Category: Toronto

Waiting for Finch West

*Two Line 6 LRVs cross Jane Street at Finch Avenue, December 3, 2025 as training wraps up ahead of revenue service on December 7*

Can a brand-new light rail line outrun the local bus it replaces? Starting on Sunday, December 7, Torontonians will get the chance to find out when the new Line 6 Finch West light rail line finally opens to the public. Though built and maintained by Metrolinx, the service will be operated by TTC employees.

The new LRT, 11 kilometres long, with 18 stops, runs almost exclusively in a transit-only median on Finch Avenue West between Finch West Station at Keele Street in North York and Highway 27 in Etobicoke. The end terminals are below grade, with three traffic signals skipped. Otherwise, the light rail vehicles will be subject to stopping at the same traffic lights as all other cars, trucks, and buses.

*New maps in the TTC subway system show the long-delayed Line 5 Eglinton-Crosstown (opening date still TBD) and Line 6, which opens Sunday December 7*

For the last few weeks, Finch West has been served by the 36C bus, running between Finch West Station at Keele Street and Humberwood Loop near the Mississauga border, making a stop at the Humber College bus terminal. A separate 36 Finch West bus continues east from Finch West Station to Finch Station at Yonge Street. There will only be eight fewer stops on Line 6 than there bus stops between Finch West Station and Humber College; apart from overnight service, there will be no parallel local bus serving the corridor.

*Map of the Route 36C Finch West-Humberwood service*, *modified from the TTC’s original*

Without limited stops and signal priority, the new light rail line will not achieve any real time savings. On his website, transit advocate Steve Munro notes that the end-to-end time of the new Line 6 LRT is scheduled for 46 minutes, consistent across all operating time periods. The 36C’s fastest round trip times, late evenings and early Sunday mornings, is between 79 and 82 minutes, or 40-41 minutes one way on a slightly longer route.

To see this for myself, I visited Finch Avenue West and rode the 36C both ways between Finch West and Humber College. Wednesday, December 3 was an overcast and cold day, with the daytime high temperature hovering around the freezing mark. But the roads were clear and dry, with no collisions and little construction work in the way of traffic on Finch; conditions couldn’t be any better for early December.

Here were the times for the two buses I took. I started timing the runs as soon as the bus doors closed and departed the originating stop; waiting times at the initial stops were not included.

TTC Route 36C travel times on Wednesday Dec. 3

Eastbound (read down)	Stop/station	Westbound (read up)
12:07 PM (dep.)	Humber College bus loop	1:50 PM (arr.)
12:11	Westmore Dr.	1:37**
12:13	Martin Grove Rd.	1:24
12:18	Kipling Ave. (Mt. Olive)	1:29
12:20	Islington Ave. (Rowntree Mills)	1:19*
12:28	Weston Rd. (Emery)	1:11
12:33	Arrow Rd./Signet Dr.	1:09
12:38	Jane and Finch	1:04
12:42	Tobermory Dr.	1:01
12:44	Sentinel Rd.	1:00
12:51 PM (arr.)	Finch West Stn. (bus terminal)	12:57 PM (dep.)
44 minutes	Total time	53 minutes

* At Islington Avenue westbound, the bus was delayed by five minutes by a troublesome passenger
** At Westmore Drive westbound, the operator left the bus with twelve passengers on board to order coffee at a nearby Starbucks, resulting in a second delay of nearly ten minutes

The eastbound departure, leaving Humber College at 12:07 PM, made it to Finch West Station in 44 minutes, two minutes faster than the scheduled LRT trip. This bus, an articulated (18-metre) vehicle was relatively busy, with a few standees between Jane Street and Finch West Station, and most en route stops were made. There were no unusual delays; just some traffic near Highway 400; it also took two light cycles to complete the left turn from Finch to Keele approaching the subway station.

*Westbound 36C bus waiting to depart Finch West Station*

I returned towards Humber College on a different bus that left Finch West Station at 12:57 PM. For a while, this run, a standard 12-metre bus, was making exceptionally good time, with only a few passengers on board. It skipped several bus stops as no one wanted on or off until Tobermory Drive. Line 6 LRVs will stop at every station, just like the subway, even if there aren’t any waiting passengers.

At Islington Avenue there was a delay caused by a prospective passenger who rushed through a don’t walk/red light to get the bus, despite another one close behind. As the passenger was using a mobility device, the bus operator had trouble deploying the ramp because the bus had already inched ahead of the bus stop pad, ready to proceed with the green light. The driver needed to reposition the ramp and wait for the next green, which resulted in a five-minute delay.

Another delay came a few minutes later, when at Westmore Drive, just one stop before the Humber College bus terminal, the operator left the bus without notice and walked into a nearby Starbucks. After a few minutes, and seeing two other westbound 36C buses pass by, most passengers exited the open doors to flag down the next bus.

*Passengers leave an unattended Route 36C bus on Finch Avenue West at Westmore Drive. The portal for Line 6 LRVs to descend under Highway 27 towards Humber College is behind*

The TTC operator returned eight minutes later, and we finally arrived at Humber College Bus Terminal at 1:50, 53 minutes after departing Finch West Station. (It’s worth noting that Humber College also has a Starbucks and public washrooms in the main building near the bus loop.)

At least that’s one instance where the LRT will certainly be faster than taking the bus.

A longer walk, a longer wait

*TTC and Brampton Transit buses layover at Humber College*

Humber College’s bus terminal serves a total of nine TTC, Brampton Transit, Miway, and YRT routes. It’s also a connection point between TTC Wheel-Trans and Peel Region’s TransHelp paratransit services. But the LRT terminal station is a five-minute walk away from the terminal, which is adjacent to several primary buildings on campus.

A walkway leads between the bus terminal and LRT station, with partial shelter provided by a long canopy that blocks northerly winds, but not the prevailing westerly winds. At the end of the walkway is the entrance to the below-grade LRT platforms, which are parallel to nearby Highway 27. This alignment reduced construction costs over a longer approach to the college, but it permits a future extension to the planned Woodbine GO Station two kilometres to the south and even Pearson Airport.

*Humber College Station entrance, at Highway 27. The walkway to the bus terminal and main campus is behind*.

During weekday peak periods, the LRT will run every 6 minutes, about as frequent as the current 36C bus during weekday daytime periods. However, during off peak times, trains will only come every 10-12 minutes, resulting in longer waits. Anyone travelling from Humber College will have to factor in the longer walk and potentially longer wait time.

