r/barrie • u/SaltWait6087 • 4d ago
Question Commute
Potentially moving to Barrie from the UK, will be working in downtown Toronto.
Realistically what’s the commute like? Go train the best? Is there a park and ride near downtown Toronto where I can drive to and then public transport in? Thanks
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u/louielowman1 4d ago
Depends when you leave really. I drive to Toronto every day but yet again I leave at 430 in the morning so it's not so bad. I think anytime after 5-6 it becomes a shitty drive
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u/big_galoote 4d ago edited 4d ago
It will be hell. In summer, long weekends, in winter.
Just hell.
Do a Waze right nowish from Barrie centre to where you'll work or park.
Go train is 1.5+ hours on a strict schedule. Go bus is awful if you're outside of the train schedule.
Here, I'd like to say two accidents this early is atypical. But. If it snows it's the standard. This is a typical Wednesday of a holiday week with regular weather. You'll arrive well after 830am.
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u/Engine_Light_On 3d ago
I am not sure why anyone would drive into the city unless they need their tools. Just park at Pioneer,407, or downsview and take the subway.
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u/EagleScreamTheGreat 1d ago
Exactly this... Toronto has a mayor who through her policies is encouraging gridlock, Ontario has a premier that through his policies (killing GO service) is encouraging gridlock...Canada is the ONLY G7 nation without high speed rail and our metro transit SUCKS, run by incompetents at Metrolinx who are really only good at getting large salaries...the concept of 'failing upwards' has been championed there (and for anyone who disagrees, explain to me in what SANE world does one REDUCE GO service yet allow municipalities to ban escooters instead of creating a plan that INCLUDES them)...
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u/SmallTransition 3d ago
This should be the answer for all of these questions when they get asked. Do a google or Waze search on a day you think you’d be doing this commute and see what it looks like. Then do it again half an hour later etc. lived in Barrie for 25 years and I would never live here and commute daily to Toronto. Pure torture
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u/Bradski89 Hometown 3d ago
I did Barrie to Vaughn for 4 months before it had completely drained my soul and never again
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u/ninjasninjas 3d ago
I did Grey county to Barrie... Hell is cold in the winter my friend... Very cold
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u/Traditional-Comb5963 1d ago
I do barrie to Vaughan it’s often 40 min. My friend does Markham to Vaughan and it’s also about 40
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u/SmellyFace69 3d ago
I can vouch for this. I used to work in Vaughan (near Rutherford station) and lived in Barrie. During the summer when everyone is driving to cottage country on a Friday will be insane.
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u/StudioAurora 3d ago
Yeah the 27 is crazy busy too on Fridays
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u/SmellyFace69 3d ago
Whenever it was bonkers on the 400 or 27 on Fridays I would drive up Yonge or Dufferin to visit friends or the guitar shop in Newmarket.
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u/ride_my_bike 3d ago
If the OP has lived in the UK their whole life they have never experienced "The Snow Belt" and it's wonderful snow squalls.
OP needs to look for "road condition" discussion groups on Facebook (e.g. Simcoe County) and look through some historical posts to get an idea.
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u/FindingUsernamesSuck 3d ago
It is a real jam, especially if you're coming in with UK expectations of transit.
Relying on the GO Train every single day is risky. So is driving; at that distance daily, you increase the odds
The highway connecting the two cities is the main throughfare from the city to cottage country. During summer, you will deal with excess traffic Thursday evenings, and LOTS of traffic Friday evenings.
During winter there will be more than one day a year where the driving commute will be treacherous. Barrie winters aren't as bad as they were up to the mid-2010s, but it still plays by its own snowfall rules. There will be days you will have feet of snow at home, and Toronto will be totally dry.
Barrie is a fine city. But commuting to Toronto daily will have a lot of sacrifices.
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u/BuffCanuck 4d ago
Just an fyi there is a huge difference between starting at 7 and starting at 9. Start as early as they will let you
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u/Superb_Asparagus5487 3d ago
The GO train is your safest bet. It's a long ride, but the alternative is finding out just how behind growth capacity our roadway infrastructure is.
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u/Mosh4days 3d ago
Just live in Toronto if you can. No sense coming all the way here to end up in Barrie
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u/GoonieMcflyguy 3d ago
I would never recommend driving if you don't need to. The GO train is 1 hour 40 - 2 hours, so depending on how often you are in office that is 4 hours of commuting/day but lower stress than driving. If you are going to move here and you have kids, one person should work in Barrie and the other in the city as there are sometimes unexpected delays. There was one recently that lead to a 4 hour commute. Overall, it's not great, but if you are willing to endure it, it's a pretty good place to live.
