Ford government to rename Toronto's Relief Line to 'Ontario Line': report

Toronto’s Relief Line may soon have a new name.

According to a report by The Toronto Star, the Ford government plans on changing the line’s name to the ‘Ontario Line’.

The Premier also confirmed he will be making a $28.5 billion transit announcement this week.

See also

• Ford government changing Ontario's licence plate slogan to 'A Place to Grow'
• Ford government to legalize tailgating at sporting events in Ontario
• The first of Doug Ford's 'open for business' border signs unveiled

“We’re announcing a phenomenal, just outstanding transit plan on Wednesday. It’s going to be the largest infrastructure project in transit in North America,” Doug Ford said. “It’s going to be $28.5 billion that we’re looking to invest into Ontario to get people moving from Point A to Point B.”

Last week, the City of Toronto said it has spent $224 million on transit projects over the last few years, and some of these projects may need to change due to the Ford government.

And on April 9, the City’s Executive Committee approved a City of Toronto staff report recommending that $4.896 billion in federal funding be allocated to four key transit projects.

The projects include the Line 2 East Extension, the SmartTrack Stations Program, the Relief Line South, and Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvement.

According to the City, the Relief Line South is currently in preliminary design and engineering, and is a new eight-station subway connecting Line 2 at Pape Station to Line 1 at Queen Station and Osgoode Station.

It is a priority project for the City and TTC that is required by 2031 to alleviate Line 1 congestion. Procurement and construction is scheduled to begin in 2020, although it’s unclear how Ford’s new name, and potential subway upload, may affect this start dtae.

The report goes to Toronto City Council on April 16-17.

More to come on the new name as this is unveiled during Thursday’s 2019 budget.