SmartTrack Stations Program green-lit for delivery
The Ontario government and the City of Toronto have signed an agreement in principle to endorse a program that will create five new stations along Toronto’s GO rail corridors.
With the agreement now signed, Metrolinx can move forward with the procurement to build four stations located at St. Clair-Old Weston, Finch-Kennedy, King-Liberty and Bloor-Lansdowne, and the final station—at the East Harbour Transit Hub—being delivered through Ontario’s Transit-Oriented Communities Program.
All five are anticipated to be open and operational by 2026.
“Through this new agreement, we are working alongside the Government of Ontario to deliver SmartTrack stations that will help us get people moving across Toronto. The SmartTrack Stations Program will transform existing rail infrastructure in our city from a regional commuter service into an urban rapid transit network that will greatly benefit our residents and give them more transit options,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory. “We know that we cannot deliver vital transit projects on our own, by working with the other levels of government we can ensure that we are moving quickly to expand our transit system, relieve congestion, increase transit accessibility and create new economic and employment opportunities for residents.”
The new SmartTrack stations are being built as the province undertakes the largest transit expansion in Canadian history, including the delivery of Ontario’s four priority subway projects, GO Rail Expansion and new LRT service along Eglinton Avenue and Finch West. The projects are providing greater choice of reliable and convenient route options to shorten commutes and increase quality of life for local and visiting transit riders.
"Infrastructure Ontario is pleased to be a part of building the new transit infrastructure in the City of Toronto to help bring much-needed relief to commuters and families in the region,” said Infrastructure Ontario President Michael Lindsay. “The development of the East Harbour transit-oriented community is an exciting opportunity to deliver a complete vibrant mixed-use community with a diverse and sustainable range of spaces and services, and we look forward to the path ahead."
The SmartTrack Stations Program leverages roughly 40 kilometres of existing GO rail corridors that run through the City of Toronto, with connections to four existing or planned subway lines and light rail transit services, as well as nine local transit services from feeder bus and streetcar routes.
By 2041, the stations are projected to attract a combined 24,000 boardings and transfers during the average weekday peak hour and are estimated to attract 3,400 new daily riders to Toronto’s transit system every weekday.
The stations will provide easy access to more than 52 major regional destinations located within 800 metres of transit stations, including major shopping centres, community facilities and educational institutions.
Once GO Rail Expansion is implemented, the SmartTrack Stations Program will benefit transit riders by offering two-way, all-day service with faster and quieter trains arriving every 15 minutes.
Featured image: Toronto transit map showing the locations of the five new SmartTrack stations. (Government of Ontario)