Toronto to get 'missing link' pedestrian tunnel connecting two transit stations
A long-planned pedestrian tunnel linking a pair of Toronto transit stations is finally moving forward after years of heel-dragging.
Bloor GO/UP Express Station and the TTC's Dundas West Station are positioned roughly 200 metres apart, but despite the proximity, there is no direct connection between the two stations, forcing pedestrians to take an eight-minute walk along city streets to transfer lines.
A tunnel connecting the two stations has been on the table for years, originally proposed and approved during the Bob Rae administration in the mid-1990s.
Following years of inaction, news on the new pedestrian connection finally arrived on Wednesday, when Ontario's Ministry of Transportation announced a new tunnel between the stations.
The Ontario government is making commuting easier and faster!
— Ontario Ministry of Transportation (@ONtransport) August 30, 2023
A contract has been awarded for the pedestrian tunnel extension between Bloor GO/UP Express Station and the TTC’s Dundas West Station, cutting pedestrian travel times from 8 minutes to 2 minutes. pic.twitter.com/PTfZ5McUh8
The Ministry of Transportation states that the tunnel will shave six minutes off of the current indirect connection, allowing pedestrians to transfer between the Line 2 - Bloor-Danforth subway and the GO Kitchener line/UP Express rail station to the east.
The announcement comes as welcome news to transit users, though some have questions about the logistics of linking stations that lack fare integration.
Architect and urban designer Paul Kulig quote-tweeted the Ministry's announcement, saying, "A crucial link between TTC, GO and UP Express stations that has been delayed for decades, now appears to be happening. Any word on fare integration to make it really work @ONtransport?"
The news comes as Metrolinx works to upgrade Bloor GO Station with a new entrance and add a new track on the Kitchener GO line, next to the West Toronto Railpath.
Another pedestrian tunnel serving the Bloor GO/UP Express station is already in the works, and will link the station with Randolph Avenue to the northeast. The two tunnels will work together to allow residents living east of the rail corridor to easily access the Line 2 subway station to the west.