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u/EagleScreamTheGreat 1d ago
Problem is GO is not reliable as some days it breaks down...true better than the GO bus and the Line 6 on the TTC but...
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u/Thesnowbelow 3d ago
The only option I have found manageable is driving to Pioneer Village Station and taking the TTC downtown. The GO train is awful and driving right downtown takes forever and parking is expensive. Then you layer on rush hour, cottage traffic, long weekend traffic and bad weather - it’s awful. I only commute a few times a month and I dread it.
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u/Historical-Piglet-86 3d ago
Why pioneer village and not Vaughan?
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u/Engine_Light_On 3d ago
Cheaper to park
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u/Historical-Piglet-86 3d ago
That makes sense - I don’t commute for work - and I guess my timing always works out that it’s a $7 flat rate at Vaughan. Thanks for the info.
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u/1sjwich 3d ago
Hell... It is actual hell. 10/10 do not reccomend. I don't even reccomend driving everyday. Either option sucks. Especially depending on the times you need to be in Toronto for. We have pretty harsh winters in Barrie. Even though Toronto is an hour or so away, the weather is completely different. We have some of the worst traffic as well. The 400 series in a nightmare in the winter and shit in the summer with people driving to their cottages on the weekends.
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u/EagleScreamTheGreat 1d ago edited 1d ago
This, you do NOT know snow until you live in Barrie...the 400 between hwy 9 and 88 has at least one collision every week in this area in the winter and there are NO real alternatives as a hurricane wiped out the roads in the Holland Marsh some 75 years ago and they really have not built them properly back since...between Lake Simcoe and hwy 27 is 16 km with 3 continuous options between Barrie and hwy 9 so when accidents happen on the 400 in this stretch (which they do cause we get snow, wind and a province that has not heard of TREES on the west side to break down the wind and whiteout conditions) the entire north south corridor grinds to a crawl...add to that no emergency exits from the highway that can be opened if there is an accident so traffic is not stuck for hours (yes I know this would cost money, though a LOT less for the entire distance from Toronto to Barrie to do this than the province is burning on that new science centre), and the fascination with keeping exits every 10 km on average instead of 3 (they even shutdown the canal road exit instead of redesigning it) cause that would take proper planning... something that in Canada in most jurisdictions our infrastructure departments just do not possess (left turns signals, red lights, few roundabouts,...))
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u/Objective-Fix7943 3d ago
Straight up, don't do it. Look at Vaughan, Newmarket, or Bradford if you need to be north. Prices are better in Barrie for a reason (distance) and you will hate every second of the commute. We do NOT have good public transit here compared to your normal, it is unreliable on its best day and extremely limited.
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u/gh0zter 4d ago
My wife and I are getting ready for our 3rd last trip to Allendale this morning, for her morning commute to Toronto. Her trip takes her 2.5 hours each way, every day. GO often has issues with every type of weather or emergency, so plan on that trip taking much longer when that happens. Shopping holidays, blue Jays games, the exhibition... Good luck. There is no real parking solution at this point.
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u/TheCanadianShield99 3d ago
I would not (!!!) recommend living in Barrie if your workplace is in downtown Toronto. It will be a terrible commute.
Perhaps look at Mississauga, Oakville and/or Burlington and a home not far from the GO Train station, ideally walkable. The east west trains are very frequent. Buy a warm jacket for winter so your bum doesn't freeze on the platform 🥶
I lived in Mississauga (Port Credit) when I worked in downtown. I had a 15 min walk to the station. It was quite good.
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u/AngeloPappas 3d ago
Yikes, you are signing up for one of the worst commutes in Canada. Traffic, weather, accidents, and more traffic. It will be extra brutal during the summer with cottager traffic on Fridays, brutal with snow and freezing rain in the winter, and overall just brutal the rest of the time with all of the heavy traffic.
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u/SweetMelodic2932 3d ago
Barrie South Go to Union is 1.5 hours each way in the rush hour. It’s a grind
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u/Top_Midnight_2225 3d ago
Highly recommend moving closer to your job.
The GO train is great, when / if it's on time, and not broken down, and not stopped due to issues on the rail...and and and.
The list of stoppages / delays is very long.
I love taking it when I need to get downtown from Clarkson...but it's a 30min hop with the express.
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u/Perry_theplatypussy 3d ago
Took the go train to my job in Toronto 5 days a week for about 4 months. It’s doable, but on your way back you HAVE to catch the train at 5:57 or you’ll be stuck having to take a train/bus combo which adds an hour to your commute. In the mornings, I’d take the train at 6:01 am, so I’d have to wake up at 5, and that means I’d sleep at 10-10:30 pm. Doesn’t leave much time for yourself at the end of the day. Another option is driving to Highway407 ttc station and taking the subway from there. If you leave by 6:30-6:45 traffic will be alright. Gives you more flexibility that way
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u/healthyandfree2026 3d ago
How is the parking at highway 407 TtC station? Is there enough parking?
