Hamilton GO Centre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hamilton
Location	36 Hunter Street East Hamilton, Ontario Canada
Coordinates	43°15′11″N 79°52′09″W / 43.25306°N 79.86917°W / 43.25306; -79.86917
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
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	GO Transit: 00141
Fare zone	18
History
Opened	1933
Rebuilt	1996
Previous names	TH&B Railway Station
Services
Preceding station GO Transit Following station Terminus Lakeshore West Express Aldershot towards Union Station
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 #:	6531

The Hamilton GO Centre is a busy place in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It's a major hub where you can catch commuter rail trains and many different buses. It's the last stop for some evening Lakeshore West line trains, making it a key spot for GO Transit services.

History of the Station

The Hamilton GO Centre building is quite old and has a cool design called Streamline Moderne. This style was popular in the 1930s and looks very sleek and modern, like a fast train or ship. New York architects Fellheimer & Wagner designed it.

It first opened in 1933. Back then, it was the main office and station for a railway company called the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway (TH&B). This company ran passenger trains for many years. However, passenger train service on the TH&B stopped on April 26, 1981. A few years later, in 1987, the TH&B joined another railway company, and the building was no longer used for trains.

In the early 1990s, GO Transit, which runs trains and buses in the Greater Toronto Area, had two different places in Hamilton. Trains stopped at a station about 1.6 kilometers north, and buses used an older bus station. To make things easier for everyone, GO Transit decided to bring all their services to one spot. They chose the old TH&B station.

The building got a big makeover, designed by Garwood-Jones & Hanham Architects. It reopened as the Hamilton GO Centre on April 30, 1996. This new center made it much easier to switch between GO Transit services and the local Hamilton Street Railway buses.

Hamilton Street Railway (HSR)

The Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) runs the local city buses in Hamilton. Since June 28, 2009, some of the main downtown bus routes now start and end right inside the GO Centre. These include routes like 1 King, 2 Barton, and 3 Cannon. A special seasonal route, 51 University, also stops here. Many other HSR bus routes have stops very close to the Hamilton GO Centre on nearby streets like Hunter, James, and John.

GO Transit Services

The GO station is served by GO Transit's Lakeshore West line. During busy times (peak hours), you can catch trains directly from here. When it's not peak hours, GO Transit offers bus service to Aldershot GO Station in nearby Burlington. From Aldershot, you can connect to GO trains.

The Hamilton GO Centre is also the starting point for several GO bus routes. These include routes 16, 18, 40, and 47. While Via Rail trains (Canada's national passenger railway) don't stop in Hamilton, you can connect to them at Aldershot Station.

Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway Museum

If you're interested in trains and history, there's a railway museum located inside the Hamilton GO Centre. It's on the mezzanine level and has an interpretation center where you can learn about the old Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway.

Bus Platform Information

The Hamilton GO Centre has many bus platforms for different routes:

• GO Bus 18: This bus connects to GO trains at Aldershot Station, taking you towards Union Station in Toronto.
• GO Bus 16: This is an express bus that travels along the Queen Elizabeth Way directly to the Union Station Bus Terminal in Toronto.
• GO Bus 40: This route goes to Richmond Hill Centre Terminal. It stops at places like Burlington, Oakville, Square One, Toronto Pearson International Airport, and the Highway 407 Bus Terminal.
• GO Bus 47: This bus travels along Highway 407 West to the Highway 407 Bus Terminal. It makes stops at McMaster University, Burlington, Oakville, Square One, and Bramalea GO Station.
• Casino Coach: You can catch a bus here that goes to the Fallsview Casino and Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls.
• Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) Routes:
  • Route 3 Cannon and Route 51 University buses stop here.
  • Route 1 King and Route 2 Barton buses also stop here.

Images for kids

• 

  A GO train parked outside the Hamilton GO Centre.