I will certainly go out on Sunday December 7 to celebrate the opening of this new line, which despite the unnecessarily slow speeds, will result in a more predictable and more comfortable ride, with significant capacity improvements during peak periods, especially at school dismissal times. LRT doors will line up with the platforms, making loading and unloading easier for passengers with mobility devices, strollers, or carts.

I will also go ride the LRT after the opening day crowds are done, to see how it works in day-to-day operation. There are ways to speed up the schedule: more aggressive transit priority, shorter station dwell times, quick turnarounds at the terminals with “step back” operation, schedule optimization, and I hope these are considered by Metrolinx, the TTC and the city as everyone gets used to the new transit line.

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December 5, 2025

Introducing Mount Dennis

While Montreal was celebrating the opening of another portion of its REM automated light metro system between Gare Centrale and Deux-Montagnes on the region’s north shore, Torontonians had to settle for the partial opening of two light rail stations on the delayed Line 5 Eglinton line: Mount Dennis and Cedarvale.

While the opening of Cedarvale (apart from the light rail platforms) slightly improved circulation at the existing Eglinton West Station, Mount Dennis Station provides for a new GO Transit and UP Express stop, a large TTC bus terminal, and access to a historic Kodak building. It’s an interesting structure that facilitates new intermodal connections, but could definitely benefit from a few minor improvements.

An UP Express train leaves Mount Dennis for Union Station, with the Toronto skyline in the background

The Mount Dennis and Weston neighbourhoods were established around major industries, including CCM, Moffat Stoves, Willys-Overland, Dominion Bridge, Kodak, with even more employment at the nearby stockyards and slaughterhouses at St. Clair Avenue. The CN and CP railways passing through brought materials in and finished goods out. Today, only the Facelle tissue plant — now owned by Irving — remains in operation from that industrial past. The Dominion Bridge property later became the home of a TTC bus garage, while the Kodak plant became the site of the Eglinton Crosstown light rail storage and maintenance facility.

One building from the massive Kodak complex was preserved: Building 9, the employee recreation centre. The rear section of the main floor contains a public entrance to the station from the passenger pick-up and drop-off area, accessible washrooms, and access to the rest of the building (which is currently vacant). A bright mural, which once graced Building 9, can be found near the GO/UPX platform accesses. A heritage plaque tells the story of the building.

Mount Dennis Station platforms and Kodak Building 9

Building 9, as seen from the TTC bus terminal. Note the Metrolinx “T” icon, with the logos of three services – GO, TTC, and UP – below.

The GO/UP Express section of the station is brightened by a colourful mural saved from Kodak Building 9

Heritage Toronto Plaque affixed to Kodak Building 9

As UP Express and most GO Kitchener Line trains now stop at Mount Dennis, approximately three extra minutes is added to train trips. UP Express, which took 25 minutes between Pearson Airport Terminal 1 and Union Station, now takes 28 minutes. On the first day of stopping service last Sunday, very few passengers got on or off UP or GO trains (of the few that did, most appeared to be transit enthusiasts), but with more TTC bus connections and the Line 5 service hopefully coming soon, the station should become much busier.

Mount Dennis Station was mostly empty on its first day

A mostly empty Mount Dennis bus terminal currently serves six routes; this will increase to 13 when Line 5 finally opens

Mount Dennis will be served by 13 different bus routes when the station is fully open, including a new route 901 express between Mount Dennis and Pearson Airport, via Dixon Road. Though most of the changes are simple route extensions to the new terminal (like the 161 and 168), the 35 Jane will be split into two (while the 935 express stays on Jane, bypassing Mount Dennis), and daytime surface service on Eglinton between Mount Dennis and Kennedy Stations will be limited to an infrequent Route 34 bus.

Map of planned bus network revisions upon opening of Line 5 (click for larger image)

Despite some long corridors (particularly between the escalators up to the bus terminal and down to the closed-off LRT platforms), the station is well designed for the complexity of the site. The bus terminal and LRT platforms are both within the fare-paid area, eliminating one barrier between buses and rail.

Corridor towards the elevator and escalators from the TTC fare gates and LRT to the bus terminal. The natural light comes in from the large windows of Building 9. Public washrooms are on the left, past the windowed room, presumably a future retail space.

Looking down to the LRT platforms

Three of four UP/GO platforms are in service (the fourth track, which would allow for more frequent GO Kitchener Line service is under construction). I was impressed to see two elevators to each platform, providing essential redundancy for improved accessibility and reliability. However, the GO/UPX platform access points are not easy to spot from this long corridor, which also leads to the Eglinton Avenue and Weston Road intersection.

Passage to GO and UP Express trains from the TTC bus/LRT area, looking west

There is no visible wayfinding signage in this long tunnel. Only when one reaches the escalators at the other end are directions apparent, as the overhead signs are affixed to sloped ceilings. This should be a relatively easy fix, but an important one.

No wayfinding signage visible below escalator level in the GO/UPX area

Furthermore, an opportunity to provide a useful link to the Mount Dennis neighbourhood from GO/UPX Platform 4 (the west-most platform) has not been exploited. An undeveloped road allowance from the corner of Barr Avenue and Brownsville Road, used for station construction, is fenced off and barricaded. This would provide an alternate route to the station from Weston Road, particularly to the nearby Toronto Public Library branch, and would only need a few Presto tap readers and perhaps a fare vending machine. Perhaps it will take private highrise development to make this happen.

Looking west from Platform 4 to the Barr Avenue road allowance

Finally, it was frustrating to see so little wayfinding signage in the TTC bus terminal. Though the TTC has numbered each of the bus bays from 1 to 15, these numbers do not appear inside the waiting area or over the doors. Digital screens over each bay display very small text with next bus information.

TTC bus terminal plan, with each bus bay and assigned routes

Outdoor signage at Mount Dennis bus terminal

The wayfinding signage needs to be corrected, but at least these are simple fixes. Otherwise, it was a treat visiting a new transit hub on a sunny (though cold) November afternoon. The heritage preservation was a nice touch; hopefully, new use is found for Building 9’s upper floors. Furthermore, one hopes the rest of the Line 5 Crosstown stations open soon.

