NEWMARKET – A Statement of Completion was filed today with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment regarding the proposed Yonge subway extension, becoming the first project in Ontario to be evaluated using the streamlined, transit-specific environmental assessment process called the Transit Project Assessment Process.
Last month, Ontario Minister of the Environment John Gerretsen approved the Environmental Project Report for the extension of the Yonge subway.
“The Yonge subway extension is a major step closer to reality,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Bill Fisch. “This is an important project that will benefit people throughout the Region and the GTA, creating the backbone of a seamless transit network for generations.”
The Regional Municipality of York, in partnership with York Region Rapid Transit Corporation, City of Toronto and Toronto Transit Commission, proposed a 6.8-kilometre extension of the Yonge subway from Finch Station to Langstaff/Richmond Hill Centre at Highway 7. The project would add six new subway stations, two bus terminals and a commuter parking lot with passenger drop-off and pick-up facilities.
This is an important project that will benefit people throughout the Region and the GTA.
“We are proud to be the first in Ontario to have gone through the Transit Project Assessment Process,” added Chairman Fisch. “The Yonge subway extension project now stands ready for Provincial and Federal funding consideration which will vastly improve public transit, help stimulate the economy and create much-needed jobs.”
Unlike the previous environmental assessment process that could take years to complete, under Ontario Regulation 231/08, the Transit Project Assessment Process is streamlined to six months. During that time, additional public consultation takes place, an Environmental Project Report is published and the Minister of the Environment must render a decision on whether or not the project may proceed.
The Yonge subway extension is part of vivaNext, a long-term plan for a modern, efficient rapid transit network providing connectivity within York Region and between the City of Toronto and the Regions of Peel and Durham.
The VivaNext plan also includes an 8.6-kilometre extension of the Spadina subway line from Downsview Station to Vaughan Corporate Centre at Highway 7, and rapidways along key corridors within York Region. Rapidways are special centre lanes reserved exclusively for Viva rapid transit vehicles, allowing them to move effortlessly past traffic congestion.
For more information on vivaNext and the Yonge subway extension, please visit www.vivanext.com
For more information on The Regional Municipality of York, please visit http://www.york.ca/
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Media Contact: Dale Albers, Chief Communications Officer, York Region Rapid Transit
Phone: 905 886-6767 Ext. 2250 or Cell 416 206-3716
Email: dale.albers@york.ca