It's been a big week at City Hall—Toronto may be out a mayor, but, for the first time in a long time, it's got a coherent long-term transit plan. The question remains: What happens next?
This past week Toronto made two important moves towards more sustainable long-term transit. Last Wednesday, in what TTC chair Karen Stintz called "a truly historic event," city officials met with officials from Metrolinx, the province and the TTC to sign-off on a long-awaited deal to build four new Toronto LRTs.
The day after the agreement was signed, Metrolinx president and CEO Bruce McCuaig announced the set of projects that will make up the "next wave" of the
Big Move transit plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).
Among the most anticipated and largest projects announced are a two new subway lines, a Downtown Relief Line that would connect the Danforth line directly to the downtown core, as well as an extension of the Yonge subway line north to Richmond Hill. McCuaig's announcement also outlined plans for more Light rail transit (LRT) in Mississauga, Brampton and Hamilton, and bus rapid transit (BRT) in Durham,Toronto, Peel and Halton.
The projects are not new, each is drawn from the Big Move, the Metrolinx transit plan adopted by the Metrolinx board of directors in 2008. What McCuaig's announcement made clear was that both new subways lines would be made priorities, anticipating that they should be delivered within the next 15 years.
The first wave of Metrolinx projects (most currently under construction) include the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown LRT, the Toronto-York Spadina subway extension, the Mississauga BRT and the Union Pearson Express.
However, despite McCuaig's optimism regarding the new projects, there is some scepticism due to the lack a clear funding structure.
In statement in response to the Metrolinx announcement, Mitzie Hunter, CEO of Civic Action stated: "We applaud the announcement of the master agreement between Metrolinx and the TTC for four new light rapid transit lines in Toronto, and that the next wave of proposed investment extends beyond major rapid transit projects to local transit, roads, active transportation and other strategic transportation initiatives."
"But we won't see or benefit from any of these projects if we don't figure out how to raise money that's dedicated to building out and delivering the plan. Everyone needs to be part of the conversation—road and transit users, taxpayers, businesses, students."
The Metrolinx board of directors are meeting this week to discuss possible financing strategies.
Writer: Katia Snukal