November 17, 2025
It’s time to rethink slip lanes

Slip lane with small pedestrian refuge island at Dupont Street and Ossington Avenue

There are many ways that road design acts to facilitate vehicle drivers yet impede pedestrian mobility. There’s the beg button (traffic engineers prefer the term “pedestrian call button”) that ensures maximum traffic throughput unless a pesky pedestrian or cyclist decides they want to cross the road too when the light turns green. There’s the two-phase pedestrian crossing that guarantees a long wait to cross a wide traffic artery on foot. Wide curb radii at intersections allow drivers to easily turn, yet they intrude into the crosswalk space. And there’s the slip lane, also known as a channelized right turn.

Most slip lanes are designed to allow right-turning motor vehicles to bypass an intersection. Where an intersection may be controlled by a traffic signal or a stop sign, typically, a slip lane is only controlled by a yield sign, reminding motorists to give way to pedestrians crossing and/or oncoming traffic on the roadway being turned into. They are typically built for higher speeds, with turn radii even greater than those afforded by generous curved curbs at many urban intersections. The space left over in the triangular bit of concrete is where pedestrians must wait to cross the main roadways.

Slip lane at Warden Avenue at Comstock Road in Scarborough features a very small island for pedestrians to wait to cross

Occasionally, slip lanes are used to discourage or prevent certain turning movements. At shopping plaza entrances, for example, slip lanes are used to prevent left turns into or out of the driveway. They may also be used at one-way streets for the same purpose.

Thankfully, slip lanes are not the standard in the City of Toronto. At least forty slip lanes were removed between 2005 and 2025, including Front Street eastbound at Yonge, from Coxwell Avenue southbound at Dundas Street East, and a half dozen on Danforth Road in Scarborough. In the downtown core, there are only three remaining examples that cross pedestrian pathways: from southbound Bay Street to Queen Street West, from eastbound Bloor Street to Parliament Street, and from Mount Pleasant Road to Jarvis Street. There are several other intersections in the city centre that allow some right-turning vehicles to bypass the main intersection, such as Adelaide and Richmond Streets at Jarvis, University at Front, or Parliament at Gerrard, but these still require a full turn at their start or end point, mitigating their danger.

A map of slip lanes in Toronto, and those removed in the last twenty years, is below. This work was assisted my followers on BlueSky for their additions and corrections, and I appreciate their help.

By removing slip lanes, pedestrians and cyclists are better protected, and there can often be new space for seating, public art, or even plant life.

Former slip lane at Coxwell Avenue and Dundas Street East
(City of Toronto, 2025 Water Summit winner)

Slip lanes are far more common in suburban neighbourhoods outside the City of Toronto. In Brampton and Mississauga, slip lanes are common on regional roads such as Steeles Avenue, Dixie Road, or Erin Mills Parkway. These six-lane roads are designated as goods movement corridors, and are designed for heavy traffic, including tractor-trailers. Even in Peel, though, slip lanes are being rethought. Several were removed on Bovaird Drive in Brampton two years ago (replaced by signalized crossrides), while others are being repainted to empathize the pedestrian crossing and encourage slower movements. More signage tells motorists to stop for pedestrians.

Modified slip lane at Bovaird Drive and Main Street in Brampton. Further east, slip lanes were removed at three lower-traffic intersections and replaced by multi-use path crossings.

Though the City of Toronto has done some good work eliminating or modifying slip lanes in the name of traffic safety and an improved pedestrian realm, there are many more that still should be examined, such as the one at Ossington and Dupont, where, unusually, pedestrians are instructed to wait for a gap, rather than motorists instructed to yield. These “wait for gap” signs are found at the entrances and exits to expressways, such as the Gardiner Expressway or Highway 401. But these, too, can be changed. At the eastbound ramp to northbound Don Valley Parkway on the Prince Edward Viaduct, a free-flowing on-ramp was changed to a signalized right turn, improving safety and comfort for pedestrians and cyclists.

Crossing the Bay Street on-ramp to the eastbound Gardiner Expressway makes getting to the Waterfront more dangerous and uncomfortable than it should be

Hopefully, City of Toronto staff work to correct the situation at Dupont and Ossington (there’s no reason why pedestrians should be expected to yield to traffic in this revitalizing part of the city) and continue the work to make our streets safer for all.

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November 14, 2025
The revenge of SmartTrack
Map of John Tory’s SmartTrack proposal, his signature campaign plank from the 2014 municipal election

SmartTrack, the transit plan championed by former mayor John Tory in 2014, is the election promise that will never fully die, even if it was diminished from the promise of a brand-new 53-kilometre transit relief project to just a few new stations on existing GO Transit rail corridors. SmartTrack, as initially pitched, would have utilized existing rail and highway corridors to quickly build an express rapid transit line that would provide much-needed relief to the Yonge Subway line, foster development of the East Don Lands (former site of an Unilever soap factory), and connect downtown with employment lands in Markham and Mississauga. According to campaign materials, SmartTrack would have been built in just seven years.

Eleven years later, that relief is coming, but through other forms: the now under-construction Ontario Line, expansion of the Bloor-Yonge Subway station, and slow subway ridership recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in 2020-2021. The Mount Dennis-Airport Corporate Centre section, nearly impossible to build as a continuous passenger rail line, is now being built as a tunneled extension of the Eglinton-Crosstown LRT.

Over a decade later, the legacy of SmartTrack, along with other major changes for the GO Transit Kitchener Line, will affect both GO operations and UP Express, Toronto’s airport rail link, which will be asked to do more despite existing constraints. Without rigorous planning, transparency from Metrolinx, and stakeholder input, the potential of Toronto’s northwest corridor as a high-quality local and regional transit project is in doubt. With significant investment and proper planning, the Kitchener Line could serve as a shining example of how to get things right.

The diminished legacy of SmartTrack

It’s possible that three “SmartTrack” stations might be completed in 17 years

The idea of a “London-style surface rail subway” for Toronto was, and remains, a laudable goal for our existing GO Transit rail corridors; this was the concept behind the GO Expansion project touted just a few years ago that would truly transform the system into a high-quality urban rail network. It would not only serve suburban municipalities like Markham, Brampton, and Mississauga, but also improve travel times to the inner suburbs such as Agincourt and Rexdale.

