General information | |||||||||||||
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Location | 121 Wellington Street East Aurora, Ontario Canada | ||||||||||||
Coordinates | 44°00′02″N79°27′35″W / 44.00056°N 79.45972°W | ||||||||||||
Owned by | Metrolinx | ||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||||
Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||||
Connections | York Region Transit | ||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||
Structure type | Heritage wood frame station building | ||||||||||||
Parking | 1725 spaces | ||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||
Station code | GO Transit: AU | ||||||||||||
Fare zone | 63 | ||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||
Opened | 1853 (OS&H) | ||||||||||||
Rebuilt | 1900 (GTR) 1982 (GOT) | ||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||
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Designated | 1990 | ||||||||||||
Reference no. | 6500 |
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.
Aurora station opened on 16 May 1853, when steam train service began between Toronto and Machell's Corners, as Aurora was then known, on the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway. [1] The first train was led by the Toronto, the first locomotive built in Canada, completed at the James Good foundry Toronto Locomotive Works on 16 April 1853. [2] The train consist included two boxcars carrying freight, one passenger coach car, and one mixed passenger and baggage car. [3] This first voyage is commemorated by a plaque installed in 1953 at Union Station in Toronto, [4] as well as a steam locomotive bell placed first at Centennial Park in May 1963, which has since been relocated to Aurora station. There is also a plaque placed in a small parkette at the station by the Board of Trade and another placed by the Province of Ontario to remember the event. [5]
The train's arrival at the Wellington Street train station was greeted with cheers from nearly all residents of the community, who had assembled at the station, and the event was celebrated with a fireworks display. [1] Connection to the railway led to prosperity for Aurora, with the development of two hotels, a wagon maker, a brewery, and other businesses. [1] In 1855 the line was completed to Collingwood.
In 1900, Grand Trunk Railway constructed the present building to a standard plan design with a porte-cochère and low profile. [6] The building was designated a provincial heritage building in 1971 and a federal heritage railway station in 1990. [7]
The station building was renovated after GO Transit became the exclusive passenger carrier in 1992.
On August 21, 2012, GO Transit opened a new bus loop to accommodate all GO and York Region Transit bus service at the station. [8]
As of January 2018, weekday train service operates approximately every 15–30 minutes in the morning peak period (southbound), every 30 minutes in the afternoon peak period (northbound) and every hour at other times. Outside of peak periods, most trains terminate at Aurora with connecting buses for stations further north. [9]
On weekends and holidays, service operates approximately every hour to and from Union Station, with most trains terminating at Aurora station. Three daily trains in each direction cover the full route from Barrie to Toronto, while the remainder have bus connections at Aurora station for stations further north. [9]
In August 2023, construction began on station improvements to support future all-day, two-way 15-minute service between Union Station and Aurora. The work includes: adding a second through-track with a new platform accessible via pedestrian tunnels, building a new passenger pick-up/drop-off area, adding a new exit at Berczy Street. The work is part of the province's GO Expansion project. [10]
Aurora is a town in central York Region in the Greater Toronto Area, within the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located north of the City of Richmond Hill and is partially situated on the Oak Ridges Moraine. In the Canada 2021 Census, the municipal population of Aurora was the 92nd largest in Canada, compared to 95th for the 2016 Census and 97th for the 2006 Census. Aurora is twinned with Leksand, Sweden.
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven million across an area over 11,000 square kilometres (4,200 sq mi) stretching from Kitchener in the west to Peterborough in the east, and from Barrie in the north to Niagara Falls in the south. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 56,036,900. GO Transit operates diesel-powered double-decker trains and coach buses, on routes that connect with all local and some long-distance inter-city transit services in its service area.
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.
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.
King City GO Station is a train and bus station in the GO Transit network located in King City, Ontario in Canada. It also serves the nearby communities of Nobleton, Oak Ridges, the northern parts of Maple, and other communities in King Township. It is a stop on the Barrie line train service.
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.
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.
Rutherford GO Station is a train and bus station in the GO Transit network located in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Barrie line train service. This station was opened in January 2001 to accommodate the growing ridership on the line. It is currently going through a redevelopment project which is expected to be completed in 2023.
East Gwillimbury GO Station is a train and bus station in the GO Transit network located in East Gwillimbury, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Barrie line train service. The station was opened on November 1, 2004.
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.
Rouge Hill is a GO Transit train and bus station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. On the Lakeshore East line, the station is located on the shore of Lake Ontario in the West Rouge neighbourhood of the district of Scarborough. It is a major commuter transfer point, with large parking lots and local bus services. Travelling eastwards, it is the last station in Toronto before the trains enter Durham Region.
Newmarket Terminal is a bus terminal in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada operated by York Region Transit (YRT). It is located at 320 Eagle Street West at the intersection of Eagle Street West and Davis Drive. The facility has 447 parking spaces. The Newmarket GO Train Station is located at Davis Drive about two kilometres to the east.
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.
Allandale Waterfront GO Station 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 Lake Simcoe in the waterfront area of Barrie, Ontario, Canada. The current station and former station were built on a burial site of the Huron indigenous peoples.
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.
West Harbour GO Station is a regional rail station in the North End neighbourhood of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The station has been served by GO Transit's Lakeshore West line since July 9, 2015. There is hourly service between West Harbour and Toronto's Union Station, seven days a week. Via Rail service may eventually be provided.
GO Transit rail services are provided throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The GO Transit rail fleet consists of 90 MPI MP40 locomotives and 979 Bombardier BiLevel Coaches. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 40,807,100 passengers per year. GO Transit started on May 23, 1967, running single-deck trains powered by diesel locomotives in push-pull configuration on a single rail line along Lake Ontario's shoreline. When GO trains began operation, they ran on tracks mostly owned the two major freight railways of Canada: Canadian National (CN) and CPKC. Over time, GO Transit have acquired tracks, ensuring GO Transit has control over track maintenance and expansion. Metrolinx currently owns 80% of the GO's rail corridors.
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.
Mulock GO Station is a planned GO Transit train station to be built by Metrolinx in Newmarket, Ontario as a part of the approved GO Expansion program. It will be built on Mulock Drive, between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue. The station is to have approximately 550 parking spaces. A kiss and ride and a bus loop will also be provided at the station. Metrolinx expects the daily ridership at the station to be 3,891 in 2031.
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Media related to Aurora GO Station at Wikimedia Commons