Pearson Connects Hub

[TheAverageJoe]

http://www.torontopearson.com/uploadedFiles/Pearson/Content/About_Pearson/Economic_Impact/Regional_Growth/PearsonConnects_20160225.pdf

[Gil]

I've always thought they should have gone with this idea instead of the UPX at Malton GO.  The savings could have gone improving the frequency along the line.  A short people-mover train between Pearson and Malton and then build a regional hub for MiWay, Brampton, YRT, TTC and GO.  Have VIA stop at Malton and you have more connections.  The TTC could have extended the Finch West LRT to Malton.  No need to build a brand new station at Woodbine (or wherever they decide on building this Pearson Hub -- based on the map, around the Viscount LINK station), just upgrade the existing one.

The tradeoff for the International Centre who would likely lose parking (unless they decided to build a structure and then have the car rental agencies operate from there as well) would be the improved access to the facility.  Metrolinx/Toronto has already examined routing from Malton as part of Mayor Tory's SmartTrack northern connection to the Airport Corporate Centre.  Why not put that work to use and incorporate it here?

[Gil]

From today's Globe and Mail:

Toronto's Pearson airport unveils early concept for transit hub

OLIVER MOORE - URBAN TRANSPORTATION REPORTER

 

The Globe and Mail

Published Tuesday, Feb. 07, 2017 2:53PM EST

Last updated Tuesday, Feb. 07, 2017 4:41PM EST

 

Officials at Pearson airport have unveiled preliminary drawings for a new passenger facility, a development they hope will be a destination for future transit lines.

The pitch from the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), backed by politicians from the region, comes amid a growing sales job for a transit hub. Noting that the vast majority of people who use or work at the airport get there by automobile, advocates of this plan say that there needs to be fundamental shift to transit.

“Toronto Pearson is a world-class airport in every respect, and Southern Ontario is a diverse and dynamic region,” Howard Eng, president of the GTAA, said in a statement.

“Now is the time to ensure that better transit options are in place; otherwise we risk squandering the significant opportunities that are part and parcel of the exciting growth that the airport, the city and the region are experiencing.”

At the core of the proposal, which would be funded by the GTAA and has been estimated by them at $500-million,  is the notion that Pearson could become a centre for transit. Advocates call it a sort of Union Station for the western side of city – albeit one that would serve far fewer people.

The airport has historically given short shrift to transit – even now, the taxi rank is situated at the most convenient spot, while people taking the bus have to be walk a fair distance – but cannot continue to grow indefinitely while relying on automobile access.

With research showing that about 90 per cent of people drive to the airport, there is much room for growth if Pearson can be linked to a number of proposed transit projects.

It’s a bold pitch made more daring by the fact that transit plans for the region have been moving ahead. Although politicians have shown their willingness to change on the fly – a greater emphasis on GO rail transit by the province, for example, or Toronto Mayor John Tory’s acceptance of LRT instead of heavy rail on Eglinton – the broad strokes of the transit vision haven’t shifted too much in the past few years. But the GTAA is hoping to tweak the plans in new ways.

As envisioned, a transit hub would involve changing the Finch LRT, which is in its very early stages, from its current terminus at Humber College, extending it instead to the airport. It also requires that the proposed Eglinton LRT be built to run to the airport. This has been proposed but would require a substantial contribution by the city of Mississauga, which has balked. And it assumes the so-called “last-mile problem” – getting people from transit to their destination in a broad geographic area – can be solved.

According to the airport authority, the plan for this new facility would involve a new and larger passenger-processing terminal where travellers will be able to check in for flights and clear security. The plan calls as well for new mixed-use commercial space, with room for retail, office space and hotels.