Ontario has officially started construction on a new GO station at Highway 404 and Bloomington Road in York Region. Once completed, the Bloomington Road station will extend the Richmond Hill GO rail line north from the current terminus at Gormley GO Station. The new station is scheduled to open in 2019.

The new station will offer commuters living in Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville better access to GO Transit services. The fully-accessible station will feature a 765-space parking structure with charging for electric vehicles and scooter parking, heated shelters, a platform snowmelt system, a 12-car side rail platform with canopy, a ‘kiss and ride’ area and a covered six-bay bus loop. A surface parking lot will offer an additional 253 parking spaces.

The station will also be designed with sustainability in mind, featuring rooftop solar panels and incorporating environmentally-responsible building design (LEED Gold-targeted) to reduce its impact on the surrounding ecosystem. The cost for construction is estimated to reach $82.4 million.

“The new GO station at Bloomington Road will help make taking public transit an even easier and more convenient choice for people in Newmarket-Aurora,” said Chris Ballard, MPP for Newmarket-Aurora, in a press release. “Expanding public transit is critical to improving mobility, managing congestion, curbing emissions and building strong communities.”