Overview of the Plan

The map above has been created based on the design considerations covered on the background page of this website to create a system which, in combination with local and regional bus services routed to complement this network, can effectively support the needs for public transit in the Greater Toronto Area in the year 2050.

No Completely New Lines within Toronto Proper

One of the primary design goals for this plan was to build on the system that already exists organically and as such it is important to note that all those lines crisscrossing the city of Toronto in the map above are created with extensions and adjustments to the lines that already exist or are being constructed today.   This system is not a re-invention and can be incrementally built out by extending what already exists.   Today there are 3 subway lines plus 1 (the Ontario Line) under construction, and in the plan above there are 4 subway lines.  Today within the city of Toronto there are 2 light-rail lines under construction plus a downtown network of streetcars, and in the plan above there are 2 light-rail lines and a downtown network of streetcars. 

Places to Grow Centres are Transportation Hubs

With land use intensification and growth focused on the urban centres of the GTA, the transportation hubs in this plan are similarly focused on these centres.   The Ontario Line will develop into Toronto's equivalent (at a Toronto scale) of Tokyo's JR Yamanote Line that circles through the city's urban cores.  The Ontario Line would connect Etobicoke Centre, Humber Bay Shores, Downtown Toronto, the East Harbour development, Thorncliffe and Flemingdon Park, the Parkway Forest and Fairview Mall area, Markham Centre, the Richmond Hill / Langstaff Gateway Centre, Vaughan Centre, and Pearson Airport.   This focus on "places to grow" is central to the plan with lines focused on connecting between centres, the airport, and colleges and universities.   This focus on transforming growth centres into transportation hubs is achieved in this plan noting that all subway lines connect to 3 or more places to grow centres, and all centres have two or more lines servicing them.  

• Line 1 - Yonge University Line - 4 centres and 3 university campuses.

• Line 2 - Bloor Danforth Line - 3 centres.

• Line 3 - Ontario Line - 5 centres, 1 major college campus, and Pearson Airport

• Line 4 - Sheppard Line - 3 centres, 1 university campus, 1 major college campus, and Pearson Airport

• Line 5 - Crosstown Line - 2 centres, 1 university campus, 1 major college campus, and Pearson Airport.

• Line 6 - Finch Line - 1 centre, Pearson Airport, and 2 major college campuses.

• Line 7 - Bramalea Line - 1 centre

• Line 8 - Hamilton Line - 1 centre and 1 university campus

• Line 9 - Sheridan Line - 2 centres, 1 university campus, and 1 college campus

• Line 10 - Hazel McCallion Line - 2 centres

• Line 11 - Escarpment Line - 1 centre and Hamilton Airport.

Routing Transit on Direct Paths or to Connect Density

The extensions to the existing lines and the new lines follow routes that take the most direct path between transportation hubs, urban centres, and educational campuses while still having slight deviations to hit the more significant employment areas and locations with greater population density along the route, or to place stops where significant increases in land use intensity is expected.  Throughout the plan the routes and stations seek to strike a balance between speed and service availability in the neighbourhoods that need it most.   Some stops are where they are because the route was taking the most direct or established path and a stop was added to provide service in an underserved area that wouldn't warrant higher order transit on its own, and some stops are more deliberate, pulling the path of the line to ensure a connection is made.

Using our Surface Rail System to Enhance Urban Mobility

The greatest expansion in urban mobility proposed by this plan is through greater utilisation of the existing rail corridors.   Currently there are 7 GO Transit rail lines (6 if you consider Lakeshore West and East as a continuous service), and 1 UP Express airport focused service, and 2 of the lines don't provide regular services.  The Greater Toronto Area Transit 2050 Plan merges the existing lines from 8 down to 4 and adds one new limited service line.

• Line A - Lakeshore Line:  A merger of the Lakeshore West and Lakeshore East line with 4 service types:

  • • Urban - Service that operates every 10 minutes minimum, but often more frequently than that, and makes all local stops between Oakville Centre and East Harbour station.

    • Suburban - Service that skips inner local stops with scheduled departures every 20-30 minutes between Confederation (Stoney Creek area) and Oshawa Centre.

    • Regional - Service that runs from Niagara Falls to Bowmanville skipping local stops with scheduled departures every 1-3 hours (with greater frequency during rush periods).

    • Limited - Service that runs during peak periods only serving Hamilton Centre to Union station with bus services available outside peak periods.

• Line B - Valley Line:  A merger of the Milton and Richmond Hill lines with 2 service types:

  • • Urban - Service that operates every 10 minimum, but often more frequently than that, and makes all local stops between Meadowvale and Gateway Centre station.

