Toronto's 'Transit City' Underway

"Toronto's $6-billion plans to spread light-rail rapid transit lines across its inner suburbs are going ahead, the city's transit agency said yesterday, despite no word on funding from the federal government.

[The Provincial government of Ontario] has already promised to cover about $4-billion of the cost of the 120 kilometres in proposed transit lines, with about $2-billion hoped for from [the Federal government in] Ottawa. But so far, the Conservatives have not pledged to write a cheque, although it has approved funding to extend the Spadina subway and for other, smaller transit projects in the region.

Toronto Transit Commission officials told a commission meeting yesterday that preliminary engineering studies on three priority lines - Sheppard East, Eglinton and Etobicoke-Finch West - were already complete, and the required environmental studies were either under way or scheduled for this spring. Even without federal funding, Mayor David Miller and transit officials say work will start with just provincial money flowing."