A new light-rail transit line in Toronto with connections to Mississauga and Brampton is now open and will take its first passengers on Sunday.
The Finch West LRT, a provincial project that will operate under the Toronto Transit Commission, might also some years down the road be extended farther west to link up with Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga.
For now, though, the 16-stop, 11-kilometre line will run on a primarily street-level track along Finch Avenue West in Toronto and connect to MiWay in Mississauga in addition to other transit services in Brampton, Toronto (TTC), York and regional provider GO Transit.
The LRT route, projected to carry 12 million riders annually by 2031, continues to its current westernmost stop at Humber Polytechnic (formerly Humber College), near the border with Mississauga and Brampton.
Although funding is not yet in place to extend the Finch West LRT line to Pearson Airport, officials at Metrolinx, the provincial agency overseeing the project, said earlier such an addition is “likely.”
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which operates Pearson, has said over the years that connecting the airport to the Finch West LRT is crucial. The Pearson Airport Employment Zone, which includes parts of Mississauga, Brampton and Toronto, is Canada’s second-largest employment area, trailing only downtown Toronto’s financial core.
Pearson officials said earlier they hope the Finch West LRT will at some point be extended farther west from Humber Polytechnic to include a stop at Woodbine GO and then Canada’s biggest and busiest airport.
The provincial government said in a news release on Friday the opening of the Finch West LRT marks “a major milestone in the province’s plan to protect Ontario by relieving gridlock and connecting more people to jobs and homes.”
The province added the new transit line brings 230,000 more people within walking distance of “fast and reliable” transit and will move more than 51,000 riders each weekday.
“The opening of the Finch West LRT is terrific news for commuters, delivering a fast, reliable and affordable way to travel across Toronto’s northwest,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford. “Our government will continue investing in the largest infrastructure plan in Canadian history — building highways, roads and subways — to get families and workers out of gridlock and keep Ontario moving.”
Metrolinx president and CEO Michael Lindsay said in the news release the new Finch West LRT provides crucial service to people in Toronto and important transit links to other communities including Mississauga and Brampton.
“We look forward to delivering more critical transit projects that will make travelling through Toronto and the region faster, more convenient and more accessible,” he added.
PollView All
WIN A $100 GIFT CARD
Subscribe to INsauga’s daily email newsletter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.