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Regional Transportation Plan

About the 2041 Regional Transportation Plan

Our region is growing quickly, and we must continue the work underway to ensure that people can get to where they need to go, today and in the future.

The 2041 Regional Transportation Plan – the 2041 RTP - is about providing even more people with access to fast, frequent and reliable transit, and making it easier for travellers to use transit, or travel by bike or on foot.

The 2041 RTP guides the continuing transformation of the transportation system in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). It is the blueprint for an integrated multimodal regional transportation system that puts the traveller’s needs first.

Everyone has a role to play in making the transportation system work.

Making the 2041 RTP a reality is only possible through collaboration and partnership, and all those who plan, build, maintain, finance and/or operate transportation in the GTHA need to be involved. This includes the 30 regional and local governments in the GTHA, Metrolinx, the Province of Ontario, the federal government, and the transit agencies (including the GO Transit division of Metrolinx). It also means working with municipalities and the private sector to ensure that land uses – such as for housing, offices, condos, hospitals, school campuses and recreational facilities – are designed to focus on the movement of people, not just vehicles.

This plan also encourages:

  • employers to work with us on projects like teleworking and flexible work hours,
  • schools and communities to work with us to reverse the trend of kids getting to school by car,
  • civic organizations to help us make sure that transit is available to those who need it most and,
  • the business community to support the delivery of goods while reducing emissions and conflict with other road users.

Vision, Goals and Strategies to Make it Happen

Developed in partnership with municipal partners and many others, the 2041 RTP builds on the successes of The Big Move (2008), the first regional transportation plan for the GTHA. It presents a vision for the future, and sets out creating strong connections, complete travel experiences, and sustainable and healthy communities as the 2041 RTP’s three goals. To achieve this vision and these three goals, the 2041 RTP outlines five strategies:

  1. Complete the delivery of current regional transit projects
  2. Connect more of the region with frequent rapid transit
  3. Optimize the transportation system
  4. Integrate transportation and land use
  5. Prepare for an uncertain future

Full implementation of the 2041 RTP will lead to an integrated and seamless transportation system for the GTHA. It will improve the traveller experience and offer enhanced transportation choices. It will improve access to reliable and frequent rapid transit, and will make travel more affordable by reducing the need to own a car—and will thereby provide associated social, environmental, health and economic benefits.

If you require this document in an alternate format, please visit the Accessible Formats page on our website for more information.

2041 RTP (Full Plan, PDF version with accessibility tags)

Executive Summary 

Chapters 1 & 2 - Introduction & Setting the Stage 

Chapter 3 – Vision, Goals, Strategies and Priority Actions 

Chapter 4 – Next Steps–Making it Happen 

Appendices 

2041 RTP (Full Plan, Print friendly version) 

Making it Happen

Whereas the 2041 RTP outlines a vision for our transportation system for the next 25 years, the “Making it Happen” paper is about how we get there. The “Making it Happen” paper launches the discussion on what we, as a region, can do to make the regional transportation system presented in the 2041 RTP a reality. The work of building an integrated transportation system for the GTHA is underway. Our collective success depends on us making progress in how we make decisions, fund transportation, set priorities and monitor our progress.

Implementing the 2041 RTP is a shared responsibility that requires the participation of all municipal partners. Making the 2041 RTP a reality will also require the involvement of the private sector, civic organizations, universities and colleges, the travelling public, and many others.

Read the Making it Happen Paper to learn more 

Developing the 2041 Regional Transportation Plan

The 2041 Regional Transportation Plan was informed by an extensive base of new research, knowledge, experience, and engagement with our partners, stakeholders (interested organizations, groups and individuals) and the public. To ensure regional transportation planning decisions continue to be built on a sound, evidence-based foundation, Metrolinx completed technical research, and worked closely with academics and non-governmental organizations to ensure that the updated strategies and policies have considered the work of leading thinkers from a range of transportation-related fields including active transportation, climate change resiliency, transportation demand management, intelligent transportation systems, goods movement, land use and economic outlook, the transit network, roads & highways, urban freight, public health, active transportation, social equity, the customer experience, and more. To read these background documents, please see below.