What SmartTrack got wrong was relying on a flawed report that had very specific aims, poor public buy-in, and an arrogant, yet ineffectual proponent who nevertheless managed to win re-election, twice. (He might run again in 2026.) It didn’t help that SmartTrack was a municipal idea that was not coordinated with the provincial planning process; it never really got off the ground, even if municipal planning staff were charged with implementing the proposal. Ideally, the city should have just pushed hard to advance GO expansion on multiple corridors and for fare integration with the TTC.

Despite years of inaction, five SmartTrack stations remain on the books, to be funded largely by the City of Toronto. This was a curious arrangement as the provincial government has taken responsibility for the costs of all other GO Transit expansion projects, along with subway and LRT extensions. The five stations the city committed to were:
- St. Clair-Old Weston (Kitchener Line)
- King-Liberty (Kitchener Line)
- East Harbour (Lakeshore East/Stouffville, with a connection with the Ontario Line)
- Finch-Kennedy (Stouffville Line) and
- Bloor-Lansdowne (Barrie Line, not on the old SmartTrack map)
The King-Liberty and St. Clair-Old Weston stations, present in the original SmartTrack map, are on the inner portion of the busy Kitchener Line, which now hosts two-way, all-day service between Union and Bramalea Stations, as frequent as every 30 minutes weekdays. This section of track, known as the Weston Subdivision, also hosts UP Express (UPX) trains, which run every 15 minutes between Union and Pearson Airport, with stops at Bloor and Weston stations. It will also stop at Mount Dennis when that station opens in mid-November, connecting with the Crosstown LRT when that opens, likely in early 2026.

East Harbour Station, at the former Unilever Lands, will be an essential connection between GO trains, the Ontario Line, and TTC streetcars, providing transit access to a huge proposed mixed-use development, as well as the Portlands redevelopment to the south. It will be very well used once the Ontario Line opens.

Bloor-Lansdowne is a curious “SmartTrack” legacy station, as it was not on the original proposed route. Located just east of Bloor GO Station on the Kitchener Line, the two-platform station would serve Barrie Line trains, with a walking connection to the TTC’s Lansdowne Station two blocks to the east. (See my supplementary post highlighting this transfer.) Unlike King-Liberty and Finch-Kennedy stations, Bloor-Lansdowne is going ahead as construction had already started in 2024.

Bloor-Lansdowne Station is two blocks west of Lansdowne Station and a 7-10 minute walk to the subway, which runs north of Bloor Street. From 2023 City of Toronto report.

Bloor-Lansdowne probably should not have been advanced, especially when King-Liberty or even Finch-Kennedy would be more useful new stations.

St. Clair-Old Weston Station will still go ahead, even though pedestrian access and transfers to local transit lines will be less than ideal. Rail platforms will be accessed from Union Street, not directly from St. Clair Avenue, Keele Street, or Old Weston Road. Though TTC buses could be diverted to the planned bus loop, transfers to streetcars on the 512 St. Clair line will be awkward and unattractive to riders. (See my supplementary post that describes the challenges in more detail.)

St. Clair-Old Weston Station layout from 2023 City of Toronto report

King-Liberty Station, which would serve fast-growing Liberty Village, connect with 504 King streetcars, and be within walking distance of Exhibition Place, Parkdale, and the new Ontario Line, is now deferred despite the neighbourhood’s residential and employment density and its need for better transit links. Finch-Kennedy, in northern Scarborough, is also deferred. The city is hoping the province picks up the costs of those two stations.

Map of inner portion of GO Kitchener Line, UP Express, and connecting rapid transit lines

Woodbine GO Station (not to be confused with Woodbine subway station on Line 2), located on the Woodbine Racetrack lands, is now under construction. When complete, it will replace Etobicoke North Station, which only has one platform and cannot be easily expanded for a four-track mainline. There is the potential for a short extension of the soon-to-open Line 6 Finch West LRT to Woodbine from Humber College. Woodbine Station would serve both GO trains and UPX, allowing passengers from Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph to make an easy transfer to Pearson Airport. Woodbine would also be a logical transfer point between local GO trains to Bramalea and Mount Pleasant and express GO trains to Guelph and Kitchener.

With these decisions in mind, the challenge now will be figuring out how to serve the new Kitchener Line stations.

What is UP Express for, anyway?

UP Express and GO trains near Union Station

UP Express, for all its faults, is an example of what urban regional rail looks like. Trains are frequent – every 15 minutes – seven days a week, from early in the morning to late at night, with the last train leaving Union at 1:00 AM. Stations feature high-level boarding, ideal for quick and easy boarding, especially for those passengers with luggage, strollers, or using mobility devices. The only other comparable example in North America is Denver’s A-Line train, an electrified service which also makes multiple stop between the downtown core and the city’s international airport.

A 15-minute frequency is important as it is commonly cited as the minimum level of service for a “get up and go” level of transit convenience and attractiveness. Right now, the Kitchener Corridor has a base hourly service between Union and Bramalea seven days a week, with additional peak-direction express trains and 30 minute service during much of the weekday service period.

Because of its reliable and frequent service and affordable fares, UPX has become a victim of its own success, with many riders travelling between Union, Bloor, and Weston, rather than going all the way to and from the airport. This problem was especially evident when riders were left stranded after the end of game seven of the 2025 World Series. The last train left Union station completely full, not long after the game finished in extra innings.

Fares for riding UPX are quite reasonable. When UP Express was first launched, a one-way fare to the airport was $27.50. In 2016, that adult fare dropped to $12.00, today it is $12.35. Adult fares paid with a Presto card are discounted by $3.10. An adult fare between Weston and Union is just over $5. However, UPX despite being owned and operated by Metrolinx, has no fare integration with GO Transit, and it is not part of the provincial One Fare program that permits free transfers between GO, the TTC and other GTHA transit agencies. This is likely intended to minimize overcrowding, even though it limits the utility of UPX.

Another constraint is the UPX fleet and station size. All UPX stations are designed for three-car trains, as the service was designed to be a premium airport rail link, not an urban transit service. There are just 18 Nippon Sharyo DMU rail cars available for service, assembled into four 3-car trains, and two 2-car trains. The interior design is set up for a premium airport service, with rows of forward/backward facing individual seats and lots of luggage space.

These challenges will be exasperated with the addition of new stations at Mount Dennis and St. Clair-Old Weston. Furthermore, Metrolinx has requested that City of Toronto modify plans for the St. Clair-Old Weston (or SCOW) station to be UPX-only. According to an October 21, 2025 report to Council’s Executive Committee, “Metrolinx has indicated that this service change is required to maintain the 15-minute (or better) service frequency commitment made by Metrolinx for the SmartTrack Program, which can no longer be maintained by GO service.”

