Vaughan Creates New Task Force to Promote Yonge Subway Extension
Vaughan Council has approved the establishment of a new task force to promote the Yonge Subway Extension which would extend the subway from Finch Station to the City of Vaughan and the Town of Richmond Hill.
“The City of Vaughan recognizes the tremendous role the Yonge Subway Extension would play in providing viable public transit options for residents and visitors across the Greater Toronto Area,” said Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua. “This extension is a critical link in our transportation network, and I look forward to working on this task force with my counterparts in Toronto and York Region in order to bring this project one step closer to reality.”
The Yonge Subway Extension would extend the Yonge subway 6.8 kilometres north from Finch Station to the City of Vaughan, ending at the Richmond Hill Centre Terminal at Highway 7 and Langstaff Road. It would include up to six new stations. An Environmental Assessment for the extension was completed in 2009. The project is a joint partnership between the Region of York, York Region Rapid Transit Corporation, City of Toronto and Toronto Transit Commission.
The newly-established Vaughan task force will develop a strategy to secure funding needed to complete the subway extension. Council members from Toronto, Markham and Richmond Hill, and members of the business community will be invited to join the task force. A funding strategy is expected to be presented to Vaughan Council for approval in 2012.
“The extension of the Yonge subway to Richmond Hill is an urgently needed link in the GTA transportation system,” said Ward 5 Councillor Alan Shefman, who presented the resolution to create the task force to Council. “The time to build this project is now. With significant intensification taking place within this corridor and in light of what is planned, we have no alternative but rapid transit. This task force is designed to establish a cooperative approach to solving a difficult problem: the funding for a critical infrastructure project.”
The Yonge Subway Extension would extend the Yonge subway 6.8 kilometres north from Finch Station to the City of Vaughan, ending at the Richmond Hill Centre Terminal at Highway 7 and Langstaff Road. It would include up to six new stations. An Environmental Assessment for the extension was completed in 2009. The project is a joint partnership between the Region of York, York Region Rapid Transit Corporation, City of Toronto and Toronto Transit Commission.
The newly-established Vaughan task force will develop a strategy to secure funding needed to complete the subway extension. Council members from Toronto, Markham and Richmond Hill, and members of the business community will be invited to join the task force. A funding strategy is expected to be presented to Vaughan Council for approval in 2012.
“The extension of the Yonge subway to Richmond Hill is an urgently needed link in the GTA transportation system,” said Ward 5 Councillor Alan Shefman, who presented the resolution to create the task force to Council. “The time to build this project is now. With significant intensification taking place within this corridor and in light of what is planned, we have no alternative but rapid transit. This task force is designed to establish a cooperative approach to solving a difficult problem: the funding for a critical infrastructure project.”