Additional comments on the Stratford train

A weekend train to Stratford has come back

A trip to London?

Between 2021 and 2023, GO Transit ran a pilot commuter train service to London, Ontario with stops in Stratford and St. Mary's. The journey was nearly four hours, with the train leaving London not long after 5 a.m. to ensure it arrived in Toronto before 9. I am told little local transit operates at this time, and more generally it is too long for a commute (if you work eight hours, this train would leave you only eight hours in London, time you should be spending asleep). As a result, I would suggest instead running this train an hour later to allow commutes to Kitchener (which would be closer to two hours) if this service were to be reinstated. This situation is far from ideal, but I think a 6am departure is far better than a 5am one.

A tourist train would be less impacted by this restriction, but the likely train to Stratford would only net you about 4 or 5 hours in London if you choose to spend a day there. This may warrant additional trips, but these would require improvements to the track to prevent conflicting with other trains.

Where GO goes from here

GO now has three trains running to and from Kitchener on weekends. The most reasonable timing for a fourth train (based on gaps in the current schedule) would most likely be early in the afternoon: Perhaps a noon departure from Kitchener and a 3 p.m. arrival there. An additional late evening (10pm) departure and 9:30pm arrival would create a three-to-four hour frequency and is likely around the maximum GO can provide apart from more trips very early in the morning or later in the evening.

Beyond that, GO will need to allow trains to pass each other somehow. The Breslau passing track has been completed and will allow additional service, but more passing tracks will need to be completed before we see hourly service to Kitchener, particularly with freight trains on the corridor.

Last updated: 04/18/2026