What to know
- Toronto’s waterfront East LRT is moving forward after $3 billion in funding was secured from federal, provincial, and city governments.
- The city-led line, in partnership with the TTC, will connect Union Station to the rapidly developing Port Lands.
- A new dedicated route along Queens Quay East, Cherry Street, and Commissioners Street will serve up to 150,000 people, with daily ridership expected to reach 50,000.
- The funding is part of a broader $8.8 billion, 10-year infrastructure plan, including affordable housing and potential GO Transit expansions.
Toronto’s long-anticipated Waterfront East LRT is a step closer to reality, following the securing of funding through a three-way partnership between federal, provincial, and municipal governments.
The agreement was announced Monday at a joint news conference featuring Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier Doug Ford, and Mayor Olivia Chow.
The project is expected to cost approximately $3 billion, with each level of government contributing one-third of the total. Unlike many recent transit expansions led by Metrolinx, the Waterfront East LRT will be delivered as a city-run project in partnership with the TTC.
The line will connect Union Station to the rapidly developing Port Lands in Toronto’s east end. According to the City of Toronto, the route will include a dedicated surface right-of-way along Queens Quay East to Cherry Street, continuing south along Cherry Street and Commissioners Street to the new waterfront island, Ookwemin Minising.
“This is the critical missing piece needed to unlock the eastern waterfront,” Chow said.
The city estimates the line will serve up to 150,000 residents and workers, with daily ridership projected at 50,000 once the Port Lands are fully built out.
The project has spent years in the design phase awaiting funding; with this agreement in place, it is now significantly closer to construction.
As part of the broader announcement, all three levels of government also committed to a cost-shared $8.8 billion infrastructure fund over 10 years, aimed in part at supporting affordable housing.
Funding will prioritize municipalities that reduce and sustain lower development charges, which can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of new homes.
Additionally, the provincial and federal governments signaled plans to explore expanding GO Transit service across the Greater Golden Horseshoe, including the potential development of new lines.
