^ Inside the new station building at Bramalea GO Station, which was still getting some finishing touches when this photo was taken. Image, Metrolinx

Metrolinx continues a project to upgrade Bramalea GO Station, as part of the GO Expansion Program.

Monday, September 13, GO Transit opens a new station building, featuring a new tunnel, and a new parking garage with 2,059 parking spaces at Bramalea GO Station.

The newly designed station building, with large windows and high ceilings, means you will a bright, open and airy space to wait for your trains and buses to pull in.

The garage features a colour-coded wayfinding system, two fully accessible elevators, a car-counting system and more than 100 security cameras. The new car counting system identifies which levels have vacant spots - blue for accessibility, green for all other vacancies, red for occupied - and each level of the garage is colour-coded to help you remember where you parked.

^ Starting September 13, you can start using the new parking garage and station building at Bramalea GO Station. Image, Metrolinx

That day, GO closes all outdoor parking spaces in the north parking lot. You can park your vehicle in the new parking garage on the north side of the station or in the south parking lot off Advance Boulevard.

The Bramalea Road entrance and exit remain closed. This gives construction crews the space they need to complete civil and utility work and update the roadways to allow for better travel within the station property in the future. While the Bramalea Road entrance and exit is closed, you can use the entrance and exit lanes at Steeles Avenue West to enter and exit the north side of the station.

You can access the new parking garage, GO station building and east tunnel by driving into the north parking lot from Steeles Avenue West. Look for signs with information and directions to guide you to the parking garage. Use the stairs or board the elevator to the first level of the parking structure. From the first level of the parking garage, follow the indoor connection to the new GO station building. From the new GO station building, take the stairs or elevator to the new station building (east) tunnel to get to the train platforms. The new GO station building includes PRESTO payment devices, ticket-vending machines, add-value machines and a ticket booth.

You can access the new GO station building from the bus loop by using a temporary pedestrian walkway. Look for signs with directions to guide you to the new station and the parking structure.

GO is relocating accessible and reserved parking spaces from the northwest parking lot to the first level of the parking garage, where you’ll have direct access to the new GO station building. More parking spaces, including accessible parking spaces, are also available in the south parking lot.

A new elevator on the west side of the south platform is now in-service. The elevator means the station is accessible from the north and south parking lots.

Use the open portion of the new passenger pick-up and drop-off facility (or “kiss and ride”) in front of the new GO station building. GO has fenced off the former kiss and ride, while construction takes place.

Contractors have finished upgrading both platforms are complete and the platforms are now fully open.

Crews have completed construction on the south platform (platform 4) and some trains are using this platform. If you are transferring at Bramalea GO, here is how this affects you.

Travelling from Bramalea

• Express Monday-to-Friday eastbound trains arriving at Bramalea GO at 7:16, 7:46, 8:16, 8:46 and 9:16 a.m., pick up passengers from platform 3.
• If you need to connect from these express trains to a local train (stopping at stations between Bramalea and Union Station), exit the express train at Bramalea GO on platform 3 and make your way to platform 4 to board the local train.
• Connecting trains serving passengers at stations between Bramalea and Union leave platform 4 at Bramalea GO Mondays to Fridays at 7:22, 7:52, 8:22, 8:52 and 9:22 a.m.

Travelling to Bramalea

• Monday-to-Friday westbound trains ending at Bramalea GO at 4:40, 6:10 and 6:40 p.m., arrive on platform 4.
• If you need to connect from these trains to a local train stopping at stations between Bramalea and Kitchener GO Station, exit the train at platform 4 and make your way to platform 3 to board the train heading to stations further west.
• Connecting westbound trains leave platform 3 at Bramalea GO weekdays at 4:46, 6:20 and 6:46 p.m.

Check departure boards before boarding trains. If you have questions, ask a station ambassador for help.

^ * Contractors have made significant progress on much of Bramalea GO Station, still have some work to do. Image, Metrolinx*

Over the next few months, you can expect a signalized intersection on Bramalea Road for buses, covered bike parking, emergency-call systems and retail space in the new station building.

According to a post on the Metrolinx news blog by Flora Devarajah, Metrolinx community relations and Issues specialist, “The pandemic has provided an opportunity for construction crews to accelerate some work while many Bramalea GO [passengers] took a pause on transit. As customers start to come back to GO, they’ll notice a lot has changed at their home station.”

Metrolinx and GO plan to accommodate more passengers and increase service along the Kitchener line, as part of their GO Expansion Program (formerly “regional express rail”).