MTO announces launch of SmartTrack Stations Program delivery

The province of Ontario and City of Toronto have revised the “Ontario-Toronto Agreement in Principle,” backing the SmartTrack Stations Program.

The signing of this agreement is another milestone towards construction of a project that has been in the making for quite some time.

The program will result in five new stations along existing Go rail corridors and benefit Toronto residents with more frequent rapid transit service.

Metrolinx will move ahead with the procurement for the construction of four of the stations (St. Clair-Old Weston, Finch-Kennedy, King-Liberty and Bloor-Lansdowne) while the fifth station, located at East Harbour, will be delivered through the province’s Transit-Oriented Communities Program. By 2026, it’s anticipated that all the stations will be operational.

“In the past, our transit maps have not kept pace with the growth in the Greater Toronto Area — that’s why this agreement with the City of Toronto and our federal partners is a key step that will offer more route options and reduce travel times,” said Stan Cho, Associate Minister of Transportation. “When these five stations open, it will be good news for everyone: workers will spend less time communing; parents will be home quicker to their families; Jays fans will make it to the Rogers Centre easier.”

This is part of the largest transit expansion in Canadian history, which also includes the delivery of Ontario’s four priority subway projects, GO Rail Expansion and new LRT service along Eglinton Avenue and Finch West. T

Quick Facts

• The SmartTrack Stations Program leverages roughly 40-kilometres of existing GO rail corridors that runs through the City of Toronto, with connections to four existing or planned subway lines and Light Rail Transit services, as well as nine local transit services from feeder bus and streetcar routes.
• By 2041, the stations are projected to attract a combined 24,000 boardings and transfers during the average weekday peak hour and are estimated to attract 3,400 new daily riders to Toronto’s transit system every weekday.
• The stations will provide easy access to more than 52 major regional destinations located within 800 metres of transit stations, including major shopping centres, community facilities and educational institutions.
• In April 2021, the province announced East Harbour Transit Hub as a future transit-oriented community bringing together multi-modal services of the Ontario Line subway, GO Rail and SmartTrack services, and future TTC light rail transit.