Despite Metrolinx building a fourth track on the Weston Subdivision that will extend to Pearson Junction (where the UPX tracks diverge towards the airport) from the Union Station Rail Corridor (hence the closures of the West Toronto Rail Path), it seems that it can not commit to operating 15-minute service for both GO and UPX service, which seems like a ridiculous state of affairs when this is common practice in Europe and Asia. This goes against the whole concept of GO Expansion, which promised to deliver fast, frequent, integrated GO service to most of its corridors.

2022 Metrolinx map depicting corridor improvements, electrification, and 15-minute service for the inner portions of the Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, Stouffville, Barrie, and Kitchener lines.

2022 Metrolinx map showing the Kitchener Corridor with “corridor improvements and electrification” for the Toronto-Bramalea inner portion of the line, along with other construction projects between Bramalea and Kitchener.

Perhaps Metrolinx’s inability to conceive of GO becoming more than just a suburban commuter railway is why Deutsche Bahn pulled out of its contract with Metrolinx early in 2025. Since The Trillium’s June 2025 investigation, there has been little said about the collapse of GO Expansion. Communications and transparency have not been Metrolinx’s strong suit, especially in the last few years as Doug Ford’s PC government has tightened its control on all government communications.

So, if St. Clair-Old Weston is served only by UP Express, it will have to be completely rethought. It will not be able to offer an exclusive, 25-minute ride between Terminal 1 and Pearson Airport. That in itself is fine. A train taking 30 minutes to travel the same distance, with a few additional stops will work, provided that the trains have the capacity to serve both airport passengers and urban transit riders. Stations should be six cars long, then, with a new Union Station terminal, ideally under the main trainshed for easy connections to TTC, GO, and VIA Rail. GO Transit trains would then focus on suburban and regional travel between Toronto, Malton, Brampton, Guelph, and Kitchener, skipping most existing stops in the City of Toronto, part from Woodbine and perhaps Bloor.

But Metrolinx, the City, and the Province need to express their intentions openly and clearly so that we, the passengers and taxpayers, know what will happen, and that we will get the best transit possible. Let’s be smart about this.
November 4, 2025
Bloor-Lansdowne: A TTC-GO disconnection

Bloor-Lansdowne Station construction, November 2, 2025

Bloor-Lansdowne Station, one of five “SmartTrack” stations planned for existing GO Transit rail lines in the City of Toronto, is located just south of Bloor Street West on the GO Barrie Line, and south of the Davenport Diamond grade-separation. The purpose of this new two-platform GO station is to provide a new connection between GO trains and the TTC subway, similar to existing stations like Bloor/Dundas West, Danforth/Main Street, or Downsview Park. Unfortunately, it will not be an easy transfer.

The future Bloor-Lansdowne station entrance, 2025

Rendering of Bloor-Lansdowne Station entrance (from Metrolinx web page)

When GO Transit began operations on the Lakeshore Line in 1967, it was built on a shoestring, meant to be a three-year experiment to see if commuter rail would work in the growing Greater Toronto Area. Stations were built cheaply, with asphalt platforms with bus shelters, constructed on easily purchased land for suburban parking lots. At stations like Long Branch and Danforth, connections to TTC subways and streetcars were on-street; most connections would be made at Union Station. When the Georgetown (now Kitchener) Line opened in 1974, Bloor Station was accessed only by narrow stairways down to the sidewalk, with a 4-5 minute walk to Dundas West Station (a direct subway connection is finally nearing completion). Newer GO rail stations, like Kipling (1980-1981), Kennedy (GO platform opened 2005), and Downsview Park (2015), were built with direct intermodal connections, befitting GO’s increasing importance. When it opens on November 16, Mount Dennis GO/UP station will have a direct connection to the future Line 5 Crosstown LRT.

Though Lansdowne subway station is north of Bloor Street and two blocks to the east, the new GO station will be located entirely south of Bloor Street

But Bloor-Lansdowne, located next to a former Value Village, will feature a subway-train transfer worse than the current connection between Bloor GO and Dundas West subway station. It took me nearly 7 minutes to get from the Lansdowne subway platform to the planned main entrance below the rail overpasses, including waiting at the Bloor-Lansdowne intersection for a walk signal, and crossing an unsignalized intersection at St. Helens Avenue. (See video below.)

The construction of a new pedestrian overpass connected with the long-delayed Davenport Greenway will provide a slightly more pleasant walking path between the subway and GO train, avoiding a busy signalized intersection. But it will not reduce walking times or the amount of time without shelter from the elements.

Proposed Davenport Greenway

Granted, for some commuters, Bloor-Lansdowne will significantly reduce travel times, especially for those travelling between parts of York Region and western Toronto. But nearby Bloor Station on the GO Kitchener Line will have much better TTC connections and more frequent service with both GO and UP Express service and will be a much more attractive route towards Downtown Toronto. Compared to the benefits to riders on the 39/939 Finch East — the TTC’s busiest bus corridor — that Finch-Kennedy Station will offer, or the benefit of King-Liberty’s GO and UP Express service to riders in Liberty Village, Parkdale, and West Queen West with King-Liberty, Bloor-Lansdowne has limited ridership potential.

Back to The revenge of SmartTrack

November 4, 2025
St. Clair-Old Weston: find it if you can

An UP Express train passes the intersection of Union and Townsley Streets

At the lonely corner of Union and Townsley Streets sits the site of St. Clair-Old Weston Road Station, one of five proposed new GO stations in the City of Toronto as part of the remnants of the SmartTrack brand. The station’s name (which will likely be revised closer to opening day) refers to the intersection of St. Clair Avenue West and Old Weston Road, one block to the east. After years of benign neglect, the northwest corner of the old City of Toronto is seeing new development.

The old Heydon House Hotel stands at the corner of St. Clair Avenue and Old Weston Road

The former Ontario Stockyards and associated slaughterhouses is now a busy retail area. A large cluster of midrise and highrise development proposals are in the pipeline surrounding the station site, spurred on by a city-initiated transportation plan and the provincial major transportation transit area (MTSA) designation. More transit will be needed to serve the planned growth, and that’s where the new station comes in.

