GO buddies - how one friendship was formed on the train
Friends from the GO Train continue trek to the theatre years after meeting on transit.
Oct 24, 2018
It all began with three women just standing on the same platform, waiting for the same GO train, at the same time every day. Every now and then, they would strike up a conversation but never ended up sitting together.
That is, until they found out they had something in common.
“We are creatures of habit, so you stand in the same spot, the same place, you see the same people every day’” explained 26-year customer Barb Morrison. “You recognize the people and you just start to have a conversation.”
The small talk would eventually lead to much more, as the women gradually got to know more about each other. What really brought them together was their love for theatre.
“I had a subscription for just me to go to the theatre and Julie asked when it renews, so I added her and then Barb wanted in too,” recalled Melinda Shiers, who still can’t believe how this friendship formed and how it lasted for so long.
GO buddies Barb Morrison, Melinda Shiers and Julie Yarwood outside the Princess of Wales Theatre
“It’s just weird how you can start out as strangers on a platform and now we’re going to the theatre,” she said. “We have cottage weekends together. We even went to a Bon Jovi concert earlier this year together.”
Their latest journey began on a recent Saturday morning. Morrison and Shiers took the train from Whitby to downtown Toronto and met with their friend Julie Yarwood. The three went to see the musical hit Ain’t Too Proud at the Princess of Wales theatre.
Going to a show together is just one of the many traditions they’ve kept for almost a decade. What’s even more remarkable about their friendship is that they all started off as strangers on a GO train platform.
The long-time friends say they first took the GO train because they found it was the easiest way to get downtown if you didn’t want the hassle of driving. Now, it’s a chance to catch up on life as they travel to Union Station.
“We all did our own things and on the next day we would all be on the platform again,” admits Yarwood. “That’s how it all came together and we’ve been now doing it for years.”
“I’ve been really lucky to meet two amazing friends just by standing on a GO platform. You never know where you’re going to meet people.”
by Nitish Bissonauth Metrolinx bilingual editorial content advisor
