Work is underway on a new bus terminal that will improve transit in York Region.
Politicians from all levels of government were on hand on Wednesday to mark the start of construction of a bus terminal at the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway station.
“We are literally building a brand new downtown city core, from scratch,” says Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca. “Transformational for this entire area.”
The $32 million station, set to finish at the end of the year, will connect commuters with Toronto’s York-University-Spadina subway extension, GO Transit, Brampton's Zoom Transit and York Region Transit/ Viva.
"The subway will be extended by the end of 2017 and when it opens we will have a brand new state-of-the-art bus terminal, connecting with underground pedestrian walkways," says Paul Jankowski, commissioner at YRT/ Viva.
Jankowski says Viva connections will link people in Newmarket and Aurora to the subway line.
The ground breaking ceremony comes just one day after Queen's Park handed YRT $15.3 million in provincial gas tax funding.
The money will be used to puta dent in their $200 million operating budget, which officials say will ultimately help keep fares down.
"Our tax rate continues to subsidize the delivery of YRT and Viva services. We're looking at making sure that we continue to deliver those at the lower cost possible for our riders."
When the new subway and bus terminal opens at the end of the year, riders can expect a significant change in bus routes, so YRT/ Viva can accommodate the expanded service.
