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Province on track to build Pearson airport rail link

July 11, 2013, Toronto - The province is on track to begin construction of a new express station linking train service to Pearson International Airport, Ontario's transport minister said Thursday.


July 11, 2013  By The Canadian Press

Glen Murray says work will begin next month on the Union Pearson Express station at downtown Toronto's busy Union Station.

The express link between Union Station and Pearson International Airport is expected to cut the travelling time to about 25 minutes, with trains departing every 15 minutes.

"It actually connects two of our airports,'' said Murray. "Billy Bishop (Toronto City Airport), which runs a shuttle service out of here, and with Pearson, which will connect our central business district and our busiest transportation hub.''

He says the station will link train service to and from the airports in time for the 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games.

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"It will give Ontario and Toronto a connectivity and level of quality of train service that will exceed those of any other major city in the world,'' said Murray.

It will also be integrated with GO Transit, Toronto Transit Commission and Via Rail services already connected to Union Station.

According to Murray, the new line is expected to remove an estimated 1.2 million car trips from Ontario roads in its first year of operation.

The government says the project will create or support more than 1,200 jobs.

Murray also touted his government's commitment to transportation in Toronto, pointing out that the project was 100 per cent publicly funded.

"We need to get all parts of the GTA region connected. Too many parts of the region waited 20, 30 or 40 years while everyone talked about transit, and some people still just want to talk about transit,'' said Murray. "We will continue to put our money where our mouth is.''

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