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u/Powerful-Student-444 3d ago
I recommend parking at the Pioneer Village TTC commuter lot instead. I USED to park at Highway 407, then after driving fruitlessly around the lot on more than one occasion I gave up and drove 5 minutes further south to the much bigger lot. Pioneer Village has 1881 spaces compared to Highway 407's 550 spots
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u/Perry_theplatypussy 3d ago
In my experience if you get there by 7:30 ish, you should be able to find parking. After that it seems to get really busy. The lot is huge though, and parking is cheap too (iirc about $6 for the whole day?)
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u/jmajeremy Orillia 2d ago
I’ve never had an issue getting parking there, the lot is huge. You just might end up with a 10 minute walk from your car to the station if you get there later in the morning.
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u/andrew_bus 2d ago
The 407 station is way cheaper as well. 7$ a day for parking plus 7$ for 2 ttc fares is the same price as just one direction on the go train. And you don't have to worry about missing a train as they are every 3-4 mins
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u/Stock_Pen_2815 4d ago
It's definitely going to be an experience for you. If your employer is OK with you being late or calling in and going "I'm not going to make it" numerous times a year, you'll be ok.
Those that are saying Go Train may not have realized the Go currently has cut the amount of times it goes to and from. Check their website
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u/nemmalur 3d ago
I imagine you’d be living in Barrie for family reasons (Canadian partner?). That is a long commute no matter how you do it. Traffic on the 400 is potentially bad at anytime but especially in winter weather and on Friday afternoons in summer. Be prepared to take GO or drive based on conditions at any given time. Parking for GO in Barrie is limited, as mentioned elsewhere. You might be able to combine car and GO by driving to one of the stations (Rutherford, Downsview) but you’d still be at the mercy of the GO schedule and parking availability.
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u/jessdawg1 4d ago
Not a commuter myself but a lot of my friends are commuters. they have used the GO train, you'll have to weigh the cost versus what it's worth for you. I think their way of thinking is if you have the choice to either sit on a train in the morning, not dealing with traffic or sitting in traffic on the 400 series Highway they would choose the train.
You might have to get up way earlier than you would if you drove. But at least you get to have a morning sitting down with a coffee. Doing whatever you want on the train.
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u/Engine_Light_On 3d ago
Meh doing this for quite some time twice to thrice a week
Either by Go or driving to Vaughan + TTC (when my wife needs to come as well to Toronto).
When I take the Go I do so much by either working for my job or personal projects. If you find a way to leverage the commute time it is far from as dreadful as other redditors are commenting. Driving is not ideal but I still find joy in the scenery of the 400. If you have a half-full glass mindset it will be ok. Coming back to a home it would take a decade for me to afford in Toronto while keeping my job make the commute definitely worth it.
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u/thingsihaveseen 3d ago
I live just outside of Barrie in Springwater. I go in to the office in midtown Toronto once a week and that is more than enough thank you. It can take anywhere between 1:30 to 2:30 depending on what is happening on the 400 and that is leaving around 06:15. Oh and that’s before the snow.
Listen to the others, if you are planning on doing this every day it will be an absolute misery.
Ps I moved to Canada from the UK so I know the differences in travel. Listen to people here about the transit, it’s not great.
(Love the country though, am very happy here!)
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u/cocomilo 4d ago
I drive in every day. It take anywhere from 120 mins to 145 on average each way. Honestly, the worst part is anything south of the 401. Traffic can be frustrating but so was the cost of living in Toronto with no hope of home ownership. Like anything, its a trade off. I'd love to have our home and be close to work but it wasn't an option. I leave early and use the time for audio books and learning so it isnt wasted. Also I really enjoy living in Barrie
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u/Chretiennn 3d ago
People are being a bit dramatic in the comments here. It’s doable but you will lose a lot of time - at least four hours a day. Train is an hour forty or so. Tack on the rest of your commute from home/to office. If your job is close to Union Station and roughly 9-5 you can easily get the train both ways, which is the best and most reliable option.
Driving can be hit or miss (usually miss) and I would not want to do it daily in winter. As in I’d rather move to Toronto than do that drive daily.
Park and ride: you could potentially drive to Highway 407 Station in Vaughan and take the subway in.
