Mississauga will continue to push for light rail transit loop in downtown core
Published October 6, 2022 at 4:18 pm
Should she remain Mississauga’s mayor after the upcoming municipal election, Bonnie Crombie says she’ll continue to push the provincial government for the reinstatement of a light rail transit (LRT) loop that would serve tens of thousands of people in the city’s downtown core.
Crombie told insauga.com publisher Khaled Iwamura in an Instagram interview yesterday (Oct. 5) that while she’s not expecting an answer in the near future from Ontario Premier Doug Ford, it’ll be the first thing she brings up with him should she hold onto the mayor’s seat in the Oct. 24 election.
She said no promises from the Premier will be forthcoming during the election cycle.
But if she’s re-elected, the City Centre transit loop, once part of the massive $1.4-billion Hurontario LRT plan before being nixed by the Province two years ago in a cost-cutting move, would be top of mind once again when speaking with Ford.
“It’ll be my first call to the Premier to say let’s sit down and talk about Mississauga’s priorities, and the loop will be the number one issue,” Crombie said during Wednesday’s interview.
The new transit route, officially dubbed the Hazel McCallion Line, will run from Port Credit GO station in south Mississauga to Brampton once it opens to passengers in fall 2024.
The 18-kilometre LRT route will feature 19 stops along the way and if City of Mississauga officials get what they want, the “transit loop” that would serve people living in highrises in the city’s downtown core will once again be part of the project.
In addition to recent work on utilities, crews working on the LRT have also recently been focusing on completing tasks around two major creeks in Mississauga in an effort to prevent devastating local floods in the future.
In an interview with insauga.com this past summer, Crombie expressed optimism that the transit loop will become a reality because of its importance to Mississauga’s economic growth.
She said lobbying efforts for the loop remain ongoing and decision makers at the provincial level of government and Metrolinx (the operator of Ontario’s transportation network) understand the need for the project.
The loop, initially included in Hurontario LRT plans to service residents/passengers who live in the highrises around Square One, was pulled off the table by the Ontario government in a cost-cutting move when Ford’s Conservatives came to power.
Subsequently, Ford has been non-committal about re-introducing the loop, but has suggested developers with major building projects in the works at the City Centre will have to contribute to the costs of the project if it proceeds.
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