Construction of Kipling Transit Hub complete

May 21, 2021
The transformation of a train station into a transit hub for Toronto’s west region includes improved passenger amenities, as well as sustainability features, such as a green roof.

Metrolinx completed the Kipling Transit Hub, where riders in Toronto’s west region can connect to GO Transit, MiWay bus and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) services at a single location in Etobicoke, Ontario.

“The transit connections offered at the new Kipling Transit Hub will provide residents with better access to job and housing opportunities, both locally and across the Greater Golden Horseshoe,” said Ontario Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney.

Ontario Associate Minister of Transportation (GTA) Kinga Surma added, ““By supporting communities and delivering a seamless transit experience, we will meet the needs of the over five million people who will call this region home by 2051.”

The new facility has 14 bus bays, 90 bike spaces, an elevated pedestrian bridge connecting the GO train platform with the bus terminal and underground tunnels linking the bus terminal to the TTC station.

The 3,000-square-foot indoor waiting area in the bus terminal features heated floors, accessible elevators, digital displays with schedule information, wayfinding signage, enhanced lighting, PRESTO and pay machines, as well as electric phone charging stations. Outside, the hub features a snow melting system on the bus platform, upgrades to the GO train platform (including accessible boarding features), updated pick-up and drop-off building and more than 1,400 parking spaces.

"We have created a seamless transit journey by bringing together all of the transit services customers depend on. With connections to the Milton line, more than 10 bus routes, GO, MiWay and TTC transit providers and express access to the airport, the Kipling Transit Hub will be a new home base as customers travel across the region," said Metrolinx President and CEO Phil Verster.

Metrolinx says Kipling Transit Hub was designed with the goal to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The facility has a 48,000-square-foot green roof that was installed last summer and includes 24,000 vegetated modules. Metrolinx says the green roof helps improve the building’s overall energy performance, diverts excess rainwater and helps combat the urban heat island effect.

“Sustainable design and construction are now an essential part of environmental stewardship,” said Payman Khezri, Metrolinx project manager, project delivery team.

EllisDon Infrastructure Transit was awarded a C$73-million (US$60.5-million) contract in 2018 to design, build and finance the project. Construction began in the fall of 2018.

About the Author

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.