Right now, the corner of Union and Townsley is eerily quiet. At the corner of Old Weston and Townsley, a once-popular flea market was demolished, with no immediate plans for the site. The Consolidated Bottle Company plant on Union Street sits empty, awaiting future development. To the south, the Delta Bingo on St. Clair West is also the site of a planned highrise cluster. There are other proposals along Union Street to the north. But right now, it’s a great place to dump waste.

A no dumping sign and an abandoned rail spur crossing on Union Street

Missing sidewalks on Townsley Street, looking west from Old Weston Road

St. Clair-Old Weston Station site plan

Despite the promise of new development, the station site plan leaves a lot to be desired. Connections to the nearby 512 St. Clair Streetcar will be awkward. A planned bus loop would require a diversion for nearby TTC bus routes, except the low-frequency 127 Davenport, which terminates by the old flea market site. An underpass that allows St. Clair Avenue to duck under the Metrolinx and CPKC railways will have to be rebuilt, with streetcar closures planned starting next year. Though likely not included (the street right-of-way will not be widened during the work, despite traffic congestion through this pinch point), extending walkways and even rail platforms to the south side of St. Clair would improve connections considerably and reduce walking times to several of the proposed developments. Under the current plan, train platforms would be located entirely north of St. Clair Avenue, with no direct station access from the busy arterial.

The narrow St. Clair Avenue underpass, a traffic pinch point, is due for replacement

But now, as St. Clair-Old Weston will likely only be served by UP Express trains, there’s at least an opportunity to improve the station layout.

Back to “The revenge of SmartTrack”

November 4, 2025
Dysfunction junction: permanent obstructions at Union Station

New blocks installed in front of Union Station at Front and York Streets

When I learned that Union Station was finally getting permanent bollards to replace the haphazardly-placed Jersey barriers that have sat in front of the transport hub since 2018, I was relieved. I wrote about these barriers several times on this website, criticizing their appearance and their placement, blocking the way for the thousands of people who cross Front Street every day. But when I went to see them in person, after seeing criticism online, I was dismayed.

The new permanent barriers might even be worse than the temporary obstructions they are meant to replace.

The Jersey barriers were hastily placed after a tragic attack on Yonge Street in North York, where a man intentionally drove a rented van on to the sidewalk, killing ten pedestrians and injuring and traumatizing many more.

Vehicular assaults on crowds of pedestrians are a major concern; tactics used at mass gatherings — such as the winter light show and New Years Eve events at Nathan Phillips Square and major concerts and playoff games at Skydome and Scotiabank Arena — now include blocking closed streets with heavy vehicles such as snow plows, dump trucks, and city buses. However, Union Station is the only place in the city where officials have decided that new permanent barriers were necessary.

Union Station is one of the busiest pedestrian areas in the city

The new permanent barriers are not the sturdy, yet narrow, bollards that are used elsewhere. Instead, they are large, undecorated concrete blocks anchored into the ground and are knee-high. The plain concrete colour does not match the stone sidewalks or plaza. They are placed very close together, impeding access for those using large carts, strollers, or wheeled mobility devices. Despite all the money spent renovating Union Station, these blocks look cheap.

Concrete blocks at the corner of York and Front Street at Union Station

The total cost of installing the “Custom Anti-Terror Concrete Barriers,” as the city described the bid, was $2,438,238, including HST. The lowest bid, by South Central Inc., came over a $1 million cheaper than the other two bids. It is worth noting that there are no public documents that describe the city’s specifications for the contract, nor was there any public consultation before the city solicited bids.

The result? An esthetic failure and an accessibility challenge.

Video showing pedestrians going around the concrete blocks in front of Union Station

I cannot understand the city’s decision to go with these blocks where more elegant and pedestrian-friendly alternatives are typically used elsewhere. For example, the Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna, which faces the famous and busy Ringstrasse, is protected by smaller concrete bollards, which are also more widely separated, making it much more pleasant for pedestrians to get by. In Great Britain, metal bollards are common on busy commercial streets and in front of important buildings, but they are easy for pedestrians to pass, and generally blend in.

Thick concrete bollards in front of the Austrian Parliament Building, 2023

Metal bollards in front of the Royal Courts of Justice in London

In the United States, government buildings are also protected by heavy anti-vehicular barricades (especially since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing), but they are generally more permeable for pedestrians.

Metal bollards protect the federal courthouse in Downtown Manhattan (Google Streetview)

It is also worth noting that other popular pedestrian areas, such as the Yonge-Dundas intersection, are not protected from a potential vehicular attack — or an unintentional collision. It is beyond comprehension why the city only focused on protecting one pedestrian area, using such a poorly thought-out design. Toronto can — and should — do better.

March 13, 2025
The fall of an empire

The former Hudson’s Bay Store in Downtown Winnipeg, one of its western flagship stores. After years of decline, the store closed in November 2020 and is now being transformed into a centre for Manitoba’s First Nations.

There’s a touch of irony that in the same year Canadian sovereignty is increasingly threatened by an American president, the Hudson’s Bay Company — one of the world’s oldest corporations — has filed for bankruptcy protection. It will likely close at least half of its 80 stores, but with no guarantee it will emerge in a healthy state, able to rebound.

On May 2, 1670, The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England, trading into Hudson’s Bay, was given a royal charter to trade in all lands that drained into Hudson’s Bay, 3.9 million km² of land in the heart of the North American continent, in order to compete with the lucrative French fur trade in the St. Lawrence basin. The new company had monopolistic commercial control of what was then called Rupert’s Land: the entirety of present-day Manitoba, most of Saskatchewan and Northern Ontario, a significant part of present-day Quebec, Alberta, and Nunavut, and even parts of what eventually became Minnesota and North Dakota.

Of course, this new monopoly, which quickly became known as simply the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), was created without consent or consultation with the many First Nations and Inuit communities. In the early days of trade, however, HBC relied on trading with First Nations for the valuable fur trades. It established forts and factories (trading posts) throughout the northwest, establishing places such as Moose Factory and Fort Albany that remain to this day.

In later years, HBC claimed a trading monopoly on lands draining into the Pacific Ocean; it also brought in missionaries to convert Indigenous peoples. (Its monopoly was challenged by new entrants such as the North West Company, which eventually merged with HBC after violent skirmishes over trading territorial rights.)

