Commute to work from your Desozio Homes community to Toronto on a daily basis? Here are some hair-raising, blood-boiling numbers:
According to a story by the Hamilton Spectator:
- 33% of Hamilton homeowners and overall residents commute to jobs outside of the city.
- Hamilton has the sixth-longest commute time in all of Canada (29 minutes per trip).
- 10% of workers are driving around Hamilton between 5am-6am in order to get to work on time.
According to a story by Global News:
- The average GTA commute time in 1994 was 47.1 minutes.
- In 2010, the average commute time jumped to 53.5 minutes.
- 20% of Ontario commuters feel “crunched for time” while commuting.
Now, has the distance between Hamilton and Toronto increased?
Of course not: But the amount of people working outside of the city in which they live – and the overall number of cars on the road – has gone up exponentially.
The good news? Hamilton has a solid network of commuting options with more on the way.
What’s available right now?
There are currently two GO Stations in Hamilton:
- Hamilton GO Centre (located at 36 Hunter St. E).
- West Harbour GO Station (located at 353 James St. N).
And just outside the city is Aldershot Station (1199 Waterdown Rd in Burlington).
Depending on departure time, Hamilton-to-Toronto commuters have the following options available to them:
- Train service.
- Bus service.
- Transferring from bus to train.
Additionally, throughout the city, there are a few GO bus stops (namely at McMaster University and the intersection of King St. W and Dundurn St. N).
What’s coming in the future?
For years, Hamilton GO Centre was the only train/bus station in the city. That changed when the West Harbour Station opened in 2015.
However, with a population of 536,917 (and growing), Hamilton needs more than just two stations (especially, as mentioned earlier in this blog, 33% of people commute outside the city for work).
With that in mind, here’s what’s expected to come online in the future:
Confederation GO Station
Expected to open in 2019, Confederation GO Station will be located in Stoney Creek at Confederation Park (hence its name).
Easily accessible from communities like Harmony on Twenty and Country Ridge Estates, Confederation GO Station is another option for people to commute to Toronto.
Additionally, it’ll also provide service to Niagara Falls too.
Other features include:
- Heated shelters in winter.
- Protective canopy.
- Pedestrian accessibility tunnel.
- Modern waiting area with shopping options.
Hamilton BLAST Network
BLAST is perhaps the most ambitious public transit initiative ever planned for the city of Hamilton.
It’s a light rail/bus rapid transit system which will be centred along two lines:
- A-Line (between West Harbour GO Station and John C. Munro International Airport).
- B-Line (between McMaster University and Eastgate Square).
Anyone looking to reach a GO Station (or to just get from one end of the city to another) can easily hop on one of these lines and get there quickly.
When it’s all said and done, there will be 5 lines in total:
- B-Line.
- L-Line (between downtown Hamilton and Waterdown).
- A-Line
- S-Line (between Eastgate Square and Ancaster Business Park).
- T-line (Between Centre Mall and Ancaster Meadowlands).
Living in – and commuting from – Hamilton has never been better
There are many reasons people from all over the GTA are moving to Hamilton:
- Big lot sizes for their homes.
- Plenty of greenspace
- Great education
Of course, if you already live here, then you know how terrific the city is.
If you’re thinking about moving to Hamilton, but worried about the commute, don’t be.
Getting in-and-out of the city is a breeze, and soon it’ll be even easier and faster.
Discover what DeSozio Homes has to offer
Do you want to call Hamilton home?
If so, we invite you to see what life is like with DeSozio Homes: