TORONTO, CANADA – Today the Province of Ontario outlined its transit priorities for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), highlighting its commitment to an extension of the Eglinton Crosstown to Renforth and to establishing a connection to Toronto Pearson. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) applauds the Province’s announcement on the Eglinton Crosstown as an important step forward in improving access to Toronto Pearson, benefiting GTA residents, workers in the Airport Employment Zone and businesses across Ontario.
The GTAA is working toward its vision for a major transit hub at Toronto Pearson, integrated with a future air passenger facility, which will improve access to the Airport Employment Zone, the second largest cluster of jobs in Canada. While there are close to 300,000 people working in this major economic area, which sees nearly one million car trips per day, the region remains drastically under-served by transit.
Today, Toronto Pearson employs approximately 50,000 people and serves almost 50 million passengers annually. By 2037, it expects to see about 85 million passengers per year, yet it still lags behind other top tier global airports in terms of transit use by its passengers and employees.
“Mounting road congestion in the airport area means that tourists, business people, airport area workers and residents of Ontario are getting stuck on our highways. High-priority cargo is also at risk of being delayed on its way to or from the airport,” said Howard Eng, President & CEO, GTAA. “A connection of the Eglinton Crosstown West to Toronto Pearson will be a major step forward in supporting job growth and the competitiveness of our region.”
The GTAA is currently working with external consultants to develop the design concept of the facility and with Metrolinx to explore potential transit connections. It is also engaging with stakeholders in surrounding municipalities and local businesses and residents about its vision for major transit hub at Toronto Pearson.
Learn more about Toronto Pearson’s transit vision.
About the Greater Toronto Airports Authority
About the Greater Toronto Airports Authority The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) is the operator of Toronto Pearson International Airport. The GTAA’s vision is to make Toronto Pearson the best airport in the world. Towards this objective, the GTAA focuses on ensuring the safety and security of passengers and airport employees, enhancing the passenger experience and supporting the success of its airline partners. Toronto Pearson served more than 47 million passengers in 2017, making it Canada’s largest airport and the second-busiest North American international airport.
The area around Toronto Pearson is the second-largest employment zone in Canada. The airport facilitates 6.3% per cent of Ontario’s GDP, directly employs 49,000 people and facilitates more than 330,000 jobs throughout the province of Ontario. Toronto Pearson believes that being a good neighbour means growing together with the communities it serves. To this end, the airport invests in social good and community-building initiatives through its community investment program, The Propeller Project.