Downtown loop, more GO trains are crucial needs in Mississauga, MP says

A downtown transit loop as part of the $1.4-billion Hazel McCallion light-rail transit (LRT) route and all-day, two-way GO train service on the Milton Line must become reality if Mississauga residents are to be best served in the years to come.

That’s the position of Federal Transport Minister and Mississauga Centre MP Omar Alghabra, who told insauga.com in a phone interview on Friday once again that Ottawa strongly supports both public transit initiatives.

Alghabra has repeatedly stated his support for the downtown loop to again be part of the Hazel McCallion Line project since it was pulled off the table three years ago by the Ontario government in a cost-cutting move.

The loop was initially included in plans to service the fast-growing number of residents who live in the high-rises around Square One. 

Mayor Bonnie Crombie and City of Mississauga councillors have been pressing the Province to reconsider, arguing the area’s population is growing quickly and will need convenient transit service. 

The Hazel McCallion Line, an 18-kilometre LRT route that will whisk passengers from Port Credit GO station in south Mississauga to Brampton, is on schedule to open in fall 2024. It will feature 19 stops along the line.

While noting the huge Mississauga/Brampton infrastructure project is a provincial government undertaking, Alghabra has on several occasions reaffirmed both his and Ottawa’s commitment–financial and otherwise–to making the loop a reality.

Omar Alghabra, federal transport minister and Mississauga Centre MP, is pushing for major transit projects in Mississauga to get done. 

Meanwhile, a plan to expand the Milton GO Line to all-day, two-way service that would benefit tens of thousands of Mississauga residents and workers is still in the works, but is moving slowly.

Getting that project done is one of Alghabra’s top priorities, if not the single-most important Mississauga item on his list.

The federal government says it’s ready to fund 50 per cent of the estimated $1-billion project, but the Ontario government has yet to make the same commitment.

Alghabra told insauga.com in an earlier interview that he saw nothing in the recent Ontario government budget to suggest it was prioritizing the Milton GO project.

He added that while Ottawa’s commitment of cash is still on the table, it won’t remain there if the provincial government continues to show little or no interest in a funding agreement.

The Milton GO Line makes several Mississauga stops en route to and from Union Station in Toronto.