Six-minute SOLUTION
Tunnel from the mainland to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport a game-changer for travellers
There’s a lot you can do in six minutes. You can download the latest operating system update on your phone. You can get your low-fat, no-foam, half-sweet, extra-hot vanilla latte from the food court downstairs. And now you can walk from the Toronto mainland to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport using the new pedestrian tunnel that runs beneath the waters of the Western Channel in Lake Ontario.
Until now Billy Bishop Airport, which serves 2.4 million passengers per year – making it the ninth-busiest airport in Canada – was accessible only by ferry. It was the shortest ferry ride in the world but it still meant you had to come and go by the ferry’s schedule. On a good day, the ferry would be waiting for you when you arrived; on a bad day, it would just be pulling out of the slip as you entered the terminal.
But with the tunnel now open, travellers can come and go on their own schedule. From the mainland, passengers enter a new one-storey pavilion that serves as the entryway to the tunnel. From a bank of six elevators inside the pavilion, travellers descend 100 feet to access the tunnel and travel along the passageway via four moving sidewalks proceeding at a speed of 2.3 kilometres per hour.
At the south end of the 853-foot tunnel, travellers have a choice. They can ascend to the island atrium and airport’s check-in area, using one of the longest escalator systems in Canada, or climb the 153 stairs to the top. The latter may seem daunting, but given that passengers are about to sit on a plane for at least an hour, it might be worth the effort. Unfortunately 153 stairs will only burn 26 calories, but that still gives you an excuse to indulge in those cookies and almonds the lounge is known for at Billy Bishop Airport with a little less guilt. Elevators from the tunnel to the atrium are also available.
The tunnel and connecting buildings are equipped with free WiFi to allow travellers to work and communicate without interruption. Travellers are encouraged to download and use the new Billy app, which will offer concierge-type services and provide curated content to assist with travel such as traffic, weather, directions, estimated wait times at various points in the airport, travel suggestions, restaurant recommendations and flight information.
“Billy Bishop Airport is an award-winning airport that prides itself on offering its travellers a unique experience that is based on customer service and convenience,” said Geoffrey Wilson, CEO, Ports Toronto. “The tunnel will be a game changer for our operations and for the customer experience. The tunnel will enable travellers to come and go on their own schedule and will be equipped with innovations in technology, like the app, to ensure that they get where they are going as efficiently as possible.”
The tunnel will also have a positive effect on overall flow at the airport. In the past, travellers would arrive and depart according to the ferry schedule. That caused waves of activity and congestion every 15 minutes as passengers arrived en masse at the ticket counter and security area or at the shuttle and taxi stand. With the tunnel, travellers can come and go on their own schedules, creating a steady trickle of activity at airport check-in points.
“Right from the start, Ports Toronto has worked to ensure that this tunnel was designed, constructed and finished in a manner that put the travel experience first,” Wilson said. “From the number of moving walkways and escalators that were needed to facilitate the movement of up to 1,100 passengers through the tunnel per hour, to the acoustics and shape of the tunnel’s interior to ensure the utmost comfort of our passengers, to the digital screens that create a stunning visual experience as people move through the tunnel, every detail of the project was carefully thought out in order to ensure our desired finished result: a tunnel that would not only deliver travellers to where they needed to go, but would also engage and impress them along the way.”
For those nostalgic for the old days or who prefer to stay aboveground, the ferry – named for the great Canadian swimmer Marilyn Bell – will continue to operate.