Up to 15% of GO train trips to be cancelled this week due to staffing shortages
Posted January 4, 2022 8:42 am.
Last Updated January 5, 2022 2:30 pm.
A big chunk of GO train trips are expected to be shut down in the coming days as the transit agency continues to deal with staffing shortages due to COVID-19.
GO transit was forced to cancel at least 10 morning train trips to Union Station on Tuesday and say cancellations will be ongoing until Jan. 9. Service is set to be reduced on Jan. 10.
Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins tells CityNews that 10 to 15 per cent of train trips are expected to be cancelled in the coming days. She is reminding commuters to check their regular routes for updates before leaving home.
#GOtrain cancellations will continue until Jan 9. Service will be reduced on Jan 10. Check https://t.co/05yRkgAiXx before travelling.
— GO Transit (@GOtransit) January 3, 2022
GO Transit says frontline teams are averaging 20 to 30 per cent fewer staff each day because of illness or isolation, and that rate is expected to rise over the next few weeks.
Aikins estimates around 100 new cases among Metrolinx staff in the past few weeks — that is compared to approximately 185 total cases since the onset of the pandemic to December 2021.
Just one case is enough to take an entire train crew of three people out of service due to quarantine rules and close proximity among the crew. Aikins says there are at least 15 train crews currently on leave.
The temporary cancellation of some trips is aimed to help better protect the bulk of the transit agencies services.
An updated GO transit schedule for trains will be released in the coming days.
With files from The Canadian Press
