The head of Metrolinx apologized on Friday to GO Transit riders, including thousands of Mississauga commuters, for a week of delays, and said full service should return on Saturday, five days after a train derailed near Union Station.
Chief executive Michael Lindsay told a news conference that crews had put the derailed train back on the tracks and repaired damaged switches and signals. He said the work was nearly done and the infrastructure was being tested.
Monday's derailment hit the corridor that every GO rail line runs through, including Mississauga's Lakeshore West, Milton and Kitchener lines, which have run on modified schedules all week.
Lindsay praised the crews who did the repairs, calling their work heroic, and said he is confident the Union Station rail corridor is safe for full service to resume.
We appreciate the more than 200,000 people who have continued to rely on us each and every day this week.
— Michael Lindsay, CEO, Metrolinx
Criticism over communication
Riders complained through the week about crowding, delays and a lack of clear updates from Metrolinx leadership. Asked about that criticism, Lindsay said "we could always do better" and promised the agency would be as transparent as it can about GO service and its status.
Lindsay said Metrolinx has done its own preliminary review, and the public will hear more about the root causes of the derailment at the agency's board meeting next Thursday, Feb. 12.
Riders heading out this weekend should check GO Transit's service updates before they travel, as testing and final repairs wrap up.
