Tess Kalinowski, Transportation reporter
Published: December 14, 2007, Toronto Star

Commuters likely won't see change for 2 years
$500M from province earmarked for GO, TTC

It's a win for Toronto and the province's new transportation planning agency, Metrolinx.

But it will be at least two years before commuters packing the TTC and GO Transit get more elbow room as a result of the $500 million transit funding announced by Queen's Park yesterday.

Still, that's quick in transit terms, said Rob MacIsaac, chair of Metrolinx, formerly known as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority.

"Within a couple of years, I would expect you would see all-day, two-way service on the (GO) Newmarket corridor, and you would see increased numbers of rush-hour trains on the Lakeshore corridor," he said.

The fall economic statement by Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan didn't specify which projects would be funded, but they will include some of the maintenance and expansion recommended by Metrolinx this year.

Among them is a new signal system for the TTC's Yonge subway. The improved system is considered a prerequisite to expanding the line into York Region as the province has promised.

"Metrolinx's board looked at both expansion needs and state of good repair as priorities. I think it's great that both sides of that ledger were considered in today's announcement," said MacIsaac.

Smiling Toronto Mayor David Miller thanked Queen's Park.

"This money won't be good just for Toronto. It will be good for Ottawa, it will be good for Hamilton, it will be good for all the cities that have significant transit systems," he told reporters.

It will alleviate a projected capital shortfall at the TTC, said commission chair Adam Giambrone.

"We couldn't afford the improvements that were coming down in the next five years," he said, adding that Toronto still hopes the province will come up with more TTC operating dollars.

A GO Transit report released today shows that all but one of its train lines is operating over capacity during the peak morning rush. The busiest, Lakeshore West, is at 150 per cent capacity; it can be hard to find standing room. Even parking lots are overloaded by 8 a.m.

"In many cases, peak and off-peak users cannot access GO service," says the report. "Once they encounter a crowded parking lot, they elect to drive and usually do not try the GO service again. In either event, the rate of ridership growth is negatively affected."

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