Unionville GO Station explained

Unionville
Style:GO Transit
Address:155 YMCA Boulevard
Markham, Ontario
Country:Canada
Coordinates:43.8517°N -79.3144°W
Other: GO Transit bus services
York Region Transit (incl. Viva Rapid Transit)
Structure:Station building with public washroom and waiting room
Platform:1 side platform
1 island platform
Tracks:3
Parking:1620 spaces
Bicycle:Rack
Opened:1991
Rebuilt:2005
Accessible:yes
Owned:Metrolinx
Zone:71
Passengers:204,700[1]
Pass Percent:-5.6
Pass Year:Apr–Jul 2019
Other Services Header:Former services at CN station
Other Services Collapsible:yes

Unionville GO Station is a train and bus station[2] in the GO Transit network located in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Stouffville line. The station is also served by Highway 407 East Express buses, which run westbound to Highway 407 station, northbound to Mount Joy GO Station, and eastbound to the Oshawa GO station.

By late May 2022, the station had acquired a second track, a turnaround track and an island platform to support future all-day, two-way service on the Stouffville line. In the future, GO trains will run every 10 minutes to Unionville and every 30 minutes to Mount Joy GO Station.

History

Old Unionville station

The original Unionville station was opened in 1871 by the Toronto and Nipissing Railway. The railway line and station were acquired in succession by the Midland Railway of Canada in 1882, the Grand Trunk Railway in 1884 and Canadian National Railway in 1923. Canadian National served the station until 1978; GO Transit used the station from 1982 to 1991.[3] GO train service ended at the station on Friday May 3, 1991, and service began at the current GO station the following Monday, May 6.

The old station building has been restored and is now used as a community centre. Like Markham GO Station, this station features classic Canadian Railway Style with elements of Vernacular Carpenter Gothic architecture of the 19th Century. It is located on Station Lane, near Main Street Unionville. While a platform exists it is fenced off from the rail line to indicate it is not an operational station.

Current station

The current station was built in 1991 to replace the old Unionville Station. The newer station was renovated and re-opened in April 2005 and accessed by a service road from Kennedy Road north of Highway 407.

By the end of May 2022, Metrolinx had completed a number of station improvements as part of GO Expansion to support future all-day, two-way service on the Stouffville line. The improvements include:[4]

Connecting bus routes

GO Transit

[6]

York Region Transit

Viva routes

Viva service began on October 16, 2005, with buses stopping near Kennedy Road. Because the nearby Enterprise Drive was not finished when Viva services in the area began, this station served as a temporary station until November 19, 2005. During this time, both Viva Purple and Viva Green buses had to go on a detour on Highway 407 nearby. Viva Pink services were added on January 2, 2006.

Unionville Station is the eastern terminus of peak services on the Viva Pink services to Richmond Hill Centre and Finch station. Viva Pink and Viva Purple usually serve Unionville Station. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Viva Pink remains temporarily suspended.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Metrolinx releases updated GO Transit ridership map – System sees almost five per cent bump in GO train boardings . September 9, 2019 . . October 1, 2019.
  2. Web site: Unionville GO Station Information . GO Transit. February 21, 2019.
  3. Web site: Unionville Station . Toronto Railway Historical Association . March 13, 2022 .
  4. Web site: Upgrades complete at Unionville GO Station . . May 31, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220531190441/https://blog.metrolinx.com/2022/05/31/upgrades-complete-at-unionville-go-station/ . May 31, 2022 . live .
  5. Web site: Making moves for GO Expansion on the Stouffville Line . . March 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220310143042/https://blog.metrolinx.com/2022/03/10/making-moves-for-go-expansion-on-the-stouffville-line/ . March 10, 2022 . live .
  6. Web site: Unionville GO Bus Departures. 10 October 2023.