CEREMONIES were held in Toronto on July 21 to mark the extension of the Harbourfront light rail line 509, which now provides a direct link from Union Station to Exhibition Place via Queens Quay. Construction of an 850m connection along Queens Quay between Spadina Avenue and Bathurst Street has allowed Toronto Transit Commission to extend the Harbourfront service beyond Spadina Avenue to the existing terminal loops at Ontario Place and the Exhibition Grounds used by Bathurst route 511. Revenue service on the new line began two days later.
A C$1·4bn expansion of the TTC metro network is envisaged in the city’s latest strategic development plan. Top priority is a northern extension of the Spadina line from Downsview to York University, and possibly the city of Vaughan. The Sheppard line now under construction would be extended east from Don Mills Road to Scarborough Town Centre, and the Bloor-Danforth subway west to Mississauga. A new line would run from Eglinton West station on the Spadina line west to Black Creek Drive. No source of funding has been identified, although the plan suggests a mix of road tolls, higher vehicle registration fees or parking charges.
