The Big Move: Metrolinx releases progress report

Metrolinx released a progress report Thursday on the next wave of its massive regional transportation plan spanning the GTA and Hamilton.

The update addresses funding and other issues affecting a slew of plans and proposals, including the Yonge subway line extension, a downtown relief line and light-rail transit in Mississauga, Brampton and Hamilton.

Also on the agenda: all-day service on five of GO Transit’s seven train lines, extending the Lakeshore line in both directions and electrifying the Lakeshore and Kitchener lines.

According to the Metrolinx report, the $3.4-billion subway extension connecting Toronto to Richmond Hill is in the design phase and should be running within the next decade.

On the other hand, the downtown relief line — which would connect the Bloor-Danforth and Yonge-University-Spadina subway lines and cost about $7.4 billion — still needs approval and is more than 10 years away.

In May, Toronto city council rejected possible “revenue tools” to fund transit, including a fuel tax, parking levy, road tolls and property-tax and transit-fare hikes.

Ontario, through Metrolinx, is banking on The Big Move, a transit-expansion plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, to reduce gridlock. It’s expected to cost $50 billion over 25 years.

Click here to read the full report.

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