Toronto council votes to advance Eglinton East Light Rail Transit and Waterfront Transit Network

Today, Toronto City Council unanimously voted in support of City of Toronto staff advancing work on Eglinton East Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Waterfront Transit Network.

The City says, “The Eglinton East LRT is a planned 15-kilometre extension of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT from Kennedy Station to Malvern, with up to 21 stops and three connections to GO Transit. The line would provide transit access to historically underserved communities, travelling through or adjacent to seven Neighbourhood Improvement Areas and bringing higher-order transit within walking distance of 49,000 Torontonians.”

“We are getting on with getting transit built across our city. I am absolutely determined to get the Eglinton East LRT built because I know it will make a meaningful difference to transit users in Scarborough. It does come with a cost, as all transit projects do, but it is an investment in the future of Scarborough and exactly the type of projects we need to move our city, all parts of our city, forward,” said Mayor John Tory.

Council has now approved an updated project scope with an evolved design that accommodates the Province of Ontario’s subway expansion plans. As next steps, staff have been directed to report back on project costs, schedule and approach next year. The updated project cost reported by staff is $4 billion. More information on the Eglinton East LRT and Eglinton Crosstown expansion projects is available online.

“Once in service, the Eglinton East LRT will open new pathways to jobs, schools, businesses and social connections for the people of Scarborough Centre and the rest of Toronto,” said Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre), Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee. “I am delighted that the project is moving forward and will in due time begin delivering its many benefits to the neighbourhoods in our community.”

Work by the City, TTC and Waterfront Toronto on preliminary design and engineering for a streetcar option for the Union Station to Queens Quay Link is well underway, with design work progressing and cost estimate being developed. The project would provide new and improved infrastructure to operate additional streetcar services to the East Bayfront development area.

“I firmly believe that Waterfront transit, east and west, must also be a priority for the city given the development both built and planned. These projects will bring more transit to two areas that absolutely need it – the Waterfront and Scarborough,” said Mayor Tory.

Today, Council directed staff to continue work and report back on the schedule and funding for the Link and East Bayfront LRT next year. More information on the Waterfront Transit Reset is on toronto.ca.

The full report, Update on the City’s Transit Expansion Projects – Fourth Quarter 2020 , is available online.

SOURCE City of Toronto

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