West Toronto Railpath
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The West Toronto Railpath is a
multi-use trail A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is "designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists". Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. A ...
in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, running from The Junction Triangle neighbourhood toward downtown Toronto. The Railpath was developed by the
City of Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
for bicycle and pedestrian use. Like Toronto's
Beltline The Atlanta Beltline is long multi-use corridor on a former railway corridor which encircles the core of Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta Beltline is designed to reconnect neighborhoods and communities historically divided and marginalized by in ...
and
Don Mills Don Mills is a mixed-use neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was developed in the 1950s and 1960s to be a self-supporting "new town" and was at the time located outside Toronto proper in the suburb of North York. Consisting of residenti ...
trails, it is an urban rail-to-trail project. Phase 1 of the path opened in 2009. Phase 2, an extension south from Dundas Street West to Liberty Village, was approved and proceeding with detailed design as of September 2020 with funding of $2.9 million jointly from the City and the
Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...
. Construction of Phase 2 is expected to begin in 2023.


History

Following a trade route that Indigenous people used from the Davenport Trail to Lake Iroquois, this route formed the path of a railway that started in 1871. In 1868, the
Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway The Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway (TG&B) was a railway company which operated in Ontario, Canada in the years immediately following the Canadian Confederation of 1867. It connected two rural counties, Grey County, Ontario, Grey County and Bruce ...
was incorporated to provide rail service connecting Toronto to Southampton and Owen Sound (and points in between). Sections of this railway in Toronto ran along the rights of way of other existing railways. As this railway was a different (narrower) gauge, a separate set of tracks was required along the right of way. Due to service problems associated with the narrow gauge, the line was eventually converted to standard gauge in 1881. By 1883, the
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
had acquired the line. Into the 1960s, the portion of the track around Dupont was known as "The Old Bruce". It served several industries, including the Viceroy plant and the scrapyard. The City of Toronto Economic Development and Parks Committee and grassroots community support began for this project before 1990, but the project necessitated the purchase of land and negotiations with rail operators and other stakeholders. Organizations involved include the Evergreen Foundation and, although the railpath is multi-use, notable advocacy by bicycling interests such as Toronto's Community Bicycle Network. The City of Toronto first authorized purchase of the land for the portion from Cariboo Avenue to Dundas Street West (known as the CP LEAD spur) in 1997. Funds to the amount of $920,000 were approved in 2000. This land was acquired in July 2003 by the City of Toronto from the
St. Lawrence and Hudson Railway The St. Lawrence and Hudson Railway was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The StL&H arose out of a corporate reorganization at CPR that was announced on November 21, 1995. CPR wished to spin off its "eastern operating u ...
. The purchase agreement demanded that the vendor remediate the soil to industrial standards. After acquiring the lands, the City of Toronto needed to terminate a lease that a salvage yard (M&S Waste and Salvage) had for a portion of the land, leased when the land was owned by Canadian Pacific. Construction of Phase 1 of the path, running from Cariboo Avenue to
Dundas Street West Dundas Street () is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways— 2, 5, and 99—followed long section ...
and Sterling Road, was designed by Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc. in conjunction with Brown and Storey Architects, and began in 2008 and was completed in 2009. The project combined the restoration of historical rail bridges with the installation of new public art pieces by artist John Dickson, all situated among indigenous planting. New entrance points at Dupont and Bloor streets allow pedestrians to access the trail from the street and use the restored rail bridges that cross over these streets. Concrete plazas are located along the trail where existing streets intersect it, providing neighbourhood connections and gathering places. The realization of Phase 2 will be coordinated with the
Metrolinx Metrolinx is a transportation agency in Ontario, Canada. It is a Crown agency that manages and integrates road and public transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). It was created as the Greater Toronto Transportation Au ...
's Georgetown South Project, a planned expansion of rail capacity along the line for
GO Transit GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven mil ...
and the existing
Union Pearson Express The Union Pearson Express (UP Express or UPX) is an airport rail link connecting Union Station (Toronto), Union Station in Downtown Toronto to Toronto Pearson International Airport. The UP Express began operation on 6 June 2015, in time for the ...
.


