A surge in commuter traffic on GO Transit’s Lakeshore East line has local riders raising concerns, with many pointing to the recent provincial back-to-office (RTO) mandate as a primary cause.
On social media and local forums, commuters from Pickering, Ajax, and Oshawa have reported unprecedented crowding on trains and in station parking lots this month. Trains are described as so packed that passengers are often standing for the entire journey from Pickering to Toronto’s Union Station, despite service running every 10 minutes during peak hours.
The sharp increase coincides with the enforcement of a mandatory five-day-a-week in-office policy for Ontario Public Service (OPS) workers, which began earlier this month.
Beyond the RTO policy, some online commentators suggest other factors are at play, including long-term population growth in Durham Region, high auto insurance and car ownership costs pushing more people to transit, and the lingering effects of pandemic-era moves further from Toronto.
The crowding has renewed calls for infrastructure improvements, specifically the long-promised express train service for the Lakeshore East line.
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