Construction begins for York Region GO station

RICHMOND HILL, ONT. — Construction of a new GO station at Highway 404 and Bloomington Road in Richmond Hill is underway.

The new station will extend the Richmond Hill GO rail line north from the current terminus at Gormley GO Station, giving commuters living in Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville access to GO Transit service, states a release issued March 24.

The station will be fully accessible and include a 12-car side rail platform with canopy, a 765-space parking structure, charging for electric vehicles, heated shelters, a platform snowmelt system, a kiss and ride area and a covered six-bay bus loop. An additional 253 parking spaces will be available in a surface lot.

The station will have rooftop solar panels and incorporate environmentally responsible building design (LEED Gold) to reduce the impact on the surrounding ecosystem, adds the release.

The station is scheduled to open in 2019 and will cost approximately $82.4 million to build. The project is also expected to support 200 jobs.

"The new GO station at Bloomington Road will help make taking public transit an even easier and more convenient choice for people in Newmarket-Aurora," said Chris Ballard, MPP for Newmarket-Aurora, in a statement.