WITS END - JO LEE Magazine

FEATURE
ON THE
By
Gary McNeil
Toronto, Canada
IN TORONTO
Forty years ago, the
Province of Ontario,
Canada decided that a railbased
public transportation
system was required as an
alternative to continued
freeway expansion in the
Greater Toronto Area
{GTA}.
On May 23, 1967, GO
Transit train launched its
service from Oakville to
Pickering, along the shores
of Lake Ontario.
In its first year, GO carried
over 2 million customers.
Today, GO carries over 48
million customers on
multiple rail corridors into
Toronto’s downtown, as
well as an extensive
commuter bus service, over
its 8,000 square-kilometre
service area.
As the GTA grew by nearly
100,000 new residents each
year, some freeways
continued to be built and/or
expanded. However, GO
did shape the way
downtown Toronto grew
OGOGOGOGOGO
a n d s i g n i f i c a n t l y
influenced people’s travel
options to/from work in the
city core.
A s s h o w n i n t h e
photographs, in the late
1960s, Toronto was a city
that had not yet become a
Canadian financial centre.
By 2000, the city centre
was completely reshaped
a n d i n t e n s i f i e d .
Employment within the
nucleus doubled during
that time period, yet
automobile trips into the
core remained the same,
e v e n t h o u g h m o s t
residential growth occurred
in the regional suburbs
around Toronto.
Likewise, Toronto Transit
C o m m i s s i o n { T T C }
passenger trips into/out of
the heart of the city did not
grow. Yet the number of
GO customers grew to over
100,000 per day. GO
responded to the growing
needs of the families
located in the suburbs by
adding more service. If
GO had not been created,
downtown Toronto would
have required 48 more
freeway lanes to meet its
c o m m u t i n g n e e d s .
Realistically, the city
would not have grown with
such a vibrant downtown,
as businesses would have
chosen other places to
locate where transportation
for their employees would
be available.
The future of downtown
continues to reside with
GO as subway expansion
and road expansion is
nearly impossible, because
of ‘building costs’ to both
the city fabric and to taxes.
GO can grow and is
growing. All three levels
of government {federal,
provincial and municipal}
are supporting our capital
plans, albeit with the usual
bumps and turmoils that
can be imagined when
nearly $2 billion has been
allocated over 8 years.
New tracks are being
added. New equipment is
on order. Parking lots are
being expanded. And the
1920s train signal system
at Union Station is being
replaced, along with the
trainshed roof.
opposite: Since 1999, Gary McNeil has been the Managing Director and CEO of GO Transit, the Toronto, Canada phenomenon.
www.gotransit.com
54 JO LEE SUMMER 2007