Ontario Breaks Ground On The Line Pape Station: A New Era for GTA Commuters

Image Credit, Government of Ontario Artist Rendition

The Ontario government has started construction on the new Pape Station, which will connect the Ontario Line with the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth). This project is a major step forward in improving public transit in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), offering faster and more reliable travel for commuters and reducing road congestion.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria highlighted the project’s significance, stating, “The Ontario Line Pape Station will be a critical interchange for commuters by cutting some travel times by more than half and helping reduce gridlock for drivers across the city.” The station is expected to serve tens of thousands of commuters daily, with over 9,000 transfers during the morning rush hour alone, and will reduce crowding on Line 1 (Yonge-University) by 15% and on Line 2 by over 20%.

Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Member of Parliament for Toronto-Danforth, emphasized the community benefits, noting, “Pape Station will become a crucial link for transit users, connecting the TTC’s Line 2 with a new route downtown. This interchange will make traveling within our city more comfortable and convenient.”

The Ontario Line will span 15.6 kilometers with 15 stations, extending from Exhibition Place through the downtown core to connect with the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. This will provide over 40 connections to existing transit services, bringing 227,500 more people within walking distance of transit and reducing daily car trips by at least 28,000.

Mayor Olivia Chow stressed the project’s importance for Toronto’s future, saying, “The future Pape Station, and the rest of the Ontario Line, will help connect more communities to rapid transit in our city. It will help more people access employment and local businesses, as well as commute to work or school. More public transit means more opportunities and less congestion.”

Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure, highlighted the economic and community benefits, stating, “We are building better and faster transit, and seizing this unique opportunity to create a vibrant, mixed-use community at the future Pape Station.”

Phil Verster, President and CEO of Metrolinx, noted the project’s potential to ease congestion and improve travel options, saying, “Breaking ground today on an Ontario Line connection at Pape Station marks progress toward bringing much-needed relief to the downtown transit network and unlocking more travel options for people across Toronto and the GTA.”

The Pape Station project is a significant step toward a more efficient and environmentally sustainable public transit system in Toronto. As the Ontario Line progresses, it promises to reshape the city’s transit landscape, fostering greater connectivity and supporting the growth and vitality of the GTA.