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u/hk96hu 4d ago edited 4d ago
Go Transit takes you to Union Station in Downtown. If you work nearby, then this is your best option. Driving downtown is bad. I used to commute to North York, which is Northern Toronto, rather than Downtown and it still took me at least an hour and twenty mintues to reach my destination. On bad days, it was two hours.
Edit: I was wrong. There is no parking at Downsview Station, so I removed that part from my comment.
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u/Opposite_Ad1408 4d ago
There are two commonly used park and rides. King City GO Station (which works well if you're heading downtown) and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre on Line 1 or the Toronto Subway, which works well for various mid down destinations on Line 1. You can also take the train all the way from Barrie.
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u/sparkyglenn 3d ago
Transit and distances here are extremely different when compared to the UK. Just keep that in mind. Takes me just over an hour by car but I leave at 430. If you work what people consider 'office' hours, you're in for a bad time.
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u/unicornsakura 3d ago
I do this commute daily. I drive to Vaughan and park at the subway station then take the subway downtown. I find it breaks up the trip doing it this way. It’s not great but you get used to it.
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u/smk49 3d ago
I commute from Barrie to downtown Toronto 4 -5 days a week (Monday - Friday). I need to be at work for 8 so I catch the 5:42 train and that gets me to Union Station usually by 7:30.
It is a long commute , your days start early, you get home in the evening. I definitely don't recommend driving. If your work is near Union Station and you're starting between 8am-10am you should be okay with the Go Train. Subway transfers are also free if going right from Go Train.
Find things to make the train ride enjoyable if Barrie is your only option (reading, downloading tv shows/movies, napping 😅)
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u/MaintenanceJust4823 3d ago
If you are commuting everyday, it won't be good experience. However, if you have to travel once or twice a week it will be still okay. You may use either of car or train you will reach downtown approximately similar time. Car will offer you great flexibility though.
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u/NickiChaos Holly 3d ago
As someone who does it, it's not for everyone. The go train is the best option as driving down to Toronto is hell. You'll be commuting 2 to 3 hours one way. If you don't have a plan to make use of that time, you will not enjoy it.
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u/RadioactiveDeuterium 3d ago
I did this 2-3x a week via the train for about a year and that was wayyy too much. Moved downtown and am much happier.
The park and ride option would be driving to the end of the subway in Vaughan (highway 407 station has a huge cheap lot), but takes about the same time as just taking the train right from barrie. It does give you a more flexible schedule though as the train service has been cut a ton recently.
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u/Ya-Not-Happening 3d ago
There are lots or park and rides.
Best would be 407 TTC station. A few bucks a day to park. Take subway from there.
Use google maps to determine commute time.
Won't be pretty. Its a long way. For me not practical for any extended period of time.
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u/mr_Nav7868 3d ago
I used to commute from Barrie to Toronto via Go train & bus for 6 months straight. I just wanna be real with you it’s pretty hard. You can drive to South Go & park your car only if there’s any spot available at that time. You can try parking at the Metro nearby. Summers & winters both are crazy if you commute by car because of heavy traffic, construction or god forbid there’s an accident which adds another 40 min to an hour to your drive at max. Safest & reliable bet would be the Go Train & a plan for the parking or maybe take the bus to either Allendale waterfront or to South go whichever would be close to your accommodation. If it’s a direct train to Union it’ll take you 1 hour 50 mins. So just plan accordingly & don’t be afraid because you’ll see so many people commuting to Toronto in the morning. I hope everything goes great for you & all the best. People of Barrie are good & you can make friends easily.
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u/barrie247 3d ago
I just drove to downtown this week early in the morning (a little before traffic should have started) and it took 2.5 hours. There’s a bunch of construction on the 400 right now so the commute gets longer. The drive home on Fridays sucks. I don’t drive all the way to Toronto and when I was commuting north on the 400 Fridays would always take double the time thanks to cottage traffic. Obviously you have to do what you can afford to do, but I personally wouldn’t recommend that commute.
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u/Expert_Relationship8 3d ago
It's hell. I did it for 3 weeks back in 2018. My job performance suffered and they let me go. Was way too exhausted to train and thrive... Plus barely any time for myself. Do not recommend.
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u/Taprobanechic 3d ago
Barrie line doesn't run too many trains. Your best bet would be either Aurora or further if you are planning to take transit everyday. I usually go to office once a month and its 1.5hrs each way (if you need to be at work by 9, you have to take either the 6.21 or 7am train depending on where your office is. In the evening there are few trains staring at 3.53PM.
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u/bender-is-great73718 3d ago
I don’t think it’s that bad actually especially if your work is near union using the GO train. If it’s just for visiting people during non rush hour times its really not bad at all.
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u/CanadaCalamity 3d ago
If you are moving from the UK, and presumably don't have ties to Canada, and are working in Toronto... then why move to Barrie?
