The Ford government will add a fifth station to the Yonge North subway extension after earlier cutting the project amid rising costs.
Prime Minister Doug Ford announced Wednesday that his government will add a new station on Royal Orchard Boulevard in Thornhill to the planned eight-kilometer route, funding its construction with revenue from the development of two new transit communities at the future Richmond Hill station. Bridge and High Tech stations).
In a statement, the government said it would use the zoning ministers’ order to bypass parts of the local development approval process and “cut unnecessary bureaucracy”.
But some members of the community have expressed concern that developments will lead to overcrowding on Richmond Hill, including a group of protesters attending Wednesday’s press conference.
“I would say that all politicians should follow existing plans that have been in place for years and that have been negotiated with local people living in communities,” resident Barry Nelson told CP24. “They are very clear about what the locals want, but they (politicians) do not vote on a local basis; they vote in line with the developers. “
The change in the scope of the subway extension comes a year after the Ford government cut two stations off the route and moved part of the line above the ground after determining that its original plan would increase the price from $ 5.6 billion to $ 9.3 billion. billion dollars.
The route will still run from Finch Station north of Highway 7 in Richmond Hill.
“It’s an investment that will bring new transit, new connectivity and new opportunities for the great people who live in the York region, and better transit connectivity means that this community will continue to be served as it grows,” Ford said at the time. at a press conference in Thornhill.
The new station will be located at the intersection of Royal Orchard and Yonge Street in Thornhill.
Metrolinx said in an analysis completed last year that the station would be within walking distance (10 minutes or less) of approximately 7,300 people by 2041, as well as approximately 1,300 jobs.
It says the station’s presence will eventually add 1,075 new riders each day to the subway’s expansion.
However, the agency estimates that the station will cost $ 283 million and provide only about 36 cents in benefits for every dollar spent on the project. That’s about 60 cents on the one-dollar advantage for the other “neighborhood” station on Clark Avenue in Thornhill.
On Wednesday, Ford was asked if a series of recent reports of funding from his government were essentially a campaign against taxpayers’ money, but he rejected the proposal.
“We started immediately,” he said of work on the Yonge North subway extension. “As soon as we took office, we drew up a transit plan, the largest infrastructure transit plan in North America, and we started absolutely immediately. Everything takes a little time. But at least we can do it. “
Markham Mayor Frank Scarpity has repeatedly called for the inclusion of a fifth station on Royal Orchard Boulevard.
Construction of the subway extension is expected to begin in late 2023. The government says the project could be completed in 2030.
Add Comment