RELIABLE RAIL
By 2031, Toronto Pearson International Airport and Union Station are projected to welcome about 190 million travellers a year combined—that’s half the current population of Canada month in, month out, and almost double today’s volume of traffic.
When it comes to commerce, tourism and transportation, Toronto Pearson and Union Station are vital hubs for the city, for the province and for the country. A way to meaningfully connect them has been considered a vital part of Toronto infrastructure planning for decades. A city that’s well connected to the world is one that can grow and thrive, and Toronto has always had global aspirations.
So it wasn’t surprising that when Metrolinx, the regional transportation authority for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, announced back in 2008 that $16-billion in provincial funding would be used to transform transportation in Ontario, one of the first projects out of the gate was a dedicated air-rail link—a service that would become Union Pearson Express.
UP Express is a link that connects the city’s two vital transportation hubs. It promises a reliable 25-minute ride from the airport into the heart of downtown, and in its first year of operation alone, it is projected to remove 1.5 million cars from the road.
“Every great city needs to plan for future transportation needs, and Toronto is no exception,” says UP Express president Kathy Haley. “We’ve grown in leaps and bounds, and as a result, getting around in Toronto has become a major issue. UP’s mandate is to provide Toronto with a world- class guest experience, connecting the airport to downtown in time for the Pan/Parapan Am Games.
“We have to look at transportation solutions now—and be planning and building the city in which we want to live.
With the launch of UP Express this spring, Toronto joins a select group of international destinations with similar express air-rail links— places like London, Tokyo, Oslo, Vienna and Stockholm.
But to Haley, it’s not just about speed. Just as important is a return to a more traditional notion of service and hospitality. Whether tourist or Torontonian, Haley wants guests to feel that the trip to or from the airport was one of the highlights of their journey.
“We’re building a strong service culture so people using UP Express will feel supported throughout every aspect of the journey,” she says. “We want to become the preferred way of travelling between the airport and downtown. Also, we want to continually improve and evolve, surprising our guests with the quality of our service and playing a role in showcasing the interesting people, places and products of Toronto.
“At its heart, the UP identity has to reflect an optimistic, cheerful and welcoming spirit—one we think embodies what’s best about Ontario.”
“At its heart, the UP identity has to reflect an optimistic, cheerful and welcoming spirit—one we think embodies what’s best about Ontario.”