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Mississauga Transitway

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Mississauga Transitway
Central Parkway station, 2021
Central Parkway station, 2021
Overview
LocaleMississauga, Ontario, Canada
Transit typeBus rapid transit
Number of stations12
Operation
Began operationNovember 17, 2014 –
November 22, 2017
Operator(s)MiWay
GO Transit
Technical
System length18 km (11 mi)
System map

Map
Renforth
Orbitor
Spectrum
Etobicoke Creek
 Etobicoke Creek
Tahoe
Dixie
Little Etobicoke Creek
 Tomken
Cawthra
Central Parkway
Hurontario LRT
City Centre
Square One
(Future)
Credit River
Bus bypass shoulders
 
Ontario 403 crown.svg Highway 403
 Erin Mills
Winston Churchill
This diagram:
Etobicoke Creek Station bus driveway
Mississauga Transitway running alongside Eastgate Parkway

The Mississauga Transitway is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It comprises a series of purpose-constructed bus-only roadways, as well as reserved lanes on existing city streets and portions of Highway 403, that together form a continuous 18 km (11 mi) route spanning most of the city from Winston Churchill Boulevard in the west to the junction of Highways 401 and 427 in the east on the border with Toronto. Service on the Transitway is provided by MiWay and GO Transit, with some stations providing connections to Brampton Transit and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus services.

History

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Originally proposed in the 1970s, the Mississauga Transit plan has evolved over time. At least eighteen studies were made between 1970 and 1992. In the 1990s, a serious proposal intended to build a "transitway" from Ridgeway Drive at the very western edge of the city;[1] this was eventually revised to its current state, with construction beginning in November 2010.[2][3] To save money, the stations at Ridgeway Drive, Creditview Road, Mavis Road, and Hurontario Street were dropped, as well as a portion of the proposed busway was replaced with existing roads between Erin Mills and Hurontario.[4]

The first stretch of the present Transitway opened between Hurontario Street and Dixie Road on November 17, 2014.[5] Other remaining sections faced delays, and were open in stages until the eastern terminus, Renforth, was opened on November 22, 2017.[6][7] There were plans to eventually extend Transitway service to a new regional bus terminal at the Kipling subway station in southern Etobicoke,[8] which came to fruition with the opening of the Kipling Bus Terminal on January 4, 2021.[9][10]

Design and operation

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The Mississauga Transitway consists of two busways and bus-priority lanes. The western busway segment parallels Highway 403 from the western terminus at Winston Churchill Boulevard to Erin Mills Parkway. From there, buses use dedicated shoulder lanes on Highway 403 and Centre View Drive to reach MiWay's City Centre Transit Terminal on Rathburn Road. The longer eastern busway begins east of Hurontario Street, paralleling Highway 403 to Cawthra Road and then following Eastgate Parkway on its north and west side to Eglinton Avenue, and Eglinton on its north side to the eastern terminus at Renforth Drive at the boundary with Toronto.

Bus services along the Mississauga Transitway operate similarly to that of the Ottawa Transitway network, using a mixture of express and local routes that call at intermediate stations constructed along the route. Because the Transitway does not directly connect to any major transit hubs other than the City Centre Terminal, all routes that use the Transitway travel in mixed traffic to reach other outlying termini such as Kipling subway station.

The Transitway is shared by MiWay standard and articulated buses for intra-city travel, along with GO Transit-operated highway coaches and double-decker buses along inter-city routes. The busways have a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) on the dedicated roadway between stations, and 50 km/h (31 mph) in the vicinity of stations. MiWay buses operating along the Transitway stop at all stations by request, while GO Transit routes only make stops at Winston Churchill, Erin Mills, Dixie, and Renforth stations (depending on the route).[1][11]

Funding and construction

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The Transitway project, estimated to cost $259 million,[3] was funded as part of the Government of Ontario's MoveOntario 2020 plan, with both the federal and provincial governments contributing up to a total of $173 million.[12] Construction responsibilities were divided between Metrolinx and the City of Mississauga: Metrolinx was responsible for the western segment between Winston Churchill and Erin Mills, a portion of the eastern segment between Hurontario and Cawthra, and Renforth Station; while the city was responsible for all other stations and segments.[7] Construction on the eastern segment began in November 2010,[3] while Metrolinx launched construction of the western segment in November 2013.[13]

Including construction, land, design and bus acquisition, Mississauga’s cost was at least $328 million. Metrolinx 's cost was over $200 million. The federal government contributed $83 million, bringing the total to approximately $611 million.[14]

Routes using the transitway

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Transitway map

MiWay

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With the opening of the first phase on November 17, 2014, MiWay adjusted three of its routes to use the eastern section of the corridor, initially operating Monday through Saturday from 4:30 AM to 10:30 PM. A fourth route, 110 University, began using the Transitway lanes on Highway 403 on September 7, 2015, with the opening of Erin Mills station, the only Transitway station served by this route.

