The province is moving forward with a plan to better integrate three transit agencies by redeveloping Kipling Station into a major transit hub.
According to Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca, the province invited pre-qualified bidders to participate in a request for proposals (RFP) to design, build and finance the Kipling bus terminal.
“The project involves redevelopment of the site that includes the Kipling GO station and the TTC Kipling subway station,” said Del Duca at a press conference Monday outside of Kipling Station. “This project will integrate the subway, GO regional rail and local regional bus services.”
Del Duca went on to say the initiative is expected to provide more “seamless” travel for customers passing through Kipling Station via GO trains and buses, TTC and Mississauga’s MiWay services.
The upgrades are expected to allow increased GO rail service on the Milton GO corridor and support the province’s GO Regional Express Rail (RER) project.
“It will increase the number of weekly trips over the network from about 1500 to nearly 6000 over the next few years,” Del Duca said.
An elevated pedestrian bridge, pedestrian underground tunnel, new entrance, and renovations to the existing Kipling GO station building are large parts of the development along with a new bus terminal building for MiWay and GO Transit.
RFP’s are being issued by Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario to three bidders who were determined in November with the winning bidder expected to be announced in the fall.
The project should see the bulk of the work including the electrification of core segments of the network by 2024.
The province’s announcement comes hours after Toronto Mayor John Tory, at his own presser at Bloor-Yonge station, asked the provincial government to step up efforts to help fund the city’s downtown Relief Line.
Tory said he is still waiting on funding news from Ontario claiming the city cannot move forward with any new transit expansion projects without provincial help.
“It’s a project that still is 11 or 12 years away, so that means that the more we can be definitive about having the financing in place so that we know for sure it’s proceeding,” said Tory, “with three partners on board, the faster we can get it up and running.”
When asked by reporters about Tory’s earlier comments, Del Duca said he was not interested in getting into a “war of words” with the mayor, and asserted that the province was working collaboratively on the relief line, through a $150 million contribution to Metrolinx and the TTC for related projects.
READ MORE: Ontario announces $150M for planning, design of proposed subway Downtown Relief Line
“What I would say in response to the mayor and everyone that’s here today, is that there is no other provincial government in history that has invested more and is investing currently more in public transit in the city of Toronto and in communities that ring Toronto than our government under the leadership of the Premier.”
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