Update — Sunday, December 5, 7:15 a.m.: Lakeshore East trains resumed regular service today, Sunday, December 5.

*Update — Thursday, December 2, 4:43 p.m., here.

Update — Wednesday, December 1, 4:21 p.m., here.

As a result of a fatal incident Saturday, November 27 near Pickering GO Station and an ongoing Ontario Ministry of Labour investigation, starting Monday, November 29, GO Transit is continuing to modify service along the Lakeshore lines — potentially until Thursday, December 2.

GO is providing passengers with 30-minute service at all stations along the 09 Lakeshore East line using both rail and bus services until about 7 p.m.:

• Trains operate between Union Station and Guildwood GO Station and between Pickering and Oshawa GO stations.
• Shuttle GO buses operate between Guildwood and Pickering to connect with train service.

GO says that, while it recognizes that bus connections can make for a longer travel time, it asks that you continue to use home stations, because parking lots are filling up quickly. As of now, Guildwood GO station is at total parking capacity.

To best use limited resources and make sure that it can provide 30-minute service during peak periods, GO revises the schedules for the Lakeshore East line to provide hourly service after 7 p.m. for the coming days.

Starting at 7:10 p.m. each day, westbound service along the line is hourly until the end of the day. Starting at 8:05 p.m., eastbound service is hourly.

Since Lakeshore East trains operate along the 01 Lakeshore West line beyond Union Station, GO is also adjusting the schedules for trains along that line to every 30 minutes between Union and Oakville GO Station.

(Update: Tuesday, November 30, 4:16 p.m.)

GO’s parent company, Metrolinx has announced that it expects that a team of experts will prepare the incredibly delicate and complex operation of lifting the ballast car. Due to the nature of this incident and the type of investigation it require and the weather conditions, they must do this work with the utmost care, even if that takes time.

Once the ballast car has been placed back on the rails, Metrolinx understands that the Ministry of Labour will continue their investigation. When they’ve finished investigating the incident, Metrolinx will begin repairing the damaged tracks.

The transit agency says that it appreciates that the uncertainty of how long the investigation and subsequent work to return the railway to full service may be frustrating. It thanks customers for their patience during this difficult time. Metrolinx promises to continue serving every station, is planning for major events and will continue to update passengers regularly with the information they need to get them safely to their destinations.