Technical research and analysis to support the review of the 2041 RTP

Discussion Paper for the Next Regional Transportation Plan, 2016

Discussion Paper Engagement Summary Report, 2016

The 2041 Regional Transportation Plan Evaluation Plan Backgrounder. Prepared by Metrolinx, 2018

Transit Access and Social Equity in the GTHA Background Paper. Prepared by Metrolinx, 2018

The Regional Transportation Plan Cycling Network Study. Prepared by IBI, 2017

GTHA Strategic Goods Movement Network Study. Prepared by CPCS and David Kriger Consultants, 2017

Regional Parking Policy Study. Prepard by WSP, 2017

Regional Road Network Characterization. Prepared by WSP, 2017

Mobility Hub Policy Review. Prepared by Brook Mcllroy, 2018

Navigating Uncertainty: Exploration of Alternative Futures for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Prepared by WSP, 2017

Regional Transit Network Planning Study. Prepared by IBI Group, 2017

Transportation Systems Management: Regional Transporation Plan Background Paper. Prepared by IBI Group, 2017

Active Transportation Background Paper. Prepared by Steer Davies Gleave, 2015

Context Paper on the Regional Economy, Demographic Outlook and Land Use. Prepared by Hemson Consulting Ltd., and IBI Group, 2016

Draft Updated Vision, Goals & Objectives. Prepared by Metrolinx, 2016

New Mobility Background Paper. Prepared by WSP, 2016

Regional Transportation Plan Legislated Review Backgrounder: Urban Goods Movement. Prepared by David Kriger Consultants Ltd and CPCS, 2016

Transit Needs and Opportunities. Prepared by IBI Group, 2016

Shared Mobility in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Prepared by Metrolinx, 2017

The Big Move Baseline Monitoring Report and Supporting Documents. Prepared by Metrolinx, 2016

The Big Move Priority Action and Supporting Policy Review. Prepared by Metrolinx, 2016

Transportation Demand Management Background Paper. Prepared by Steer Davies Gleave, 2015

Cycling Interventions - Economic and Financial Perspective. Prepared by CPCS and David Kriger Consultants Inc., 2017

Managed Highway Lane Network and Transit Use - Economic and Financial Perspective. Prepared by CPCS and David Kriger Consultants Inc., 2016

GO Rail Station Access Plan, 2016

Academic research to support the review of the Regional Transportation Plan

Birnbaum, Leah, Sweet, Matthias, Comeau, Élyse and Olsen, Tyler. Driverless Cars in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area: Focus Group Findings. 2018.

Boucher, Sophie, et. al. (Ryerson University School of Urban and Regional Planning). Workshop Report: Autonomous Vehicles in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area: A Discussion on Policy and Professional Perspectives. 2017.

Cassello, Jeff. Quantitative TDM Assessment in a Large Metropolitan Area: Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. 2015.

Cassello, Jeff and Hall, Daniel. Activity Centre: Integration of the Planning and Operations of Public Transit in the GTHA. 2013.

Castel, Evan and Farber, Steve. Benchmarking the Health and Public Transit Connection in the GTHA: An Analysis of Survey Microdata. 2017.

Ditta, Sara, Urban, Michael Crawford and Johal, Sunil. Sharing the Road: The Promise and Perils of Shared Mobility in the GTHA. 2016.

El-Geneidy, Ahmed M., et al. Non-Stop Equity: Assessing Daily Intersections Between Transit Accessibility and Social Disparity Across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. 2014.

Hertel, Sean, Keil, Roger and Collens, Michael. Switching Tracks: Towards Transit Equity in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. 2015.

Hertel, Sean, Keil, Roger and Collens, Michael. Next Stop: Equity - Routes to Fairer Transit Access in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. 2016.

Hess, Paul, and Nigro, Jacob. Assessing Walkability: Using built environmental variables and population distribution to estimate and model walkability conditions around suburban GO Transit Stations. 2014.

Hess, Paul, et al. Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to the Implementation of Active Transportation Policies. 2014.

Laidlaw, Kailey, Sweet, Matthias and Olsen, Tyler. Forecasting the Outlook for Automated Vehicles in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area using a 2016 Consumer Survey. 2017.

Mahmoud, Mohamed S., Habib, Khandker N. and Shalaby, Amer. Demand Modelling of Cross-Regional Intermodal Commuting Trips in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. 2014.

Mitra, Raktim and Smith Lea, Nancy. Cycling Behaviour and Potential in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. 2016.

Olsen, Tyler, Laidlaw, Kailey and Sweet, Matthias. Automated Vehicles in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area: Overview from a 2016 Consumer Survey – Part A: Summary and Discussion, Part B: Data Overview and Part C: Survey Instrument. 2017.

Spencer, Greg. Economic Clusters in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and Their Relationship with the Region’s Transportation Infrastructure. 2017.

Walks, Alan. Assessing and Measuring the Factors Affecting Mobility, Transportation, Accessibility, and Social Need: Barriers to Travel among Those with Low Income and Other Vulnerable Groups. 2015.