The Urban Sprint

The Valley Line as proposed in the GTA Transit 2050 Plan is a combination of the Richmond Hill Line which first became a GO service in 1978 and the Milton Line which started in 1981.   The Valley Line would become a frequent service urban surface rail route running from Meadowvale in Mississauga through Union Station to the Gateway Centre in  Richmond Hill.  Running through the middle of Mississauga, an easy connection away from Mississauga Centre, this line would accelerate crosstown trips, and whisk people quickly to downtown Toronto and back.  This line would also provide the quickest way north to North York and Richmond Hill from downtown Toronto.

The portion of the line in Mississauga becoming a frequent urban service relies on three major investments including:

• a tunnel between Junction and Runnymede Park to carry the line under the CP tracks to the north side of the corridor, 

• dedicated track on the north side of the Milton Line corridor which is electrified (some single and double track sections of dedicated track), and 

• battery equipped electric train sets to allow the train to operate in short sections such as passing the Streetsville yard where electrical overhead will not be possible due to conflicts with freight trains.

The portion of the line running north to Richmond Hill will also require similar investments to become a frequent urban service including:

• an increase in the number of double tracked sections between downtown and John Street in Thornhill,

• an underpass at Doncaster Diamond where the line will dive under the CN freight line,  

• electrification of the line, and

• dedicated tracks on the east side of the corridor from Doncaster Diamond to Gateway Centre.

In the GTA Transit 2050 Plan, it is proposed all these investments would occur over the next 10 years, including the addition of stations along the line to benefit from the increased service.   If these investments occur the public could be using this service to sprint across Mississauga, Toronto, and into Richmond Hill in 2036.