Video: Bird’s-eye view of transit line that might extend to Pearson Airport in Mississauga

Work on a light rail transit (LRT) route that may eventually connect Toronto with Pearson Airport in Mississauga is moving full steam ahead and on track to be completed next year.

Project officials with the Finch West LRT say work on the huge transit undertaking has ramped up this year.

“Crews made significant progress on the Finch West LRT line throughout spring 2022 including vehicle testing work, installation of tracks and other key railway infrastructure, and the final electrical substation delivery,” officials with Metrolinx, the provincial agency overseeing the project, said in an online update today (Aug. 4).

Metrolinx also released a drone flyover video (see below) today that shows progress to date on the 11-kilometre LRT line, which when completed in 2023 will take riders along Finch Ave. W. in Toronto between Keele St. and Humber College, near the eastern Mississauga border.

While Pearson Airport officials have been keeping a close eye on another massive LRT project–the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) that could see a connection to Pearson in the next decade or so–they also have a stake in the progress of the Finch West LRT.

Metrolinx said earlier this year that while “an airport extension (of the Finch West LRT) is likely,” no funding has yet been set aside for such an undertaking.

The 18-stop Finch West LRT, to be run by the TTC, will connect to other local transit services including MiWay (Mississauga), GO, Viva (York Region), and Züm (Brampton), as well as provide an important link to Humber College, Metrolinx says.

Officials with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which runs Pearson Airport, have been keeping a close watch on the Finch West LRT, which they hope will be extended farther west from Humber College to include a stop at Woodbine and then the airport.

They noted earlier this year that connecting Pearson with both the Finch West LRT and the ECWE is crucial. The Pearson Airport Employment Zone, which includes parts of Mississauga, Brampton and Toronto, is Canada’s second-largest employment area, trailing only downtown Toronto’s financial core. 

The GTAA and Metrolinx have been working together towards extending both major LRTs to Pearson.

The 2010 Environmental Assessment for the Finch West LRT includes plans for an extension from Humber College to Woodbine and Pearson Airport.