Plans to go ahead for regional transit centre at YYZ

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) is moving ahead with plans for a regional transit centre to connect the airport area to key employment and residential areas throughout the Greater Golden Horseshoe. As well as serving as a regional transportation centre, it would also be home to airport passenger processing, including security screening.

“Toronto Pearson is a world-class airport in every respect, and Southern Ontario is a diverse and dynamic region,” said Howard Eng, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.

“By the time New York and Chicago were the size that Toronto is today, they each had at least two major transportation hubs. Now is the time to ensure that better transit options are in place; otherwise we risk squandering the significant opportunities that are part and parcel of the exciting growth that the airport, the city and the region are experiencing.”

The centre, proposed to be located across Airport Road from Terminals 1 and 3, with access from Highways 409 and 427 and from Airport Road, will be at the heart of a new mixed use commercial area that will include office, retail, hotel and other commercial space. The vision for the area surrounding the transit centre calls for improved streetscapes through sidewalks, landscaping, and improved lighting.

The GTAA has held preliminary discussions with all levels of government to raise awareness about the opportunity for the regional transit centre at Toronto Pearson. It anticipates continued planning discussions throughout 2017 both for the centre, as well as for the individual transit lines that will connect into the centre.

The area around Toronto Pearson is the second largest employment zone in Canada after downtown Toronto, according to NEPTIS Research Foundation. More than 300,000 people work in the zone that includes parts of Brampton, Mississauga, and Toronto. The sectors located in the Airport Employment Zone include construction and logistics, but also financial and business services.

“Location matters, and Toronto Pearson’s close proximity to Brampton gives us a definite advantage when it comes to attracting global companies to our city,” said Mayor Linda Jeffrey.

“A major multi-model transit centre serving the western GTA, located at our airport, will provide a critical connection between Brampton and the rest of the world.”