Strategy #2: Connect the Region

Overview

Over the next 25 years the Draft Plan calls for historic levels of transit investment, delivering more — and more frequent — transit service across the region. It will cross regional borders more simply and efficiently. Rapid transit every 15 minutes, priority bus corridors, new light rail and a 24-hour Bus Network on key routes will cater to the increased demand of an economy that doesn’t end at 5 pm. This level of integrated planning and investment will result in new employment opportunities, new services and better access to public institutions such as schools, libraries and hospitals. It’s a vision of a fully-connected region that offers plenty of options — so that you can travel where and when you want, and not be tied to a rigid timetable.

The Draft Plan looks to a number of solutions to address each of the transportation challenges that we’re facing — the right solution for each community, but connected together as a network. These include options such as:

• Light Rail Transit
  Light rail vehicles that are fully separated from traffic.
• Bus Rapid Transit
  Bus transit service running fully or partially in special lanes for better reliability and at higher than average speeds.
• ​​​​​​Priority Bus Service
  Bus services running quickly and reliably in HOV lanes using innovative technologies and design features such as “queue jump lanes”, signal priority at intersections, special lanes, all-door boarding and wider spacing between stops.
• Frequent Express Bus
  Frequent service consisting of buses running along highways that typically connecting two or more significant destinations separated by longer distances than would normally be travelled on a conventional transit route.
• Regional Express Rail
  Transforming GO rail into a frequent all-day, two-way electrified service.