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Metrolinx and Durham College announce renaming of Oshawa GO station



From Durham Radio News


Metrolinx appears to be moving ahead with a previously-reported plan to rename some of its train stations, and Oshawa is the first one.

“Representatives were on-hand Tuesday to unveil the new signage at Durham College Oshawa GO.

Durham College will have naming rights for the station for a ten-year period.

GO Transit is in the process of updating the rest of its signage, as well as its website and maps, to include the new name.

Durham College Oshawa GO station signage.jpg

^ Image: GO Transit

“‘It allows us to put our brand - our name - on the station and in the communication as people arrive,’ said Durham College President Don Lovisa in an interview with Durham Radio News (DRN). ‘You’re on the train and you hear, “folks, right now you’re arriving at Durham College [Oshawa] GO Station.”’

“‘It’s a wonderful marketing opportunity,’ he added. ‘It’s a great partnership to do something different in the world of a very competitive post-secondary landscape.’

“‘It’s a great opportunity, I think, for us to connect with the community in a meaningful way, particularly in this case with students and with employees and also visitors to the college,’ said Mark Childs, chief marketing officer at Metrolinx, in an interview with DRN. ‘I think this is just day one of an exciting opportunity to build together.’

“This is the first instance of a GO station being part of a naming rights agreement. It was previously reported in 2019 that the province was considering selling naming rights for train stations, parking lots and washrooms.

“‘Back in 2019, when we launched the opportunity, we realized there was an opportunity to collaborate with organizations in the communities that they operate and that we serve,’ said Childs. ‘We recognized that that was a potential, so we did actually launch a request for proposal.’

“No further re-namings have yet been announced. However, Metrolinx is currently inviting interested parties to put in proposals for the naming of GO Transit and UP Express stations.

“As for the partnership with Durham College, Lovisa said there may be further ways to get the word out to prospective students, including on-board announcements.

”’[The train announcers] might be saying, “Did you know that this weekend Durham College has an open house?”’ he noted.

“The GO station is not situated beside any Durham College facilities. From the station, it takes roughly six minutes to drive to Durham’s Whitby campus and around 15 minutes to drive to the main campus in north Oshawa.

“When asked if Durham College paid a financial sum for the naming rights, a Metrolinx spokesperson cited confidentiality matters.”