The Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, and Toronto Mayor, John Tory, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the integrated GO Regional Express Rail (GO RER)/SmartTrack project. It will add six new GO/SmartTrack stations in the city, and transform GO Transit into an affordable and convenient option for trips within Toronto.
The City of Toronto will contribute up to CAD 1.46 billion (EUR 948 million) towards the capital costs of the six SmartTrack stations.
Under the MoU, Toronto will fund the construction of six GO/SmartTrack stations, which will be completed by 2025 as part of an expanded GO rail network with increased service. The new SmartTrack stations will offer commuters a fast, affordable new way to get around the city and enhance Ontario’s enormous expansion of GO rail service across the region. As Budget 2018 announced, all GO Transit trips within Toronto, which includes SmartTrack, will cost PRESTO card users just CAD 3 (EUR 1.95) per trip. Also, under the agreement, trains will service SmartTrack stations every 5.5 to 10 minutes during peak periods.
GO RER, which includes SmartTrack, will quadruple the number of weekly trips across the GO rail network, from about 1,500 to nearly 6,000 by 2024-25. SmartTrack builds on these transit improvements by adding new stations within the city of Toronto and offering frequent, fast service along core sections of the Kitchener, Lakeshore and Stouffville corridors.
With GO RER/SmartTrack moving ahead, the Premier also announced that Ontario’s fiscal plan, as outlined in the 2018 Budget, allocates the provincial share required to build the next stage of major transit projects in the region, which includes the Relief Line metro, the Yonge North metro extension and the Waterfront LRT.
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