Waterloo Region - GO Transit bus service is coming to Kitchener-Waterloo this year. GO commuters will benefit from a $2.5 million investment in four park and ride lots along the Highway 401 corridor. The first GO Transit park and ride facility will be constructed at the Highway 25 and Highway 401 interchange. This will be the first of four park and ride lots planned for GO Bus service to Waterloo Region. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2009.

GO Transit is currently developing an implementation plan for extending GO Bus services to Waterloo Region. The details of this service and the location of the remaining three new park and ride facilities are currently being reviewed.

“These investments in public transit will give people more time with their families while also creating jobs and making a real difference to the communities GO servers,” said Canada’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, John Baird. “We’re getting people moving, and the economy going.”

“Ontario is investing in public transit to combat congestion and climate change and to make transit more convenient so more people leave their cars at home,” said Transportation Minister Jim Bradley. “Supporting public transit creates jobs that help boost the economy.”

“We’re working together to enhance public transit service for the residents of Waterloo Region,” said MP Peter Braid. “These significant new developments will improve efficiency and help more people access the GO Transit system. We will all benefit from less traffic, shorter commute times, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.”

“This is very exciting news for commuters,” said MPP for Kitchener Centre John Milloy. “GO service will make commuting more convenient and reduce congestion, thereby improving quality of life for families in the area.”

"This announcement has been long awaited by our community and is a first step to full service linking Waterloo Region with the GTA," said Ken Seiling, Regional Chair. "With more than 10,400 commuters travelling daily from the Region to the GTA, GO Service will provide our citizens with greater transportation choice and help get cars off this increasingly congested stretch of Highway 401."

• This is an excellent example of the federal and provincial governments working together to create jobs and to improve services for families, while improving Ontario’s competitiveness over the long run.

• This project is one of several GO Transit service improvements across the Greater Toronto Area announced as part of $250 million in joint federal and provincial funding for GO service improvements. It is also part of the larger $500 million GO Transit revitalization project announced Tuesday, February 17, 2009.