Revenue service has now completed succesfully on Line 6 (Finch West LRT)
Opening date announcement is imminent and will be decided by the TTC
https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1006632/ontario-completes-final-testing-on-finch-west-lrt
As part of the same press release, Ontario announces the opening of a new UP Express station at Mount Dennis (on Eglinton).
So people travelling to and from the airport will be able to use this station.
This will also be a new station for the GO train to/from Kitchener
https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1006632/ontario-completes-final-testing-on-finch-west-lrt
In other transit news
What was supposed to be a new GO train station to Kitchener on St-Clair - Old Weston is likely to be transformed to be for the UP Express instead.
This station was originally part of the old #smarttrack John Tory disaster plan.
Metrolinx says the reason for the change is that they promised 15-min service for this station and it would be impossible to achieve with GO trains.
This change to the St-Clair station is yet to be approved by Toronto but staff is recommending approval
You can read more about it here and submit your comments:
https://civicdashboard.ca/actions/item/2025.EX27.4
The reason why the city has a say in provincial transit is because the city paid for the capital cost of the station, in exchange for the province to commit to 15 minutes service, which the airport train has
But adding another station to the airport train is making the express service less and less express (!)
Buried in that city agenda item are small news about the Alto High Speed train project!
Alto, the federal government’s delivery agent for the Toronto-Quebec City High-Speed Rail Network, has requested that the City sign a confidentiality agreement to enable the exchange of data and sensitive information about the project. This report seeks authority for the Deputy City Manager to negotiate and execute a confidentiality agreement with Alto.
@scruss @jerome Alto won't be dealing with CN for Toronto. They would have to deal with CP to allow modern electrified tracks to pass through CP's 1950s freight yard after arriving from Peterborough and from then on, Alto has to find some way to connect to the Metrolinx tracks to Union station neither of which are onwed by CN.
Since Alto won't serve downtown Montréal (or Montréal for that matter), they won't have to deal with CN to find a way to get from downtown montréal to ottawa.
Good blog post from @SeanYYZ @seanyyz.bsky.social on the most recent developments of GO and UP express
https://seanmarshall.ca/2025/11/04/the-revenge-of-smarttrack/
Jérôme
Stewart Russell
Jean-Francois Mezei