Barrie Bus Depot, is an intercity and municipal bus station in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. It serves as one of five hubs for the local Barrie Transit system as well as the city's stop on intercity bus routes operated by GO Transit, and Ontario Northland. The terminal was built in 1991 to replace the old terminal across the street built in 1956. The building also houses some administration offices for Barrie Transit.
The CN Newmarket Subdivision is a rail line in Ontario operated by Canadian National Railway (CNR). The original route runs northward from just west of Union Station in downtown Toronto, ending just south of North Bay. A short portion between Allandale in Barrie and Longford outside Orillia was lifted in 1996, and the southern section sold off in parts to Metrolinx. Metrolinx operates the southern section as their Barrie line, while CN continues to operate the northern section from Longford to North Bay. The severed northern section was never renamed, despite it no longer running through its namesake town. Access to Toronto is currently via the Bala Subdivision at Washago Junction, a short distance north of the remaining section's southern terminus, which is now used as a spur serving industries.
The Hamilton and North-Western Railway (H&NW) is a former railway in Ontario, Canada. It ran north from Hamilton on the western end of Lake Ontario to Collingwood on Georgian Bay and Barrie on Lake Simcoe. Through the purchase of the Hamilton and Lake Erie Railway, the route continued south from Hamilton to Port Dover on Lake Erie.
The Canadian National Railway (CN) Bala Subdivision is a major railway line in Ontario, Canada. It runs between the provincial capital of Toronto in Southern Ontario and Capreol in Northern Ontario, where the line continues as the Ruel Subdivision. It forms part of CN's transcontinental mainline between Southern Ontario and Western Canada.
Simcoe County LINX is a public transport service managed by Simcoe County and operated by First Student Canada, which is responsible for inter-community regional bus service throughout Simcoe County, connecting rural towns and townships to cities in the county such as Barrie and Orillia. Service began in 2018 with a single trial route, operating with a mixed fleet of low-floor midibuses and accessible paratransit vehicles. In August 2019, service was expanded to four routes, five routes in 2020 and six routes in August 2021.