The Metrolinx Board of Directors wasted no time in moving forward with implementing The Big Move: Transforming Transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) on Friday November 28, 2008. After unanimously approving the plan they immediately selected two major projects for construction beginning in 2009.

As part of its $7 B, five-year Capital Plan, Metrolinx has recommended construction funding for the Sheppard East LRT and dedicated VIVA lanes along Yonge Street and Highway 7 in York Region. These projects will connect the suburban regions of eastern Toronto and the northern area of the GTHA. Both projects are expected to begin construction next year at a cost of $2 B over five years.

More than 1,200 kilometres (km) of new rapid transit lines are planned in The Big Move. These lines will move people more conveniently and more quickly. More than 80 per cent of people in the GTHA will live within two km of rapid transit, compared to just 42 per cent currently. These additional transit choices will mean that there will be twice as many people taking transit each morning. And more than half of them will spend less than 45 minutes getting to their destination. Today, 38 per cent of people take more than 45 minutes to commute to work by transit.

The Big Move represents a fundamental shift — to make the entire transportation system in the GTHA more customer-centred, reliable and enjoyable.

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