Potential rail worker strike may increase GO Train commuter traffic in Brampton

Those working in Brampton may be bracing for a more packed than usual commute, as the Canadian rail workers’ strike is looming over its deadline. 

If a deal isn’t reached with CN and CPKC by this Thursday (August 22) at 12:01 am, roughly 9,000 railway workers will walk from their jobs — including members of Ontario’s GO Transit system. 

Representatives with Metrolinx — the parent organization of GO Transit — have indicated that in the event of a strike, both the Milton GO Train line and Hamilton Go Train station will be impacted if a labor shortage occurs. 

“In the event of a labour disruption, only GO train services on the Milton line and at Hamilton GO station would be temporarily suspended due to the interruption of rail traffic services provided by Canadian Pacific Kansas City. All other GO lines, the UP Express and Lakeshore West line stations would not be impacted,” media relations representative with Metrolinx, Andrea Ernesaks, told INsauga.com via email. 

In the event of a disruption of this magnitude, the Kitchener line directly servicing Brampton will likely see a rather noticeable uptick in commuters, as those impacted by the strike may be looking for alternative routes. 

However, Metrolinx remains adamant that if there is a noticeable increase in commuter traffic — it will be negligible. 

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“While we anticipate additional passengers on both the Lakeshore West and Kitchener lines as customers choose alternative options, at this time only 7,500 people take the Milton line,” Ernesaks told INsauga.com. 

Ernesaks also mentioned that Metrolinx is no stranger to managing the ebbs and flows of GTA commuters, as they maintain 200,000 boardings across their transit network daily.

Even with Metrolinx bracing for shifts in their daily rhythm, they still encourage commuters to be vigilant as Ernesaks states “Please note that service may be busier than usual on these lines as a result of additional passengers.”