With the opening of the new Winston Churchill station on January 8, 2017, route 109 Meadowvale Express implemented a new Sunday service, expanding service along the entire length of the Mississauga Transitway to seven days a week.

Route Service Type Terminus Service Span
107 Malton Express Express City Centre Transit Terminal Humber College September–April: Monday–Friday
Westwood Mall Bus Terminal September–April: Saturdays
May–August: Monday–Saturday
109 Meadowvale Express Express Meadowvale Town Centre Bus Terminal Kipling Bus Terminal All week
110 University Express Express City Centre Transit Terminal Clarkson GO Station Monday–Friday
University of Toronto Mississauga (short turn)

GO Transit

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Current GO Transit bus routes that use the Transitway include the following:

Route Stations served
19 Mississauga / North York Dixie, Renforth
25 Waterloo / Mississauga Erin Mills, Winston Churchill
29 Guelph / Mississauga Erin Mills, Winston Churchill
40 Hamilton / Richmond Hill Dixie, Renforth
41 407 West Erin Mills
47
56 407 East Erin Mills

Stations

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There are twelve stations along the transitway. Those along the BRT portion of the route are accessed by street entrances, with Kiss & Ride areas at most stations and Park & Ride lots at selected stations. All stations are wheelchair-accessible, have heated waiting areas, and similar to the Züm service operated by Brampton Transit, loading platforms designed for level boarding.[15] Transitway stations are unstaffed and the bus platforms are not fare-paid zones. Fare payment is done when boarding buses as with on-street routes, and either tapping a Presto card or a paper transfer is required for connecting between buses.

The following is a list of stations, from west to east:[11]

Station Opened[16] GO Transit stop Parking Kiss and ride Notes
Winston Churchill January 2, 2017[17] Yes 300 spaces Yes
Erin Mills September 7, 2015 Yes 300 spaces Yes
City Centre November 1997 Yes[a] 200 spaces Yes
Central Parkway November 17, 2014[5] No Yes
Cawthra No 60 spaces Yes
Tomken No Yes
Dixie Yes 170 spaces Yes
Tahoe February 16, 2016[18][19] No No
  • originally Fieldgate.[1]
Etobicoke Creek No No
  • originally Fieldgate North [1]
Spectrum May 1, 2017[20] No No
Orbitor No No
Renforth November 22, 2017[21] Yes No

A multi-modal interchange with the western extension of the TTC's Line 5 Eglinton is currently under construction at Renforth station.[22] A later phase will terminate at the nearby Pearson International Airport. Originally proposed in 2007 under the city of Toronto's Transit City plan, the first phase of Line 5 will open as far west as Mount Dennis station at Weston Road in 2024, with the extension to Renforth being slated to open circa 2030.[23]

The original plans for the connection featured a full-service below grade BRT station, but only an at-grade median surface stop for the LRT, requiring transferring passengers to cross Commerce Boulevard and descend a set of stairs to access the BRT.[24] As of 2020 however, in an addendum to the Line 5 extension, the addendum showed the future Renforth LRT station partially at-grade and the station located off-street on the north side of Eglinton, north of the transitway terminal.[25]

Ridership

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Ridership
Year Ridership[26][27]
2017 At least 5 million[26]
2019 6,083,846[26]
2020 574,956[26]
2021 2,266,910[26]
2022 2,605,701[27]
2023 4,458,636[27]

Criticism

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Due to the bankruptcy of contractor B. Gottardo, some stations were not complete until two years after officially opening.[28]

