Durham College and Metrolinx, the provincially-owned agency that oversees GO Transit and UP Express, have embarked on a 10-year station naming agreement. What was formerly known as the Oshawa GO station will now be referred to as Durham College Oshawa GO.

The sponsorship deal came after Metrolinx issued a request for proposals in mid-February to gauge private sector interest in station naming rights at four station stops, though at the time the RFP covered Clarkson, Exhibition, Oakville and Whitby stations. The agency also said it would consider proposals for other stations that would last five to 10 years.

“Station naming has been part of a strategy to enhance transit and customer experience by generating new forms of non-fare revenue,” Fannie Sunshine, spokesperson for Metrolinx, said at the time.

“We’re always exploring how partnerships like this play a role in improving and expanding our services and enhancing our overall customer experience. We are particularly encouraged by these new revenue opportunities as we start to recover from the effects of the pandemic on our ridership.”

Partners would receive category exclusivity for select stations, opportunities to provide co-branding opportunities with GO, the right to use GO Transit’s branding, logo and imagery in marketing promotions and opportunities for experiential activation such as branded areas within buildings, retail space (permanent or pop-up) and other onsite promotions.