'Missing link' tunnel will soon connect two Toronto transit stations
Toronto's forthcoming underground pedestrian tunnel extension, which will one day connect Bloor GO/UP Station to the TTC's Dundas West Station, is inching closer to reality.
Metrolinx provided a much-needed update on the project this week, which was first approved back in the mid-1990s but remained unbuilt until 2024, when the transit agency finally started construction on the 270-metre-long pedestrian tunnel as part of the larger Kitchener Fourth Track and Go Expansion projects.
New photos show the pavilion and tunnel connecting Bloor GO/UP Station to Randolph Avenue on the east side of the tracks, with a future elevator now also clearly visible.
The project scope involves extending the existing south side pedestrian tunnel at Bloor GO/UP Station, building a new TTC concourse in the lower level of The Crossways building with elevator access to the platform level, and installing two elevators and a stairwell connecting the existing Bloor GO/UP tunnel and the new TTC concourse.
Currently, commuters are required to make the often frustrating above-ground transfer between the two stations, which can take up to eight minutes or longer, factoring in traffic, bad weather, or luggage, for those travelling to and from Pearson Airport via the UP Express.
However, once the accessible, underground tunnel is complete, a connection between the key transit hubs will take just two minutes, and cut down the distance between two stations from 500 metres to 100 metres.
Metrolinx says the barrier-free tunnel, which will also be equipped with elevators, will help airport passengers and commuters with mobility challenges transfer more easily between GO/UP and the TTC.
Currently, it's estimated that approximately 600 transfers occur between Bloor GO/UP Station and Dundas West Station every day, but with more land development on the horizon, that number is expected to increase to 1,600 by 2041.
Metrolinx
