Premier pushes SmartTrack plan a bit further down the line

He’ll have to find some more money but Mayor John Tory’s SmartTrack transit plan has received another little push down the track from Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Two key sections of rail for Tory’s plan were among those identified as priorities for the provincial GO electrification plan called regional express rail.

The Stouffville GO line north to Unionville and the Kitchener line from Union Station to Bramalea — sections that Tory wants to use to help connect the airport corporate centre with the Markham business hub — were mentioned as targets for more frequent GO services.

The Lakeshore East and West GO lines between Oshawa and Burlington, and the Barrie line as far north as Aurora from Union Station, were also among those designated for electrification.

Details on the timing weren’t part of the announcement in which Wynne said she plans to sell shares of Hydro One and other public assets to help pay for new provincial infrastructure. But Tory told reporters “it’s a significant step” and he’s happy “that this is moving ahead.

“There’s lots more to be done with the other governments and with the details that are subject to the studies that are happening over the course of the spring and summer, but I think this is a significant day, a significant step forward for transit in Toronto,” he said at a Toronto Police Services Board meeting.

Tory campaigned for mayor on the $8-billion, seven-year SmartTrack “surface subway” plan that would add stations on the GO lines around Toronto and provide an alternative to city commuters using existing regional rails.

The provincial regional express rail plan will provide a foundation for SmartTrack, but it will need another $5.2 billion in funding from the city and federal government for stations and a proposed spur along Eglinton Ave. west of Mount Dennis, according to a provincial Liberal backgrounder. “Work continues between the province and the city regarding the SmartTrack proposal. I understand that the city is undertaking a feasibility study on the Eglinton Avenue West corridor and Metrolinx and the Ministry of Transportation are involved. We look forward to the feasibility study and working with the city to improve transit along Eglinton towards the busy airport area,” Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca said in a statement.

The Wynne government has called GO regional express rail a 10-year game changer that will provide enhanced service on all GO lines, with up to 15-minute frequencies in core areas. With files from Wendy Gillis and Robert Benzie