One of the most obvious ways the Yonge North Subway Extension will make it easier to get around is by providing one seamless subway ride from Richmond Hill to downtown Toronto and any destination in between. Those convenient northbound and southbound subway trips are important benefits of extending TTC Line 1 service from Finch Station to Richmond Hill, but the project will open up many more travel possibilities in York Region and beyond thanks to a planned transit hub now referred to as Bridge Station.

Placed between the Highway 7 and Highway 407 corridors, the planned Bridge Station transit hub will offer fast and simple connections to York Region Transit and regional GO buses that travel on those major roadways, as buses won’t have to divert far off their routes in order to connect to the subway. The station will also provide an easy transfer to the Richmond Hill GO train because it will be connected to the existing Langstaff GO station.

Transferring between buses or trains will be simple and quick for riders because the station is planned to be built at-grade along the existing CN Railway corridor, meaning there will be no need for lengthy descents to underground platforms. This will make it easier for people to transfer to other modes of transportation to get where they need to go.

“Bridge Station’s function as a transit hub in the northern part of the extension is a major benefit for riders,” says Metrolinx acting project planning director Joseph Ehrlich.

“By putting the station right under Highway 7 and Highway 407, riders will be able to access transit options that will allow them to tap into the entire regional transit network.”

That means it’ll be easy to get to jobs located to the east, near highways 407 and 404, or destinations to the west like York University and Pearson Airport. A simple transfer to the VIVA bus rapid transit system will make getting across York Region more convenient than ever. Bridge Station will also give customers in northern York Region new travel options when they ride the Richmond Hill GO train from places like Aurora and Newmarket.

The innovative Bridge Station concept also helps support community growth while offsetting traffic congestion. By 2041, the project is expected to serve 94,100 riders each day, cutting the time spent commuting in Toronto and York Region by a combined 835,000 minutes each day. The station will link the Richmond Hill Centre and Langstaff Gateway Urban Growth Centres, at roughly the midpoint of each. These two areas are on the boundary of Markham and Richmond Hill and are poised to become a bustling centre for York Region.

Bridge Station works as a pair with High Tech Station to serve these burgeoning neighbourhoods. High Tech station will also be built at ground level along the railway corridor north of Bridge Station at – unsurprisingly – High Tech Road. Studies show High Tech Station will bring the subway within a five-minute walk for more than half of the people who will live in Richmond Hill Centre by 2041, giving them more fast and reliable options to get to where they need to go.

“We’re building the extension for the people who live and work in these communities today, as well as the ones who will be there in the future,” says Ehrlich.