The province has announced that it will begin year-round weekend GO train service on the Barrie Line starting Dec. 31.
Those travelling between Barrie and Toronto will now be able to choose from three trips from Allandale GO Station to Union Station in the morning and three back in the evening.
Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca made the announcement Monday morning at a snowy Barrie South GO station.
Del Duca was accompanied by Barrie MPP Ann Hogarth, Mayor Jeff Lehman and Metrolinx President and CEO Bruce McCuaig.
"After years of chronic under-investment in transit, our government is focussed on delivering better transit options," said Del Duca.
"This service improvement is another step forward in helping us manage congestion and provide you with better transit options when you're travelling between Barrie and Toronto."
The trains will depart on Saturday and Sunday mornings from Allandale at 9:03 a.m., 9:47 a.m., and 11:02 a.m. and three return trips to Barrie at 4:28 p.m., 9:50 p.m. and 10:50 p.m.
Del Duca praised MPP Hogarth as a "relentless champion" of Barrie and credited her for pushing for transit improvements.
"Our community can only be successful if we can move," said Hoggarth. "Our lives are improved if we spend less time in gridlock and more time with our families."
GO transit trains and busses make nearly 70 million trips a year.
Metrolinx President and CEO Bruce McCuaig said summer service trains made 41,000 trips for commuters that otherwise would have been on the 400.
That equals about 3,000 to 3,500 trips per day on a weekend basis.
"In many ways transit is the life-blood of the region. Every new station and every new trip quickens the pulse of the economy making this a more connected, prosperous place to live and to work," said Metrolinx president and CEO Bruce McCuaig, who joked he was having his first taste of winter weather in Barrie Monday morning.
Mayor Jeff Lehman said he's not just a GO transit advocate, he's a customer.
"This is really great news. I am constantly asked by people in Barrie 'When are there going to be more GO trains?' Well the answer is Dec. 31," said Lehman. "I think being able to ride for many different reasons - to visit family and friends, shopping, go to entertainment in Toronto, jays leafs and everything else - it's going to be wonderful."
And he noted the city's hope that it would cut both ways.
"We're also in Barrie we're looking forward to bringing people from Toronto up here for our many festivals and tourism opportunities year round in the city," said Lehman.
Officials said more improvements are coming in the 10-year expansion plan.
