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York Region is booming.

By 2031 our population is forecast to grow by a staggering 425, 000 people to around 1, 500,000.

This is the equivalent of adding a city the size of Hamilton to York Region’s current population.

I find myself wondering if all these newcomers – and the rest of us -  will be able to move around or will we be trapped in our cars in permanent gridlock.

It is as plain as a pikestaff that traffic will slowly grind to a halt unless we increase the opportunities for people to get out of their cars and onto buses and trains.

As it is, the GTA has the longest commutes in North America.

So my heart lifts when I read that the number of trains to Union Station will be increased at the weekends from 23 June to 3 September.

We are told it is a pilot project to assess the need for more transit on the line.

Duh?

Of course we need more trains!

As the roads clog up with traffic, people will increasingly make the rational choice and let the train take the strain.

I want to see trains running frequently to and from Toronto - but this can only happen if we dual the track and this will cost money.

If public money can be spent to extend the 404 why can’t we similarly invest in a half decent railway?

At last year’s Provincial Election, the Liberal Platform promised:

In the next phase of the Ontario liberal Plan, we’ll expand service by delivering full-day, two way GO train service on all corridors – that’s the equivalent of 71 million fewer car trips annually.

So, how are we going to make this happen?