When the 18-kilometer (11.2-mile) Hurontario Light Rail Transit (LRT) line opens in fall of 2024, it will enter the network as the Hazel McCallion Line. The new name for the line was announced Feb. 14, 2022, which was McCallion’s 101st birthday.
McCallion served as mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, from 1978 to 2014 and naming the line after her was in recognition of her decades of public service and her legacy as one of Canada’s longest serving mayors.
“With decades of public service under her belt, McCallion, known locally as ‘Hurricane Hazel,’ is a trailblazer and inspirational figure in Canadian history, and it is only fitting to have her legacy honored today, on her 101st birthday,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney included in a statement on the line’s new name.
Metrolinx explains the project will continue to be referred to as the Hurontario LRT while construction is underway but will adopt the Hazel McCallion Line name once it opens, which is similar to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project that will be known as ‘TTC Line 5 Eglinton’ once it opens.
Heavy construction began on the Hurontario LRT project in 2021 to connect Brampton and Mississauga through light rail. The line includes 19 stops and connections to several rapid transit systems and GO Transit rail lines.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