HBC’s vast networks of forts and trading posts, particularly Fort Garry (now Winnipeg) led towards the full colonization of western and northern Canada. In 1870, with the decline of the fur trade HBC relinquished control of Rupert’s Land to the new Dominion of Canada, which led immediately to the creation of the Northwest Territories, followed quickly by the Red River Rebellion and the creation of the Province of Manitoba.

HBC continued as a fur and goods trading company and it was still the only retailer in remote western and northern communities. In larger cities like Vancouver, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Calgary, it established new department stores. In smaller communities, especially in the north, it took full advantage of its dominant position, and Northern Stores became notorious for high prices (in 1987, HBC sold off its Northern Stores division). HBC continued to exploit Canada’s natural resources — it even had an oil and gas subsidiary between 1926 and 1982.

In 1960, HBC focused almost entirely on its department store empire, acquiring the Montreal-based Morgan’s chain, competing head-on with Eaton’s and Simpsons-Sears. In the 1970s and 1980s, it also scooped up discount chain Zellers, Simpson’s stores (after its split from Sears Canada), Ottawa-based Freimans, and Hamilton-based Robinson’s, eventually rebranding those stores as “The Bay.” Finally in 1993, it acquired Vancouver-based Woodward’s. During this time, it sold off the Northern stores and the oil company. In the late 1990s, it launched the Home Outfitters big-box chain. The Zellers chain expanded under HBC ownership, first acquiring the competing Towers discount chain in 1991 and K-Mart’s Canadian stores in 1998.

Though the flagship stores still proudly proclaimed the May 2, 1670 incorporation date, few thought about the long and checkered history of the company. My first memories of The Bay’s retail empire were of the Simpson’s store close to where we lived in Brampton. Simpson’s was the flagship anchor of Shoppers World, a once-vibrant mall. I also knew Simpson’s from the flagship Queen Street store in Downtown Toronto, famous for its toy section, Christmas window displays, and of course, the TVO children’s program Today’s Special. (The most memorable episodes for me, a young, budding urbanist, dealt with a fictionalized closure and demolition of the store, before a heritage plaque uncovered during the move out saved the day.)

Opening sequence of “Today’s Special,” set in the downtown Simpson’s Queen Street store

The Shoppers World Simpson’s store, like the rest of the banner, was converted to “The Bay” in 1991. In 2007 the store closed, not long after I moved to my own apartment in Toronto. (I still have some of the chinaware I purchased at that Bay store before I moved to my own place.) But as I worked, and later lived, in Downtown Toronto, I found the Queen Street store very useful for casual clothes shopping and the occasional big-ticket item.

Demolition of the Shoppers World Simpson’s/The Bay department store in 2010

Though HBC was sold to a private equity firm in 2008, under CEO Bonnie Brooks’ leadership, there was still life in the department store, with leading stores like the Queen Street flagship upgraded. The fifth floor was a great place to browse for men’s clothes; the seventh floor had an excellent kitchenware department. HBC persisted through the bankruptcy of Eaton’s in 1997-1999 as well the wind-down of Sears Canada that began in 2012 (when it began selling the leases of its urban flagships, including former Eaton’s stores) and concluded in 2018.

But private equity did what private equity does best: it began selling off the assets and closing down stores, just as Sears did in its last decade. The Zellers discount department store chain was discontinued, with the majority of store leases sold to the ill-fated Target Canada operation in 2011. The Home Outfitters stores were closed in 2019. Real estate was sold off, with HBC leasing back the properties. For example, the Queen Street store was sold to real estate developer Cadillac Fairview — who owns the adjacent Eaton Centre mall — for $650 million in 2014.

In the last few years, it became clear that the department store chain was in decline. Though pandemic restrictions in 2020 and 2021 had a major effect, the downtown stores also lost office worker patronage. Suppliers were having trouble getting paid and were seizing merchandise at several stores; escalators and elevators were put out of service, and store hours were reduced at most locations.

The Hudson’s Bay store at Scarborough Town Centre closed at 7:00 on a weekday evening in March 2024, even though the rest of the mall remained open for another two hours

The loss of Canada’s last department store is unfortunate, but it comes as no surprise given the way private equity sucks once-proud businesses dry. The evidence was impossible to miss. How could customers be lured back when escalators were blocked off, marketing non-existent, and store opening hours scaled back? Not even Sears turned off the escalators in its last years.

I suspect, given the company’s 355-year history, a vestige of HBC will live on, especially in an era of renewed Canadian nationalist. Another business will certainly purchase the name and brand to continue selling the famous point blankets. Though the Queen Street store will certainly be redeveloped by Cadillac Fairview, strict heritage considerations will prevent its complete demolition. The Downtown Winnipeg store, closed in 2020, is already being repurposed into a new hub for Manitoba’s First Nations.

But it will remain a true shame, as I have always felt there was still a place for a full-service department store in Canada. It only needed to be well managed, relevant, and cared for.

March 10, 2025
A small step towards better wayfinding at Union Station

Union Station Great Hall, January 2025

Last month, I wrote about the challenges getting around Toronto’s Union Station, Canada’s busiest transportation hub, particularly for passengers using mobility devices or carrying luggage. Only one poorly-marked elevator directly links the Great Hall and the UP Express platform with the subway station/PATH level, which is located two floors down.

I returned to Union Station on Tuesday, January 7, to see if any improvements were made since I wrote my initial post. Somewhat surprisingly, new signs were installed beside the elevators, indicating which floor goes where.

Elevator signage at B2 level (subway concourse/PATH level by Bay Street) that indicates where the other floors lead to: Level B1 for VIA trains, shops and restaurants, and exit to Front Street, and Level 00 for VIA ticketing, UP Express trains, and access to the Skywalk to Rogers Centre, CN Tower et al.

In the GO York Concourse, the elevator leads to Level 00 (The Great Hall) only.

These signs are a notable improvement, but there is still no signage inside the elevator cars themselves, so the traveler must note the directory signage before entering the elevator. Furthermore, the Great Hall, the historic centrepiece of the Union Station complex, is not noted, even though it is a logical meeting place from where access to all GO, VIA, and UP Express train services can be made, or where taxis can be found right outside.

Unfortunately, the elevators themselves are still difficult to locate, and the decision to have just one slow elevator connect the Great Hall/UP Express floor with the subway station entrance remains unfortunate. There is still so much more to be done.

In the Great Hall, there are clear signs directing passengers towards the subway, but there are no indications on where a barrier-free passage can be found. A supplementary sign pointing towards the one elevator, located at the far end of the Great Hall, could be useful here.

