The highly anticipated Air Rail Link will provide express, high-quality rail service, connecting Union Station in downtown Toronto with Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The Service: Fast, Reliable, Convenient & Comfortable

With the focus on the customer, the Air Rail Link will offer a host of conveniences including modern, comfortable interiors. Other features being considered are power outlets for laptops, ticketing options for the ARL and some airlines, onboard refreshments, Wi-Fi, luggage facilities, screens with flight information, and self-service airline check-in machines. Travellers will choose the Air Rail Link as the best way to travel to and from the airport because it is fast, reliable, convenient and comfortable. Service will begin in 2015, and launch in time for the Pan/Parapan American Games.

The Route

The Air Rail Link will operate on a 25-kilometre rail route, sharing the upgraded GO Transit rail corridor along the Kitchener line (formerly the Georgetown line). A new three-kilometre rail spur will be constructed to connect the Kitchener line to Toronto Pearson Terminal 1. Trains are expected to depart Union Station and Toronto Pearson every 15 minutes and will make stops at Bloor and Weston GO Stations.

The Need

An integrated transit system is a priority for the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area and the Air Rail Link will address a significant gap in airport-to-downtown travel in Toronto. Each year an estimated five million cars travel between downtown Toronto and Toronto Pearson. With this number expected to grow to nine million by 2020, the Air Rail Link is expected to remove 1.2 million car trips annually while offering a critical transit alternative for quick and easy access to Toronto’s downtown core and Toronto Pearson.

The Project

Since Metrolinx was assigned the Air Rail Link project in 2010, significant work has been undertaken and teams have made impressive strides on key elements of the project, including upgrades to the rail corridor and procurement of the Air Rail Link vehicles. The project is progressing on budget and will be delivered on time for the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games.

The Air Rail Link is a critical first step in executing other vital projects outlined in The Big Move – Metrolinx’s forward-looking regional transportation expansion plan.