Metrolinx officially opened the doors to the Bloomington GO Station on the Richmond Hill GO Line for the first time on June 28.
The new state-of-the-art facility will provide more transit options for customers in Richmond Hill, Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville, and is located at Highway 404 and Bloomington Road, in the northeast corner of Richmond Hill.
The newest addition to the GO Transit network also comes with a host of unique features.
Customers, including those who are returning to transit over the months ahead, will have access to a three-level parking structure with 765 parking spaces and an additional 253 spaces at surface level.
“We are so proud to open the new Bloomington GO Station, which will deliver even more transit connections in York Region,” said Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster, who was at the station on opening day to speak to the media. “Our customers will have access to amenities that will keep them safe as they travel on York Region Transit and GO Transit, all in the same place”
The new station will extend the Richmond Hill Line by approximately five kilometers (3.1 miles), past Gormley GO Station and further north into Richmond Hill.
The station was also designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. The roof has solar panels to help generate electricity and the station uses low-energy LED lights. Metrolinx has also incorporated a stormwater management system, allowing the building to collect water and reuse it around the site.
Since the station is in Ontario’s Greenbelt, it’s surrounded by significant wildlife, which includes frogs. Their commute is also made easy thanks to the creation of a specialized underground crossing from the existing pond on site to neighboring wetlands.
The station is meant to maximize the space while minimizing the use of the land. By incorporating a multi-level parking structure, Metrolinx was able to minimize the disruption to the surrounding ecology, preserving significant wetlands and a pond within the station site.
Bloomington GO will offer residents and transit users more service options and seamless connections to the already expansive GO transit network. The new, state-of-the-art transit hub will also help take the Richmond Hill line to a whole new level.
GO trains and buses will serve the station on weekdays. It’ll be served by eight Richmond Hill line train trips (four trips in both the morning and evening rush hours) as well as 17 GO bus Route 61 trips, every weekday.
