York Rapid Transit

York, ON

The purpose of the YRTP project is to complete planning and project development, and to implement and operate a rapid transit system within York Region. York Region, immediately north of Toronto, has a population of over 800,000, employment of over 400,000 and is one of the fastest growing major jurisdictions in North America, adding over 100,000 jobs in the last five years alone.

This project is unique in that it is a public private partnership that was begun during the planning phase (rather than after preliminary engineering is completed) to accelerate implementation and take advantage of early involvement by operators, engineers, architects, constructors, and financial advisors. The project staff, consisting of the public and private sector partners, works together as an integrated team in a joint project office to facilitate teamwork and efficiency.

In its first year of operation, the team has completed more than 25 significant milestones, including obtaining $100 million in senior government funding for the implementation of a Quick Start program in the Region’s designated rapid transit corridors, similar to the highly successful Los Angeles LACMTA Metro Rapid Bus and Vancouver TransLink’s Richmond 98B BRT route. The goals of Quick Start are to show benefits of the program as soon as possible, to begin building rapid transit markets and influencing development, and to reserve critical vital right of ways, particularly around stations and intermodal terminals. Other major accomplishments include a business plan, financial model, joint development process, RFQ for vehicle procurement, Quick Start technology selection and engineering reports, and a comprehensive communication and stakeholder relations program.

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