The upcoming Ontario Line is shutting down the city to bring an incredible new transit system to Toronto. As of May 1, construction on Queen Street will commence, closing down a portion of the corridor to make advancements to the new Ontario Line's Queen Station.
The new Queen Street Station, expected to be completed in 2024, is also poised to be the line's busiest – seeing an estimated 17,000 people during rush hour and connecting to 150,000 jobs in the area. It will also provide travellers to easily transfer between Line 1 Subway, TTC bus routes and the new Ontario Line. Completing this station is crucial to the growth of the downtown core, as many upcoming projects, including pre-construction condos, are coming to this area. Providing efficient travel will also help accommodate the anticipated demand and move more people to jobs faster than before.
Additionally, these new transit lines and connections will relieve the growing population expected to live near these corridors in the coming years. Investors can take advantage of pre-construction condos now near these transit lines so that by the time the condominium is ready for occupancy, their investment will have already significantly increased in value.
Once completed, the new Ontario Line will provide major benefits to the city and economy by reducing crowding on the existing Line 1 - Yonge-University and Line 2 Bloor-Danforth. It will also take 28,000 cars off the road each day and put more than 227,500 people within a short distance of rapid transit. Plus, Ontario is investing $70.5 billion over the next decade to transform public transit within the province. The Ontario Line alone will support 4,700 jobs annually during construction over the next decade, reduce commute times, and connect more people to housing across the Greater Golden Horseshoe and beyond.
The Ontario Line will be a 15.6-kilometre subway line with 15 new stations, making it faster and easier to travel within Toronto and beyond. Starting at the Exhibition Place in west downtown, it will stretch to the Ontario Science Centre located in East York. Riders can take the entire route in 30 minutes, a big difference compared to the 70 minutes it takes on today's current transit. The line will pass through high-density communities such as Flemingdon Park, Thorncliffe Park, Liberty Village and Fort York. There will also be significant relief from crowding throughout the existing transit network thanks to connections to more than 40 other travel options, including the TTC's Line 1 and 2, three GO Transit rail lines, and the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. In addition, high-traffic stations such as the Queen Station will allow the Ontario Line to accommodate nearly 400,000 daily trips while reducing crowding on the TTC's busy Line 1 by up to 15%.
The Ontario Line and other planned transit infrastructure add greater value to real estate as there is a high demand to live near transit corridors. The federal government will work with provincial and municipal governments and transit and policy stakeholders to develop yearly investments in new public transit projects. This includes new light rail transit lines, subway extensions and better connections to Subway Stations and GO Trains. The upcoming Queen Station will provide countless new opportunities for investors and those looking to live in the thriving area surrounding the station.
As of earlier this month, Vehicle access on Queen Street from Bay Street to Yonge Street and from Yonge Street to Victoria Street will be closed to make significant advancements for the future Queen Station. This closure will remain for an estimated four and a half years to help expedite the construction of the new line. The Ontario Line, which began construction last March, is expected to be completed by 2031.
Metrolinx and the City have devised a plan to keep the TTC running around the infrastructure so that travellers can continue moving during construction. A permanent detour route for the TTC's 501 will run along Adelaide and Richmond streets, connecting VIA York Street and Church Street. The TTC will also introduce additional bus service in this section of the downtown core, which will run westbound on Richmond Street and eastbound on King Street via Bay Street and Church Street.
Closing this section of Queen Street to vehicle traffic will speed up the project's construction by approximately a year compared to a phased closure approach. While this may cause heavier traffic, it will ultimately help more people get around the city faster and cause less disruption to the community. It will also add further value to the surrounding real estate as the area will significantly increase in demand.
