Progress continues to be made at Guelph Central Station as Metrolinx looks to go full speed ahead with two-way all day GO train service.
However, there is still no firm timeline of when the service will become reality.
Ongoing work includes upgrading storm sewer systems, but the more visible work is the construction of a new train platform on the south side of the station, ongoing since February.
"Work (on the south platform and storm sewers) will be completed early next year," a Metrolinx spokesperson said in an email to GuelphToday.
Next up will be to align the north platform with the south platform, which Metrolinx said will be "part of subsequent projects."
When asked if there have been any hiccups that could impact the overall timeline of two-way all day GO, the representative did not answer the question directly.
Instead, they noted construction is underway "on projects that will make way for improvements to bring two-way, all-day service from Union Station to Kitchener GO."
But the big question remains, when will this service launch?
The province announced in its 2021 budget that the service would be in place between Toronto and Kitchener by 2025.
The target was also mentioned in a Metrolinx document in 2019, though adding it would depend on a few factors.
Shortly after the province's 2021 pledge, Metrolinx president Phil Verster said he wasn't in a position to offer a timeline.
And as of now, the timeline still remains unclear.
"Given that the scope and timelines of future work phases are under development, an in-service date has not yet been established," Metrolinx said. "Metrolinx will share updates as future work phases begin."
Additional work to the Kitchener GO line includes track, signal, station and structural work on the Metrolinx and CN-owned rail lines.
Between Kitchener and Georgetown, there is a single track for the Metrolinx-owned rail corridor.
Metrolinx said double track segments will be delivered in strategic locations to enable two-way train operations.
Besides work at Guelph Central Station, Metrolinx said work in the next phase of the plan includes the storage track for maintenance vehicles near Rockwood, the expansion of the Shantz Station Road bridge, extension of the second track in Breslau, and overall track re-alignment through the corridor.
