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Airport rail link gets fresh review
Study to look at wider range of transit options
Weston residents wary of GO's new assessment
Jun. 20, 2006. 05:17 AM
KEVIN MCGRAN
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
The controversial rail link between Union Station and Pearson airport — on life support now for more than a year — is getting a fresh review.
But it will take more than a year to know whether GO Transit officials will back the publicly funded private railway proposal or kill it by picking another rapid transit alternative in an environmental assessment process that is beginning all over again.
Weston residents — whose vociferous opposition to the rail link delayed the project — will get their say at how they think the environmental assessment ought to be run at a public meeting tomorrow night that will lay the groundwork for the study.
"This is a very controversial (issue)," said Imants Hausmanis, project manager for GO Transit. "We have to follow the process now. In July of next year, we should have a resolution."
Mike Sullivan, spokesman for the Weston Community Coalition, said his group has been "papering" the neighbourhood to raise awareness of the meeting. He said he's prepared to be openminded about the study but remains cynical because he's found it hard to get information.
"This new study is really weird," said Sullivan. "It's hard to pin them down on what they're studying and who for. The environmental assessment is proposing talks in terms of tradeoffs but doesn't say what these tradeoffs are."
Hausmanis said the study will have two prongs: One will look at expanding GO service to Georgetown on the existing CN Rail corridor. The other will examine a wider range of transit options to the airport than the old study, which simply looked at the impact of a Union-Pearson rail link. The possibilities include subway extension, a bus-only highway and widening Highway 427.
Hausmanis said if the study recommends anything outside of GO's jurisdiction — such as subway extension — the findings would be passed to the City of Toronto and the TTC.
The city is not directly involved, but Mayor David Miller said an airport subway would be too costly. "I think a rail link to Pearson is an essential part of the city's infrastructure. It's crazy you can't get to Pearson airport by train."
Miller said he'd prefer the rail link be operated by GO Transit using GO pricing but said the proposed privately run service — costing about $20 per ride — is "better to have that than nothing."
While GO quickly got environmental assessment approval for its other expansion projects, the Georgetown project was bogged down because the airport rail link — a spur line off the Georgetown corridor — was piggybacked on top of it.
The private rail link — dubbed Blue 22 — was to be owned by SNC Lavalin, operating trains every 20 minutes between Union Station and Pearson, with a stop at Dundas West subway station.
Weston residents didn't want loud, smelly trains operating in their backyard every 20 minutes. Some roads may have had to be closed, and the community divided as a result.
Miller proposed putting a stop in Weston, which would slow the trains and eliminate the need to close roads.
At the very least, expanding GO service to Georgetown is a priority, Hausmanis said. "We right now cannot meet the demand we have in that corridor."
Tomorrow's meeting begins at 6:30 p.m., at Faith Sanctuary Pentecostal Church, 1901 Jane St.