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Aurora
Aurora
General information
Location	121 Wellington Street East; Aurora, Ontario; Canada
Coordinates	44°00′02″N 79°27′35″W / 44.00056°N 79.45972°W
Owned by	Metrolinx
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Connections	York Region Transit
Construction
Structure type	Heritage wood frame station building
Parking	1725 spaces
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	GO Transit: AU
Fare zone	63
History
Opened	1853 (OS&H)
Rebuilt	1900 (GTR); 1982 (GOT)
Services
Former services
Heritage Railway Station (Canada)
Designated	1990
Reference no.	6500

Aurora GO Station is a railway station and bus station in the GO Transit network located on Wellington Street East between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Barrie line train service, and connects with York Region Transit local bus routes, and the GO Express Bus between Newmarket Bus Terminal and Union Station Bus Terminal.

History

Aurora station opened on 16 May 1853, when steam train service began between Toronto and Machell's Corners, as Aurora was then known, on the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway.^[1] The first train was led by the Toronto, the first locomotive built in Canada, completed at the James Good foundry Toronto Locomotive Works on 16 April 1853.^[2] The train consist included two boxcars carrying freight, one passenger coach car, and one mixed passenger and baggage car.^[3] This first voyage is commemorated by a plaque installed in 1953 at Union Station in Toronto,^[4] as well as a steam locomotive bell placed first at Centennial Park in May 1963, which has since been relocated to Aurora station. There is also a plaque placed in a small parkette at the station by the Board of Trade and another placed by the Province of Ontario to remember the event.^[5]

The train's arrival at the Wellington Street train station was greeted with cheers from nearly all residents of the community, who had assembled at the station, and the event was celebrated with a fireworks display.^[1] Connection to the railway led to prosperity for Aurora, with the development of two hotels, a wagon maker, a brewery, and other businesses.^[1] In 1855 the line was completed to Collingwood.

In 1900, Grand Trunk Railway constructed the present building to a standard plan design with a porte-cochère and low profile.^[6] The building was designated a provincial heritage building in 1971 and a federal heritage railway station in 1990.^[7]

The station building was renovated after GO Transit became the exclusive passenger carrier in 1992.

On August 21, 2012, GO Transit opened a new bus loop to accommodate all GO and York Region Transit bus service at the station.^[8]

Services

As of January 2018, weekday train service operates approximately every 15–30 minutes in the morning peak period (southbound), every 30 minutes in the afternoon peak period (northbound) and every hour at other times. Outside of peak periods, most trains terminate at Aurora with connecting buses for stations further north.^[9]

On weekends and holidays, service operates approximately every hour to and from Union Station, with most trains terminating at Aurora station. Three daily trains in each direction cover the full route from Barrie to Toronto, while the remainder have bus connections at Aurora station for stations further north.^[9]

Connecting York Region Transit buses

32 Aurora South
33 Wellington–Leslie
54 Bayview
Mobility On-Request

Future

In August 2023, construction began on station improvements to support future all-day, two-way 15-minute service between Union Station and Aurora. The work includes: adding a second through-track with a new platform accessible via pedestrian tunnels, building a new passenger pick-up/drop-off area, adding a new exit at Berczy Street. The work is part of the province's GO Expansion project.^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Bradford, Robert (2015). Keeping Ontario Moving: The History of Roads and Road Building in Ontario. Dundurn Press. p. 26. ISBN 9781459724112.
^ "The Toronto No. 2". North America Railway Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2014-05-08. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
^ Carter, Robert Terence (2011). Stories of Newmarket: An Old Ontario Town. Dundurn Press. ISBN 9781554888818.
^ Boles, Derek (2009). Toronto's Railway Heritage. Images of Rail. Arcadia Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 9780738565705. LCCN 2009925477.
^ "Aurora station first train bell sign". Flickr. 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016. see other photos in the stream for plaques, details.
^ "Canadian National Railway Station". Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
^ "The Directory of Designated Heritage Railway Stations in Ontario". Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
^ "New Bus Loop at Aurora GO Station Opened August 21". Transit Toronto. August 24, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Barrie Line Schedule - table 65" (PDF). GO Transit. January 5, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 3, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
^ "Metrolinx upgrades Aurora GO Station for GO Expansion work". Metrolinx. August 21, 2023. Archived from the original on August 22, 2023.