Hamilton GO Centre

Hamilton GO Centre is a commuter rail station and bus terminal in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. As the terminal stop for evening rush-hour Lakeshore West line trains, it is a major hub for GO Transit bus and train services.

Hamilton
General information
Location	36 Hunter Street East Hamilton, Ontario Canada
Coordinates	43°15′11″N 79°52′09″W
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2 + 1 bypass
Bus stands	18
Bus operators	GO Transit Hamilton Street Railway
Construction
Platform levels	2
Parking	54 reserved parking spots
Bicycle facilities	45 secure indoor spaces (paid) 98 covered outdoor spaces 44 exposed outdoor spaces [1]
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	GO Transit: HA
Fare zone	18
History
Opened	1933
Rebuilt	1996
Previous names	TH&B Railway Station
Services
Preceding station GO Transit Following station Terminus Lakeshore West (peak express) Aldershot towards Union Station
Former services Preceding station Canadian Pacific Railway Following station Waterdown South toward Goderich Goderich – Hamilton Terminus through to TH&B Hamilton – Toronto Sunnyside toward Toronto Preceding station Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway Following station through to Canadian Pacific Main Line Stoney Creek toward Welland Dundas toward Waterford Waterford– Hamilton Terminus
Ontario Heritage Act
Official name	GO Train Station/former Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway Station
Designated	1994
Heritage Railway Station (Canada)
Official name	Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway Station
Designated	1991
Reference no.	6531

History

Hamilton GO Centre is a Streamline Moderne building designed by New York architects Fellheimer & Wagner.^[2][3] It was planned as a large complex, but was reduced in size to that of a 7-storey office block.^[3] It opened in 1933 as the head office and the Hamilton station of the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway (TH&B). Passenger service on the TH&B was discontinued on April 26, 1981, and the TH&B merged into the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1987, leaving the facility disused.

In the early 1990s, GO Transit provided service out of two facilities in Hamilton: trains were routed along the CN Grimsby subdivision to the Hamilton CNR Station 1.6 km to the north, and buses operated from an older bus station on the northern edge of Hamilton's Central Business District (CBD) at John Street North and Rebecca Street. In order to better connect GO Transit service to Hamilton's CBD, improve the interface with the Hamilton Street Railway, and consolidate train and bus services at a single site, renovations were undertaken to convert the TH&B station into the Hamilton GO Centre. The new facility, designed by Garwood-Jones & Hanham Architects,^[4] opened on April 30, 1996.

Hamilton Street Railway

On June 28, 2009, downtown bus routes were realigned and new bus platforms inside the GO Centre become the downtown terminus points for routes 1 King, 2 Barton and 3 Cannon. The seasonal route 51 University continued to stop inside the station's bus terminal. Many other Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) routes stop immediately adjacent to the Hamilton GO Centre, on Hunter, James, and John streets.

GO Transit

GO train sitting outside the GO centre

The GO station is served by GO's Lakeshore West line during peak hours; bus service to Aldershot Station in neighbouring Burlington is offered off-peak. It serves as the western terminus of GO bus routes 16, 18, 40, and 47. Via Rail trains do not serve Hamilton, but interchange with the GO line at Aldershot.

Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway Museum

A railway museum with an interpretation centre is located on the mezzanine level.^[3]

Bus platform assignments

• 1–3: GO Bus 18, connector to GO Train (via Aldershot) to Union Station^[5]
• 3–5: GO Bus 16, Queen Elizabeth Way express to Toronto Union Station Bus Terminal^[6]
• 6–8: GO Bus 40, Hamilton/Richmond Hill Pearson Express to Richmond Hill Centre Terminal, via Burlington and Oakville Carpool Lots, Square One, Dixie Transitway Station, Renforth Transitway Station, Toronto Pearson International Airport and Highway 407 Bus Terminal^[7]
• 8–9: GO Bus 47, Highway 407 West to Highway 407 Bus Terminal via McMaster University, Burlington, Bronte and Oakville Carpool Lots, Erin Mills Transitway Station, Square One and Bramalea GO^[8]
• 10-11: Layover
• 12-14: Employee parking
• 15: Darts Loading/Unloading
• 17: Hamilton Street Railway - Route 3 Cannon^[9] and Route 51 University^[10]
• 18: Hamilton Street Railway - Route 1 King^[11] and Route 2 Barton^[12]

See also

• Railways portal
• Ontario portal

• Transportation in Hamilton, Ontario
• West Harbour GO Station
• Confederation GO Station
• List of designated heritage railway stations of Canada

References

1. "Parking a bicycle at Hamilton Centre station". May 29, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
2. "Hamilton GO Centre". Historical Hamilton. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
3. "The Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway Station". Forgotten Buffalo. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
4. "Garwood-Jones & Hanham •GO Transit Station Renovation". Archived from the original on November 3, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
5. "Routes 1-18 Lakeshore West GO Bus Schedule" (PDF). GO Transit. January 5, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 19, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
6. "Route 16 Hamilton/Toronto Express GO Bus Schedule" (PDF). GO Transit. January 5, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
7. "Route 40 Hamilton/Richmond Hill GO Bus Schedule" (PDF). GO Transit. January 5, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
8. "407 West GO Bus Schedule" (PDF). GO Transit. January 5, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
9. "3 CANNON" (PDF). Bus Schedules. Hamilton Street Railway. September 3, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019. Bus stop numbers: Hamilton GO Centre Platform 17
10. "51 UNIVERSITY" (PDF). Bus Schedules. Hamilton Street Railway. September 4, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019. Bus stop numbers: Hamilton Station Platform 17
11. "1 KING" (PDF). Bus Schedules. Hamilton Street Railway. January 1, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019. Bus stop numbers: Go Centre Platform 18
12. "2 BARTON" (PDF). Bus Schedules. Hamilton Street Railway. September 3, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019. Bus stop numbers: GO Centre Platform 18

External links

Media related to Hamilton GO Centre at Wikimedia Commons

• GO Transit station page for Hamilton GO Centre