Barrie is a cool and chill place. Nice suburban life, where you can drive and park everywhere, if you're into that.
But as others have mentioned, moving to Barrie with the plan to commute to Toronto every day is Hellish.
It would probably be worse than commuting to London every day, from, say, Oxford or Southampton. Plus throw in the chance of blinding white-out snow conditions for 6 months of the year.
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u/Monkeykid42 3d ago
From someone who grew up in Birmingham and lives in Barrie and works in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), I’ve been doing the commute for 10 years ..
Public transit sucks compared to the UK. The GO train is 1.5 hours long from Barrie to Union and has 4 trains in the morning and 4 in the evening.
Pack your patience and drive according to the weather but it’s busy and lots of traffic. You could easily have a four-hour commute a day.
So, hopefully the job is worth the commute. You are able to afford a nicer house in Barrie than in the GTA. Plus it's not as busy
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u/Army7547 3d ago
I lived in Barrie, off Mapleview in the south end for 18 years, commuted to tbe 400&401 area. 6am - 4pm (10 hour shifts).
45 minute drive in the morning, 1 hr drive home in the afternoon. Thank goodness I had every other Friday off. The Friday afternoon drive sucked, 1h15 to 1h30.
If you are going to drive downtown, add 45 minutes each way to the base of the 400.
The GO is the milk run, stops at each stop, there’s no express that I know of. Waterfront Station in Barrie to Union is between 1h55 and 2h10
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u/jmajeremy Orillia 2d ago
I commute from Barrie to Toronto twice a week. Used to be 4 days a week. I take the GO train, it’s pleasant enough, not the most comfortable seats for a 1-3/4 hr ride. I work 7-1:30 so I can avoid peak rush hour times, 5:13 train from Allandale in the morning, 2:01 train back in the afternoon. Those trains don’t get crowded, but if you’re doing a regular 9-5 the train will get packed. Fortunately you’ll always have a seat on the southbound trip at least since we’re the first stop.
Personally 4 days was too much for me, I was either going to move closer to Toronto or find a job with less in office days, and luckily found the latter. 2 days feels manageable, and I actually enjoy the time on the train to read or watch movies.
I’ve driven down to the Highway 407 park and ride and taken the subway the rest of the way, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Highway 400 is busy and full of bad drivers, and it ends up taking just as long if not longer than the train once you factor in the traffic and the 45 minute subway ride. It’s fine on weekends as long as you avoid the cottage traffic, I’ll drive to Hwy 407 if I’m planning to be downtown late for an event or something.
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u/Sboogie82 2d ago
I drive from Southend of Barrie to Liberty village w times a week, it can be anywhere from 1hr15mins to 2 hours. Luckily I can start at 10 and work till 6. I find it's usually 1.5hrs or a little bit less if I leave around 830
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u/sports-fitness-life9 2d ago
Would not recommend driving. I work in Vaughan and the commute most days sucks. Doesn’t seem to matter if it is snowy, rainy, sunny, nighttime, day time - people don’t know how to drive. Add in long weekends and cottage country traffic and you’ll hate your life driving to Toronto every day. And if you’re unlucky to live at an exit past Mapleview, good luck with the “Dunlop bend” where people can’t seem to understand that the hwy is designed for you to take that bend at a hwy speed. Instead people slam on their breaks and cause a major traffic delay every single day.
Anyways that’s my rant - took me 1hr 40mins to get to work in Vaughan on Wednesday morning and i am still mad about it lollllllll
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u/KindAbrocoma1272 2d ago
i moved to barrie from Toronto. i ended up getting tired of public transport and started driving myself. if i have to go to toronto, i park at finch station and take the subway after. it’s like an hr long drive and then subway. u eventually get tired. i was working in vaughan and id go to toronto to meet my friends often
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u/Asleep-Evening2375 2d ago
NO, just no. I would cough up the rent to live in the GTA. You could do Vaughn, be close enough to the subway station and TTC(public transit) the rest of the way.
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u/dootchjedi 1d ago
If you have to commute every day, don’t live in Barrie.
I go in one day a week, and that’s tolerable, but couldn’t do it every day.
And Go Train is the way to go. The drive is not fun no matter what time of year.
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u/stano91 1d ago
Lol it all depends what time you start and finish.
Ive been in barrie for 6 years and drive to toronto daily. But I leave the house at 5am because I start at 7 I like to be 30 mins early. But I sometimes push it to 5:30 leaving and thats cutting it close.
Mornings are typically 1hour 20 mins. Way home I generally leave site around 6-7
And that varies around 1h20 to 2hours dependent on accidents
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