Re-imagining the Golden Mile: New Transit Connections

Located along Eglinton Avenue East, the Golden Mile today is a mix of big box stores, strip malls and large parking lots, with mostly walk-up apartments and single-family homes in the surrounding areas. But there are big changes on the horizon with billions in public and private investments like the Eglinton Crosstown LRT promising to transform the area. These investments will turn the Golden Mile into a new type of “downtown Scarborough” that will have ripple effects on the neighbourhoods in the surrounding area of the Greater Golden Mile.

In this first post of a three-part series, we take a look at three major transit projects and how they will connect the Golden Mile and surrounding neighbourhoods to the rest of the city. To learn more about how United Way Greater Toronto, BMO and other private, public and community partners are working together to reduce gaps in economic prosperity in the Golden Mile, check out the Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity Initiative (ILEO)

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is expected to open in late 2022 as part of Toronto’s largest transit expansion in 25 years. The Crosstown will complement the 34 Eglinton Bus and will bring with it 10 stops through the Ionview, Victoria Village, Kennedy Park, Eglinton East and Flemingdon Park neighbourhoods. Residents will be able to cross the city much faster using the new 19-km route. For instance, the Eglinton Crosstown will cut down travel times between Kennedy and Eglinton subway stations from 40 minutes to just 26 minutes. It will also provide residents with direct connections to TTC subway Lines 1, 2 and 3, as well the GO train network at Kennedy. Locally, residents will have easier access to Eglinton Square Mall and the Ontario Science Centre.

As seen below, Metrolinx has been testing light rail vehicles along Eglinton Avenue East for the past few months in preparation for the public opening of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

Opening in 2030, the Ontario Line, a 15.6-kilometre, 15-stop subway line, will run from the Ontario Science Centre to Exhibition Place through downtown Toronto. The trip will take only 30 minutes, compared to the 70 minutes it takes today.

There will also be easy access to the Ontario Line via the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. Metrolinx is currently doing consultations in nearby neighbourhoods, including Flemingdon Park. You can find out about upcoming consultations by checking Metrolinx’s schedule of public meetings here.

The Scarborough Subway Line Extension will extend Subway Line 2 from Kennedy Station to Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road. This three-stop 7.8-kilometre subway extension will replace the current Scarborough RT and make it easier to travel both within Scarborough and to the downtown core. Construction for the Scarborough Subway Extension broke ground in Summer 2021 and is expected to be complete in 2030.

Together, the Eglinton Crosstown, the Ontario Line, and the Scarborough Subway Extension will fully connect the Greater Golden Mile area to the rest of the city, including downtown Toronto. This transit expansion is already spurring real estate redevelopment in the broader neighbourhood, with 13 development applications currently underway. You can find out more next week, in part 2 of this series.

The Golden Mile is a commercial district in Scarborough on the east side of Toronto and is one of Canada’s first model industrial parks. The Greater Golden Mile is comprised of neighbourhoods near the Golden Mile district that are the focus of investment as neighbourhood improvement areas. These include Victoria Village, Ionview, Flemingdon Park, Eglinton-East, and Kennedy Park.

The Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity (ILEO) Initiative brings together the private, public, and community sectors to find innovative ways to reduce gaps in economic prosperity at the neighbourhood level. ILEO is convened by United Way Greater Toronto and BMO. Click here to learn more.