The Backbone

The Yonge University Line is Canada's oldest subway line opened in 1954.   Since that opening day the line has undergone many expansions to take what once only ran from Union Station to Midtown at Eglinton Street to the subway that exists today stretching northwest to Vaughan and north to Finch near North York Centre.  With this plan this subway line will remain a major backbone to the overall transit system.

The University Line will connect downtown with 5 urban centres namely Vaughan, Bloor, Midtown, North York, and Richmond Hill's Gateway.  Within the City of Toronto boundaries every mass transit line and train line which passes into the city is connected to at some point along the line, and almost all east-west streetcar and bus routes are connected as well.   Lastly, and not unsurprisingly considering the name of this line, the route connects Toronto's three largest university campuses namely York University, the University of Toronto, and Toronto Metropolitan University

Three extension projects are planned for this line:

1. In 2035 the extension under Yonge Street to Langstaff is expected to open.   This route has already passed through the environmental assessment phase and is in procurement with some early works completed to enable this to start major construction soon.   This will connect to a major urban core that will be centred around Highway 7 and this Gateway Centre transit station.

2. In 2040 some further additions to the Yonge Street side of the line would extend the route to Richmond Hill at Major Mackenzie Drive affordably along the edge of the railway right of way.   This would support the ongoing intensification around Yonge and 16th Avenue and the smaller scale intensification at Richmond Hill station plus quick connections to the Village of Richmond Hill.

3. In 2042 a final extension of the line is planned northward in Vaughan to connect to Vaughan Mills (a destination outlet mall), Canada's Wonderland (Canada's largest amusement park), and a bus terminal at Major Mackenzie Drive near Highway 400 for connections to points north.