The Metrolinx Top Ten

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The Metrolinx Top Ten

Looking back on 2014

Another year has passed, and as we reflect back on 2014, we see a lot of growth throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area toward our goal of getting you moving. On behalf of all of us at Metrolinx, we wish you a very happy and peaceful holiday season and New Year.

Here are our top ten signs of transit progress for 2014.

10) Extension of GO Transit’s Richmond Hill line

In early December, we announced the extension of the Richmond Hill line with the construction of a new GO station in Gormley. The station will include surface parking, a bus loop, kiss and ride drop-off area, and pedestrian walkways. Construction is already underway and the station is expected to open by the end of 2016. Earlier in the fall, we also opened a train layover facility in Richmond Hill to support this extension of the line and improve reliability and on-time performance.

Learn more about the new GO Station being constructed in Gormley.

9) Glass atrium at Union Station

A major milestone was reached for the redevelopment of the historic train shed at Union Station. The yellow tower crane that was in the centre of the train shed that was building the glass atrium was removed in October. On November 8, we installed the last glass panels on the roof of the Union Station train shed.

Learn more about the Union Station train shed roof revitalization.

8) Eglinton Crosstown tunneling completes phase 1

Phase 1 of tunneling for our first light rail transit (LRT) in the GTHA finished in late November with our tunnel boring machines, Dennis and Lea meeting up at Allen Road. We look forward to them breaking through in January. Dennis and Lea launched at Black Creek Drive in spring 2013. They drilled eastward, creating tunnels 6.5 metres in diameter, at a rate of 10 metres per day.

Learn more about the Eglinton Crosstown.

7) The Georgetown South Project nears completion

After pouring enough concrete to build five CN Towers, the GTS Project is on time and substantially complete by the end of 2014. We completely removed all seven road-rail crossings and eliminated congestion at Canada’s busiest rail intersection at the West Toronto Diamond. As of December 15, all trains are now travelling through the new underpass/overpass infrastructure.

Learn more about the Georgetown South Project.

6) PRESTO expands on TTC

In March 2014, PRESTO welcomed its one millionth customer. Eight months later, PRESTO surpassed 1.4 million customers and expanded on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). PRESTO devices were installed at Spadina subway station and on new TTC streetcars on the 510 Spadina line. The TTC rollout will continue in 2015, including four streetcar lines and 26 subway stations – up from 15.

Learn more about PRESTO on the TTC.

5) BRT expansion in York, Peel & Durham

The suburbs around Toronto are booming with transit. This year, we opened segments of bus rapid transit (BRT) in the regions of Peel, Durham and York. In September, the next segment of Viva’s BRT that runs in the centre of Highway 7 in the City of Markham opened. In early November, both the Durham Region Transit’s first segment of bus-only lanes on Highway 2 in Ajax and the first phase of the Mississauga Transitway opened.

Learn more about Viva's BRT, Durham Region Transit or Mississauga Transitway.

4) More GO Buses coming

With 2,500 daily trips carrying 55,000 passengers, GO Bus expansion was a focus for us this year as we celebrated the arrival of our 500th GO Bus. We also awarded the contract for over 250 accessible double-decker buses, increasing capacity on our buses by over 35%. In the fall, we completed the East Gwillimbury GO Bus Storage and Maintenance Facility and started the construction of one in Hamilton to make it easier for GO Transit to meet increasing demand for GO Bus service.

Learn more about our GO Bus fleet.

3) UP Express is almost here

It was a big year for UP Express as we’ve been preparing for the spring 2015 launch of the fast and reliable airport-downtown express rail service. We saw significant progress – the vehicles started heading to Toronto in August and can currently be seen testing on the corridors, including the newly built spur. The station at Toronto Pearson is substantially complete and the construction of the three other stops at Union Station, Bloor and Weston are fully underway.

Learn more about UP Express.

2) Union Station GO Bus Terminal redevelopment announced

In late September, we announced exciting plans for the redevelopment of the Union Station GO Bus Terminal. With Ivanhoe Cambridge, we’re building an integrated transit and office development to bring GO Transit bus and rail services to one convenient location for more transit options and a better travel experience. This significant redevelopment will welcome GO Transit’s double-decker buses to downtown Toronto and will have an elevated "sky park" over the rail corridor.

Learn more about the Union Station GO Bus Terminal redevelopment.

1) Regional Express Rail is coming

Our top story of 2014 is Regional Express Rail (RER). It will be a game-changer, bringing people significant new travel choices. This huge project includes electrified, 15-minute service in core areas and two-way, all-day service on weekdays, during the evening and on weekends with a mix of all-stop and limited-stop service on GO Transit’s rail corridors.

Learn more about Regional Express Rail.

Looking toward 2015

GO Transit will be operating more trains on the Milton line beginning January 5. The York GO Concourse at Union Station is scheduled to open early next year. UP Express will launch this spring. The Eglinton Crosstown tunnel boring machines will continue their tunnel drives east toward Yonge Street. The GO Station on James Street North in Hamilton will open in time for PanAm games.

Keep track of all our projects in 2015.