January 8, 2025
Dysfunction Junction: another Union Station malfunction

Previously on this website, I discussed the problems with the unsightly, intrusive, and poorly thought-out mess of Jersey barriers plopped in front of Union Station along Front Street. They have not only been an eyesore unbefitting a signature heritage structure, but they have also been difficult for pedestrians to navigate around, especially at the corners of Front and Bay and Front and York.

The barriers in 2021

Fortunately, work is just starting on a new system of concrete blocks and bollards to protect the pedestrian plaza and the sidewalks in front of the station. However, this will not be complete until the end of 2025.

Inside Union Station, however, a lot has changed in the last few years. In general, pedestrian flow within the station building has improved, especially with the opening of the GO Transit York Concourse, which provides a second access point for regional trains. Flow between subway, train, and shops is considerably improved; there are also a lot more food and retail options befitting a central transport hub.

Despite new escalators and elevators, accessibility in Union Station remains poor. Though technically, the station is fully accessible to anyone using a wheelchair or other mobility device, the wayfinding is absent in key areas. There is only one small elevator that directly connects the subway level with the Great Hall, UP Express trains, and Front Street. An accessible route is also difficult to find.

The view after entering the Union Station complex from the TTC subway. The overhead sign shows the way to GO trains, the bus terminal, the Union Market shopping area, Scotiabank Arena, CIBC Square (an office building), York Street, more shops and restaurants, and VIA and UP Express trains.

Imagine entering Union Station from the adjacent TTC subway station with a wheeled device or a mobility aid. There is a large concourse with signs leading forward towards the GO Transit York Concourse along with Scotiabank Arena, the bus terminal, and Union Station shops and food kiosks. To the left is Bay Street, and to the right are a set of escalators and stairs leading up towards VIA Rail and UP Express trains. Behind the stairs and escalators is a single elevator, hidden away.

To the right is a set of escalators, stairs, and hidden behind, a poorly marked single elevator. These lead towards UP Express and VIA trains, York Street, and attractions such as the CN Tower, the Convention Centre, and Rogers Centre.

The elevator provides no information other than a sign that indicates that this is, in fact, an elevator, and this is the B2 level. This is a single, small elevator, which operates slowly.

The elevator at the B2 (subway) level

Once inside the elevator, there is no information other than buttons marked “G”, “B1”, and “B2”. There is nothing to tell the elevator user what is accessible from each floor.

Confusingly, the official Union Station map directory calls the three levels “Street Level” (G, the Heritage structure including the Great Hall, West and East Wings, along with the path towards UP Express and the Skywalk), “Lower Level” (B1, the GO York and Bay Concourses, the concourse beneath the Great Hall, and the VIA departure area) and “Retail Level” (B2, including the food court, food hall, and connections to the subway). In the elevators, the audio prompts only mention the three level names.

Inside the elevators, there is no indication what each level is, or where they lead to — the buttons and empty spaces beside them just show G, B1, and B2 levels

At G level, which includes the Great Hall, VIA Rail departures and business class lounge, and the passage west towards UP Express trains and the Skywalk to the CN Tower and Rogers Centre, the elevator is also hidden behind a wall.

The only elevator connecting the Great Hall, the lower concourse, and the subway level is hidden, with tiny signage directing travelers to it

On the west side of The Great Hall, there is also an elevator, beside the stairway down to the GO Transit York Concourse. This elevator does not serve level B2.

York Concourse elevator, on the west side of Union Station’s Great Hall

If the traveler was only connecting from subway to UP Express with a heavy bag, and not using a mobility device, they might decide to take an escalator from the subway B2 level to the B1 level, the lower Union Station concourse originally intended as an arrivals area for intercity trains. However, there is no elevator or upwards escalator to be seen.

Looking west in the lower concourse, towards York Street and UP Express trains

If one knew Union Station well, they could make a lengthy detour through the ramps in the VIA Rail area to get to the Great Hall or go around through the GO York Concourse to reach the elevator or up escalator to the Great Hall. But these routes are not marked from the lower concourse area.

To show how difficult it can be to navigate the station while using a wheeled device (be it a wheelchair, stroller, or wheeled luggage), I shot this video showing how a first-time visitor getting off an UP Express train from Union Station would try to find the TTC subway entrance.

Video depicting 9-minute trip at a normal walking speed between the UP Express area and TTC subway station entrance, using first available elevators each time.

At no point was there any visible signage showing the most direct route for someone requiring a barrier-free path from UP Express to the subway. The maps below show the route I took:

Route from UP Express to the Great Hall and York Concourse Elevator (Street Level, or G). Arrows are added to mark the route I took in the video.

Path through York Concourse, lower Union Station concourse (Front St. Promenade) – the B1 Level, and to the second elevator to the Bay St. Promenade (subway level). Arrows are added to mark the route I took in the video.

Last part of the trip on the Retail Level (B2) to the subway station entrance. Arrows are added to mark the route I took in the video.

Whenever I travel through an international airport — Toronto Pearson is a good example — I never have to think too hard about where the accessible routes are. Escalators are easy to find. There are banks of two or three large elevators in strategic locations on the ground side of airports, connecting departure and arrival areas, as well as ground transportation facilities. As Canada’s busiest transport hub — busier than Toronto Pearson Airport even — Union Station’s elevators and escalators should be plentiful and easy to find.

I am aware that there are particular challenges at Toronto Union Station — the City of Toronto controls only the common areas, such as the Great Hall, the retail areas, and the main entrances. Metrolinx, the agency responsible for GO Transit and UP Express, controls the York and Bay Concourses, as well as the UP Express station area. VIA Rail maintains its departures area. There are also heritage elements that need to remain intact, such as the Great Hall. But these issues of ownership and heritage preservation do not excuse the difficulty of getting around with a mobility device or even a wheeled bag.

Why weren’t multiple elevators installed connecting all three levels, to improve capacity, speed, and provide redundancy in the case of an elevator outage? Why are there not easy-to-find elevators in the West Wing near the UP Express area?

Judging by the condition of the signature Great Hall itself, there is work yet to be done before Union Station is fully restored to its 1920s grandeur. It should not be too hard to improve accessibility and wayfinding as well. Not just for Torontonians, but for international travelers too.

The Great Hall floor is still cracked and patched, with electrical tape covering some of the damaged sections

December 17, 2024