Metrolinx: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 00:56, 27 May 2009
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2006 |
| Jurisdiction | Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton |
| Headquarters | Toronto |
| Agency executive |
|
| Child agency | |
| Website | Metrolinx Website |
Metrolinx is the public authority that manages transportation planning including public transport within the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton in the province of Ontario, Canada. The organization was created as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority by the Government of Ontario in 2006, and adopted the public name of Metrolinx in December 2007. On May 14, 2009, Metrolinx and GO Transit were merged and 'Metrolinx' become the legal name of the merged agency.
Responsibilities
The Metrolinx Act, 2006 (formerly referred to as The Greater Toronto Transportation Authority Act, 2006) describes Metrolinx's primary responsibilities as being:[1]
- to provide leadership in the co-ordination, planning, financing and development of an integrated, multi-modal transportation network that conforms with transportation polices of growth plans prepared and approved under the Places to Grow Act, 2005 applicable in the regional transportation area and complies with other provincial transportation policies and plans applicable in the regional transportation area, and
- to act as the central procurement agency for the procurement of local transit system vehicles, equipment, technologies and facilities and related supplies and services on behalf of Ontario municipalities.
- take over responsibility for the GO Transit railway and coach network from the present Greater Toronto Transit Authority, and
In addition, Metrolinx is intended to:
- be responsible for the implementation and operation of the Presto card system for seamless transfers between public transit operators.
Regional Transportation Plan
One of Metrolinx's first deliverables was to create a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) including a rolling five-year capital plan and Investment Strategy for the GTAH. In August 2007, it GTTA issued a Request for Proposals for consulting firms to create the plan. The plan is expected to include the 52 GO train, subway, light rail and bus rapid transit projects proposed by the Government of Ontario in its MoveOntario 2020 plan announced on June 15, 2007, as well as new concepts not included in MoveOntario 2020.
An initial stage of the RTP process was to release a series of green papers, which are discussion documents covering key issues for the RTP. The green papers were released during January and February 2008, and cover the following topics:
- Paper 1: Towards Sustainable Transportation
- Paper 2: Mobility Hubs
- Paper 3: Active Transportation
- Paper 4: Transportation Demand Management
- Paper 5: Moving Goods and Services
- Paper 6: Roads and Highways
- Paper 7: Transit
The next stage was the release of two white papers in May 2008. These papers summarize directions and provide three test concepts for transit system improvements, including analyses of the impact of the three test concepts:
- Paper 1 - Visions, Goals, and Objectives
- Paper 2 - Preliminary Directions and Concepts
A key new concept presented is the conversion of GO Transit rail lines into Regional Express services operating at high service frequencies and providing radial and crosstown services, similar to those provided by Paris' RER service.
A draft version of the Regional Transportation Plan was provided to the Metrolinx at the September 26 2008 board meeting, and a final version was approved at the November 27 2008 meeting under the name "The Big Move".[2]
Governance
Metrolinx was originally governed by a board consisting of:
- two appointees of the Government of Ontario (Chair Rob MacIsaac, and Vice-Chair Peter Smith)
- four appointees of the City of Toronto (Mayor David Miller, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Chair Adam Giambrone, Councillor Norm Kelly, and Paul Bedford)
- one appointee of the City of Hamilton (Mayor Fred Eisenberger)
- one appointee of Durham Region (Regional Chair Roger Anderson)
- one appointee of Halton Region (Regional Chair Gary Carr)
- one appointee of Peel Region (Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion)
- one appointee of York Region (Regional Chair Bill Fisch)
After the passage of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Transit Implementation Act, 2009 merging Metrolinx and GO Transit, the Metrolinx board structure was changed to consist of 15 appointees of the provincial government, with politicians specifically prohibited from serving. Appointees to the new board have not yet been named.
Robert Prichard, the outgoing chief executive officer of Torstar Corporation, was named the new President and CEO of Metrolinx and will oversee the merger of the two organizations.
History
Legislation to create the GTTA was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on April 24 2006, and was passed and received royal assent on June 22 2006. In April 2007, a transition team seconded from the Ontario Public Service began work at the GTTA's headquarters at 20 Bay Street in Toronto.
In July 2007, the GTTA identified the following first round of ‘Quick Win’ projects as candidates for early implementation:
- GO Transit Rail Fleet Expansion
- $60.0 million for 20 new bi-level passenger coaches
- $20.0 million for track capacity expansion
- GO Transit Bus Fleet Expansion
- $9.0 million for 10 new double-decker coaches
- Markham/Cornell Transit Terminal
- Hamilton/Upper James Rapid Transit Corridor
- Integrated Web-Based Trip Planner Pilot
- Carbon Footprint Calculator
- Bicycle Promotion Initiatives
- $2.1 million-$3.2 million for safe/secure bike storage
- $1.0 million-$1.8 million to expand bike/bus rack program
On December 4 2007, the GTTA adopted the name ‘Metrolinx’ for public usage. At the same time, it launched a new web site, and released the first of its series of green papers on transportation issues, part of the process of creating the Regional Transportation Plan.
In June 2008, Metrolinx began using a new logo in printed and electronic communications.
On March 30th, 2009, the Ontario government introduced legislation to merge GO Transit and Metrolinx as a single entity, with "Metrolinx" as its legal name.[3] If enacted, the legislation would replace the current board structure with a new one in which 15 private-sector appointees are made by the province. The legislation would also make other changes to Metrolinx's powers and abilities. The legislation received royal assent on May 14, 2009, taking immediate effect.
References
- ^ "The Greater Toronto Transportation Authority Act, 2006". Ontario Legislature. 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-13.
- ^ "The Big Move". Metrolinx. 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ Bill 163, Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Transit Implementation Act, 2009, Legislative Assembly of Ontario website, accessed April 1, 2009
See also