Bloor-Yonge Station to undergo major makeover thanks to $500 million in federal funding

A major transit funding announcement on Monday includes a Bloor-Yonge Station Capacity Improvement Project and a SmartTrack project, according to the federal government.

The two significant transit projects will be getting over $1 billion in funding from the Government of Canada.

The first project will invest in capacity improvements to Bloor-Yonge Station, the busiest subway station in the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) network, according to the government. The station sees more than 200,000 passengers on an average weekday.

It is also one of the stations that experiences severe overcrowding throughout the year.

As part of the improvement, public transit riders will benefit from improved passenger safety and capacity through the construction of an additional platform at Line 2 Yonge Station, modifications to the passenger platform at Line 1 Bloor Station, as well as the construction of a new electrical substation.

The other project is the SmartTrack Stations Program, which includes the construction of six new stations on the Stouffville, Lakeshore East, and Kitchener GO rail corridors.

Government of Canada

As per the morning announcement, this project will “leverage existing rail infrastructure in Toronto and the province’s GO Rail Expansion program to increase local service and expand transit options for commuters travelling in and out of the City of Toronto.”

Mayor John Tory said it’s more important than ever that all three levels of government work together to support transit.

“Today’s announcement by the federal government of investments in SmartTrack and the Bloor-Yonge Station Improvement Program is an important step in bringing these two critical pieces of Toronto’s transit network to fruition,” said Tory.

TTC Chair Jaye Robinson said that the Bloor-Yonge project will accommodate long-term growth.

“We are investing in two priority infrastructure projects to deliver better transit service for the residents of Toronto. The Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvement project is critical to accommodate long-term TTC ridership growth on Line 1 Yonge-University and Line 2 Bloor-Danforth,” Robinson said. “This station expansion will improve capacity at one of the busiest transfer points in North America.”

The six approved SmartTrack stations approved by the city are: St. Clair-Old Weston, King-Liberty, East Harbour, Gerrard-Carlaw, Lawrence-Kennedy, and Finch Kennedy.