Location and phases

In total, the railpath is proposed to run about 4 km from Cariboo Avenue in The Junction Triangle to Strachan Avenue near the downtown core (se
map
. Like other rail trail projects, the path runs along railway
rights-of-way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...
established many years ago that have been narrowed or abandoned. Phase 1 is 2.1 km long, beginning at Cariboo Avenue and running southeast to
Dundas Street West Dundas Street () is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways— 2, 5, and 99—followed long section ...
and Sterling Road. The contract for Phase 1 construction was awarded in April 2008 at a cost of (CDN) $3.8 million. Construction began in 2008 and was completed in summer 2009, with the formal opening on October 30, 2009. Phase 2 will continue a further 2 km from Dundas Street West and Sterling Road southeast and east to Strachan Avenue and Wellington Street, providing access to the Wellington Street bicycle lane, near the
Liberty Village Liberty Village is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered to the north by King Street West, to the west by Dufferin Street, to the south by the Gardiner Expressway, to the east by Strachan Avenue, and to the northeast by ra ...
development. Rail line capacity expansion projects by
Metrolinx Metrolinx is a transportation agency in Ontario, Canada. It is a Crown agency that manages and integrates road and public transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). It was created as the Greater Toronto Transportation Au ...
could potentially conflict with Phase 2.
Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...
continues to support the railpath. Metrolinx has indicated that it will work with the railpath's advocates to try to include the path as part of the Georgetown South expansion plans. The West Toronto Railpath Extension Study was completed and approved by Toronto City Council in January 2016 and included the functional design of the extension. In August 2016, the federal government announced funding, in partnership with the province, for detailed design and implementation with design work planned to commence in September 2016. Public consolation and feedback was completed in March 2020 and construction of the phase 2 extension was expected to begin in 2021 or 2022. Construction has been repeatedly delayed and is planned to begin in 2025.


Other Toronto railpaths

*
Beltline Trail The Beltline Trail is a -long cycling and walking rail trail in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It consists of three sections, the York Beltline Trail west of Allen Road, the Kay Gardner Beltline Park from the Allen to Mount Pleasant Road, and the R ...
*
Don Mills Trail The Don Mills Trail (also known as the Leaside Spur Trail) is a cycling and walking trail in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The trail runs south from York Mills Road, east of and roughly parallel to Leslie Street. The city built the trail on the ro ...


See also

*
List of trails in Canada This is a list of all rail trails and major long-distance hiking and cycling routes in Canada. National * Trans Canada Trail * Great Divide Trail Alberta * Iron Horse Trail, Alberta British Columbia * Alexander MacKenzie Heritage Trail ...


Notes


References

*"Narrow Gauge Through the Bush - Ontario's Toronto Grey and Bruce Railway and Toronto and Nipissing Railway"; Rod Clarke; pub. Beaumont and Clarke, with the Credit Valley Railway Company, Streetsville, Ontario, 2007. *"Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada"; Omer Lavallee; pub. Railfair, Montreal, 1972. *"Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada"; Omer Lavallee, expanded and revised by Ronald S Ritchie; pub. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Markham, Ontario, 2005. *"The Toronto Grey and Bruce Railway 1863-1884; Thomas F McIlwraith; pub. Upper Canada Railway Society, Toronto, 1963. *"Steam Trains to the Bruce"; Ralph Beaumont; pub. The Boston Mills Press; Cheltenham, Ontario, 1977. *"Running Late on the Bruce"; Ralph Beaumont & James Filby; pub The Boston Mills Press, Cheltenham, Ontario, 1980.


External links


Friends of the West Toronto Railpath

West Toronto Railpath Extension
- project targeted for 2020-2022, aka "Phase 2"
Cycling in Toronto
{{Canadian Trails Transport in Toronto Rail trails in Ontario Linear parks Elevated parks