Province is moving forward on transit

Re Prepare for transit talk, tinkering, Editorial Jan. 3 While there is no doubt that continued transportation infrastructure investments in this region are needed, I disagree strongly with your suggestion that the year ahead will be one of much “tinkering” with few meaningful improvements for commuters. Since 2003, Ontarians have witnessed more than $21.8 billion invested in public transit across the province, including more than $10.8 billion put into GO Transit.

In 2015, more positive results will be delivered for commuters. This week, we’ve added additional GO train trips on the Milton Line, benefiting the communities of Milton, Halton Hills, Mississauga and Toronto. Each new trip can remove more than 1,400 cars from our highways, helping to ease congestion and gridlock.

Progress includes moving forward on electrifying GO Transit, tunnelling the underground Eglinton Crosstown, opening a new GO station on James St. N. in Hamilton in time for the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games and providing a faster, more convenient way to the airport with the $19 Union-Pearson Express launching this spring.

Our $29-billion transportation infrastructure plan is priming Ontario for an infrastructure revival that will spur job creation, quicken commutes and secure a brighter future for our province. That’s what progress — and 2015 — looks like.

Steven Del Duca, Ontario Minister of Transportation, Queen’s Park