Public consultations will begin this week on concepts and key elements of Toronto’s SmartTrack plan.
City officials will be seeking feedback on the potential impact of new stations and corridor routes, as well as giving the public a review of the project’s progress.
“We want to hear where exactly the stations should be, how they should look, what’s best for the neighbourhoods,” Mayor John Tory told reporters during a press conference Tuesday morning. “Including those compatibility issues that arise on things like safety and other considerations.”
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The scale of SmartTrack has shrunken from what was first proposed by Mayor Tory during the 2014 municipal election. It now consists of six new stations added to the province’s Regional Express Rail (RER) network. The western-most portion is an LRT extension of the Eglinton Crosstown.
The new stations are planned for the Stouffville/Lakeshore East and Kitchener corridors and two new GO stations are planned for the Barrie corridor.
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The province has committed $3.7 billion to upgrade RER, while the cost of the new stations, including the Eglinton West LRT, is estimated to cost the city $2 billion.
The federal government will fork over $1.2 billion in assumed contributions, as well as from Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority with $470 million.
The dates and times of the public meetings are as follows:
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10
Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough Drive
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Presentation begins at 7:00 pm
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11
Riverdale Collegiate Institute, 1094 Gerrard Street East
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Presentation begins at 7:00 pm
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12
Bloor Street Collegiate Institute, 1141 Bloor Street West
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Presentation begins at 7:00 pm