New GO Lakeshore East station gets priority funding

Scarborough: Priority funding consideration is being made for two significant public transit projects in Toronto area – including a new station on GO Lakeshore East corridor, according to a federal statement.

Though the statement did not provide any details of the “new station”, the new GO station recently in the news has been the one proposed to come up in Bowmanville. Durham Regional Municipality has submitted it for federal funding and has pushed it at the 2019 Association of Municipalities (AMO) annual conference in Ottawa. Metrolinx, the GO operator, had previously also acquired the former Knob Hill Farms for a new station in Oshawa.

One of the projects is the SmartTrack Stations Program, which includes the construction of six new stations on the Stouffville, Lakeshore East, and Kitchener GO rail corridors. This project will leverage existing rail infrastructure in Toronto and the Province’s GO Rail Expansion program to increase local service and expand transit options for commuters travelling in and out of the City of Toronto, said the statement.

The other project will see capacity improvements to Bloor-Yonge Station, the busiest subway station in the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) network, with more than 200,000 passengers on an average weekday. Public transit riders will benefit from improved passenger safety and capacity through the construction of an additional platform at Line 2 Yonge Station, modifications to the passenger platform at Line 1 Bloor Station, as well as the construction of a new electrical substation, it added.

Government of Canada is committing more than $1 billion in these projects through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream (PTIS) of the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan. The Government of Ontario and the City of Toronto will provide the remaining project funding.

“The Government of Canada knows just how many Torontonians rely on public transit to commute in and around the city each day and are well aware of how important strong effective transit infrastructure is to building a stronger middle class, preserving the environment and helping to reduce traffic gridlock,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.

“Our infrastructure investments are creating good jobs and growing the economy, shaping the future for hard-working families in Ontario. Critical transit projects like these make a real difference in people’s lives, helping them spend less time commuting to work and home, getting them there safely, and giving them more time to do the things they love with the people they care about,” said Laurie Scott, Ontario Minister of Infrastructure.

Quick Facts

Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.

$28.7 billion of this funding is supporting public transit projects, including $5 billion available for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

In Ontario, the federal Investing in Canada infrastructure plan is a $30 billion, 10-year infrastructure program cost-shared between federal, provincial and municipal governments. Ontario’s share per project will be up to 33.33 per cent or about $10.2 billion spread across four streams: 1. Rural and Northern, 2. Public Transit, 3. Community, Culture and Recreation, and 4. Green.

This is part of Ontario’s 10-year, $144-billion strategic infrastructure capital plan, which includes over $90 billion for public transit and provincial highways over the next decade.

Backgrounder