economic benefits

A case for the Yonge North Subway Extension

Last month, Metrolinx released their Yonge North Subway Extension Initial Business Case, and for those of you who aren’t already experts on transportation planning, that means this critical project has taken one step forward. As always with large infrastructure projects like this, there are more steps to come. There’s a consultation process just getting started, and that will help answer some of the questions around where the stations should be, and the route the extension takes [aka. The “alignment”]. This is the first of several future blogs that will help our communities get more familiar with the Yonge North Subway Extension project and the important benefits it brings to York Region.

the process

The purpose of an Initial Business Case is to analyze different options or designs for a project, to come up with a preferred option before moving on to preliminary design and procurement [and more business cases], followed by construction. In this case, Metrolinx has developed new alternatives to the route and stations, including Option 1 that was selected as part of an Addendum to the Environmental Project Report York Region completed in partnership with the TTC and Toronto in 2013, and new second and third options.

More decisions are yet to be made, and Metrolinx has kicked off a series of public engagement opportunities. A Supplementary Analysis contains refined information for Option 3, and this and the Business Case will help support the Province’s application for funding.

funding this critical project

There’s also the very important step of acquiring a full funding commitment from the federal government [the Province committed to funding their share in 2019].To help build the case for this missing link in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area [GTHA], York Region commissioned a federal submission by Deloitte to ensure the project has a robust funding application.

the benefits

One thing we know for sure is how important the Yonge North Subway Extension is to the economic recovery and growth, environment, and mobility of the local and greater areas where it’s being built.

Over 52,000 new jobs during construction and 5,000 after opening, 12,000 new housing starts, and an overall contribution to over $7.8 billion in Gross Domestic Product will help produce a positive cycle of economic change.

Annual reductions of 4,800 tonnes of auto-related greenhouse gas emissions will move the GTHA a little farther on the track to Canada’s target of net-zero emissions, due to 7,700 fewer vehicle kilometres travelled during morning peak hours.

Within the first five years of service, over 13 million new subway riders annually will have improved access to potential employment, housing and other services, regardless of ability, family status, socio economic circumstances, etc.

Looking ahead, we will examine other key areas of Deloitte’s federal submission report, outlining important benefits that come with investments in infrastructure projects like the Yonge North Subway Extension.

There are important things to sort out, but this has been a project in the making for 20 years, and we need to keep moving it forward to get it where it needs to be. And we’re all on board for that.

at Bathurst & Centre, the goal is more than just a rapidway

With the summer months now behind us, the rapidway project in the Bathurst & Centre community continues to make great progress, with all five vivastations under construction, utility upgrades complete, sidewalks and boulevards well underway, and base and final paving making great headway.

With the rapidway scheduled to open for service by the end of 2019, it’s a good time to remember what the goal of the project is: to design and deliver rapid transit projects that attract, move and connect people to York Region’s urban centres.

This goal translates into what’s called a “triple-bottom-line” contribution to our community – specifically social, environmental and economic benefits. They include:

Urban transformation. Emerging along the length of our rapid transit network, traditional suburban development is transforming into more compact urban neighbourhoods that include retail, entertainment, dining, places of worship, residential and offices. As the population of York Region grows and increases in density, we are building transit to service this population.
Connections. The new sections of rapidway will consist of 5 new vivastations along Bathurst and Centre, connecting people from Thornhill to Concord, Woodbridge and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and the subway to Toronto. It will also connect people to the rest of York Region via the Richmond Hill Centre Terminal at Yonge Street and Highway 7, and the future Yonge Subway Extension.
New businesses. As new developments provide new housing choices, the area attracts new employers – businesses that want to be located near transit in order to draw on a well-educated workforce.
Less driving, more moving. As York Region welcomes this new transit and cycling infrastructure and an increasing population, the result is more transit riders and reduced dependency on cars. Less time spent behind the wheel of a car can have great benefits to long-term health because people walk, run or cycle more – for exercise and to get from place to place.
Cleaner air. Every busload has the potential to replace 70 cars, and fewer cars on the road means reduced carbon emissions.
Building transit where the people are. The most popular transit routes go where people want to get on and off. People want to get to where the action is, so routes are planned where shopping, services, jobs, and higher-density housing is already along the way. The Bathurst and Centre neighbourhood is a perfect example of this as the community has a multitude of shops and amenities, multi-story condo buildings and residential streets – and busy Viva routes already service the community.

In York Region, a number of urban centres like Bathurst & Centre are evolving into mixed-use communities. At vivaNext, we’re supporting that change by building a fast, convenient rapid transit system. As part of the Centres and Corridors initiative, York Region has a vision and best practices for new mixed-use development to make sure that it gets built in areas which are supported by higher levels of transit.

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