City-Wide Transit Update

The first month of 2016 saw a number of exciting developments on the transit front!

The City of Toronto and TTC, together with Metrolinx and GoTransit, are embracing a network-based approach to transit, rather than considering transit initiatives as individual projects. The goal is to make Toronto’s residents and neighbourhoods more interconnected.

The newly revised SmartTrack plan sees the western portion of the plan – from Mount Dennis station to the airport – modified from heavy rail to light rail. Staff advise that an LRT (light rail transit) would be more feasible, cost effective and have fewer community impacts.

A study of SmartTrack ridership forecasts, conducted by the University of Toronto, also estimated that frequent service on the transit line could reduce congestion on the Yonge subway line by 17% – that’s a significant reduction!

City staff will provide an update on SmartTrack’s western corridor to Executive Committee in March 2016.

In January we also got a look at a revised plan for the Scarborough subway. City Planning has advised that reducing the extension of the Bloor-Danforth subway from three stops to one stop and building a 17-stop, 12 kilometre LRT along Eglinton East – an extension of the Eglinton Crosstown – would better support Scarborough residents’ regional and local needs than the original plan approved by Council in 2013.

City Planning will report to Executive Committee in March 2016 on the results of public consultations and progress on this updated plan.

In February and March, the city and Metrolinx are hosting a series of public meetings for residents to learn more about integrated transit planning.

Click here for the dates and locations of these upcoming public consultations.

I encourage you to attend and share your feedback on our city’s updated transit plans!