Gil Penalosa, a former business analyst for the City of Mississauga, considered the Transitway's location a mistake. "It should have been built along Burnhamthorpe, the heart of the city.”[29] Looking at the Erin Mills station, Amar Shubhanan Lad comments that "Pedestrian and cycling connections in particular are poor, inaccessible and uninviting to try." Lad also found that a previously existing pedestrian shortcut to the station had been closed at local resident's request.[30] "The biggest problem with the Transitway is the location of the stops, which are not in walkable areas" as noted by Jason Slaughter, a Dutch-Canadian YouTuber.[31]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Connects to GO Transit at Square One Bus Terminal across the road

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "The Mississauga Transitway". Transit Toronto. November 10, 2006. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  2. ^ "Rapid - Mississauga Bus Rapid Transit News" (PDF). Rapid. 3. Mississauga. Fall 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Joseph Chin (November 19, 2010). "City breaks ground on BRT station". Mississauga News. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  4. ^ "The Mississauga Transitway". Transit Toronto. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Mississauga opens 4 Transitway stations". CBC News. November 17, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  6. ^ Tess Kalinowski (May 6, 2014). "Key transit projects facing delays". Torstar Network, via Mississauga News. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Mississauga Transitway Project". GO Transit. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  8. ^ Mackenzie, Robert (August 18, 2017). "From Drawing Boards to Reality: More GO Train and Bus Service". Urban Toronto. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  9. ^ "New Kipling Bus Terminal". City of Mississauga. January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  10. ^ metrolinx (December 14, 2020). "Making way for MiWay service with new bus terminal opening at Kipling Transit Hub". Metrolinx News. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Rapid - Mississauga Bus Rapid Transit News" (PDF). Rapid. 1. Mississauga. Spring 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2009.
  12. ^ "Mississauga Receives Federal Funding for Bus Rapid Transit Program". City of Mississauga press release. March 6, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  13. ^ Louie Rosella (November 29, 2013). "Phase 2 of Mississauga Transitway begins". Mississauga News. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  14. ^ Williams, Rachael (December 18, 2017). "Amid cost overruns and project delays, the Mississauga Transitway is complete". Mississauga News. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  15. ^ "Mississauga Transitway". City of Mississauga. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  16. ^ "MiWay Five Transit Service Plan". City of Mississauga. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  17. ^ "MiWay service at Winston Churchill Station starts on January 2". MiWay Blog. City of Mississauga. December 20, 2016. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  18. ^ MiWay will Service Two New Mississauga Transitway Stations February 16
  19. ^ Williams, Rachael (February 16, 2016). "Two new Transitway stations open today". Mississauga News. Retrieved January 19, 2018. With new stations located at Tahoe and Etobicoke Creek, Transitway service will now extend from Dixie station to the Mississauga Airport Corporate Centre
  20. ^ "MiWay will Service Two New Mississauga Transitway Stations May 1". MiWay Blog. City of Mississauga. April 25, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  21. ^ Newport, Ashley (November 21, 2017). "MiWay to Begin Servicing New Station Tomorrow". Insauga. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  22. ^ "Second tunnel starts as Rexy joins Renny in tunnelling the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension". Metrolinx. August 5, 2022. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022.
  23. ^ "CROSSTOWN: Etobicoke residents will not have access to the Eglinton LRT before 2030". toronto.com. September 29, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  24. ^ "Welcome to our Public Open House: Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 7, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2009.
  25. ^ "ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT REPORT – 2020 ADDENDUM APPENDIX A DESIGN PLATES" (PDF). Metrolinx. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  26. ^ a b c d e Longwell, Karen (July 7, 2022). "$528 million Mississauga Transitway ridership dropped by 91% during the pandemic". Insauga. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  27. ^ a b c Rocca, Ryan. "Do people use the $500 million Mississauga Transitway?". Insauga. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  28. ^ Williams, Rachael (April 19, 2016). ""Disgusting" Transitway stations hit a nerve for Mississauga city councillor". Mississauga News Tuesday, April 19, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  29. ^ Williams, Rachael (March 1, 2016). "Mississauga's Transitway a white elephant in the eyes of city-building expert Gil Penalosa". Mississauga News. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  30. ^ Lad, Amar Shubhanan (November 18, 2018). "Planning for the First Mile & Last Mile in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area" (PDF). Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  31. ^ Longwell, Karen (July 7, 2022). "$528 million Mississauga Transitway ridership dropped by 91% during the pandemic". Retrieved October 25, 2024.
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