    • Limited - Service that runs during peak periods only serving Guelph to Union station with bus services available outside peak periods.

• Line C - Airport Line:  A merger of the Kitchener Line, UP Express, and the Stouffville Line with 3 service types:

  • • Urban - Service that operates every 10 minimum, but often more frequently than that, and makes all local stops between Brampton Centre and Markham Centre station.

    • Suburban - Service that skips inner local stops with scheduled departures every 20-30 minutes between Kitchener and Oshawa Centre.

    • Regional - Service that runs from London to Peterborough skipping local stops with scheduled departures every 1-3 hours (with greater frequency during rush periods).

• Line D - Barrie Line: The same line that makes up the Barrie Line today but with 3 service types:

  • • Urban - Service that operates every 10 minimum, but often more frequently than that, and makes all local stops between Concord and Union station.

    • Suburban - Service that skips inner local stops with scheduled departures every 20-30 minutes between Newmarket Centre and Union station.

    • Regional - Service that runs from Allandale to Union station skipping local stops with scheduled departures every 1-3 hours (with greater frequency during rush periods).

• Line E - Bolton Line: A new limited service line which runs from Macville (north Bolton) to Union station during rush periods with bus services available outside peak periods.

The effect of all these changes is that Urban services behave much like subway lines, with these frequent services and local stops effectively adding the equivalent of 4 subway lines to Toronto that connect to Oakville, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan,  Richmond Hill, and Markham.

Easy Connections to the World

The network of services that come together to form the cohesive GTA Transit 2050 Plan don't just make connections within the GTA seamless, but there is also great focus on connecting to services that go beyond Toronto as well:

• Toronto Union station:   Union station has always been a significant transportation hub with VIA and Amtrak services to Ontario, Quebec, and New York, and shuttle services to Toronto Island Airport with its collection of flights to Canadian and US destinations.  This doesn't change with the GTA Transit 2050 Plan with Union station remaining as the hub for surface rail lines that would have more connecting services than ever.

• Pearson Airport:  Far beyond what exists today, the GTA Transit 2050 Plan seeks to ensure full delivery of the Pearson Airport Regional Transportation Plan vision making Pearson Airport more connected than ever with one line service to the airport people mover from almost every urban centre in the city with two subway lines (3 & 4) two light-rail lines (5 & 6), and line C (Airport Line) with urban, suburban, and regional services all serving the airport.   

• Alto high-speed train service:  This plan expects full delivery of the Alto rail service and funding for the previously planned extension to connect southwestern Ontario creating a service that will connect Windsor to Quebec City through Toronto using Pearson (which as mentioned above is well connected), Union station (the existing network hub with 1 subway line and all 5 surface rail lines), and Agincourt which would be the connection point for the eastern GTA with direct services from Markham Centre, North York Centre, Scarborough Centre, and Pickering Centre via line 4 and line C.

• Other Rail Service Connections:  In addition to Alto, and the services available at Union station, connections are available at Oakville Centre for VIA services to London via Brantford and Amtrak services to New York, Gateway Centre for Ontario Northland services to North Bay and Timmins, and both Guildwood and Durham for VIA services to Kingston.

• Other Regional Airports:  This plan also ensures connection to other area airports with Line 11 serving Hamilton International Airport, Line C (Airport Line) serving Bresleau which will support an airport shuttle bus service to Waterloo International Airport, and also Line C (Airport Line) running next to the Pickering Airport lands in case that airport is built in the future.

Communities Come First

A much smaller but important aspect of the GTA Transit 2050 Plan is a focus on improved way-finding and connecting with communities.   The plan, as shown in the map above, renames some of the stations that already exist today in support of improved way-finding, ease of navigation, and communication of place names in a way that is clear.  A priority has been made to use names in use within the communities to support the brand business improvement areas are trying to build, to make it easier to find the station that serves a neighbourhood, to use neighbourhood names the locals understand, to connect with historical place names, and to ensure no two stations have the same name.   This plan seeks to build communities both through greater connectivity, and helping to create a greater sense of place.

A Plan for the Whole Greater Toronto Area

Our goal was to create a plan that, when combined with supporting local bus services, improves transportation for the whole Greater Toronto Area, that combines surface rail, subways, and light-rail to provide a mix of services that are fast and which are local, that go to the places people need to go, that understands the growth plans of the entire region, and readies the GTA for the future.  We think we have achieved that objective and hope that you will agree and support this vision and start now.