The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) is moving forward with plans to construct a major transit hub at Toronto Pearson International Airport dubbed — Union Station West.

In April 2018, the GTAA and Metrolinx announced plans to study potential transit connections to Toronto Pearson, including from the Kitchener GO line, Finch LRT and Eglinton Crosstown, said Robin Smith, a senior communications adviser with the GTAA, in an email.

Metrolinx is the provincial agency responsible for co-ordinating and integrating transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Design work is already underway, Smith added, and an external consultant (HOK) has been hired to design and regional transit centre and passenger processing facility at the airport.

According to a telephone survey conducted in the fall of 2018, 90 per cent of Brampton residents and 85 per cent of Mississauga residents are in support of the transit hub.

“Residents of Peel stand to benefit significantly from a new major transit hub, as do residents all across the West Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area,” Smith added. “Union Station West would facilitate better suburb-to-suburb commuting for Peel residents, allowing transit riders to easily transfer to other services in the region, without needing to travel downtown through Union Station.”

With design and technical work underway, Smith said improvements to local bus routes and services are being added to make transit to the airport more convenient. A MiWay express route along the Mississauga Transitway was added in October.

Mississauga is “actively engaged” with the study, which is in the preliminary study stages, said Helen Noehammer, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Planning for the Mississauga.

Doug Rieger, Senior Manager of Service Development with Brampton Transit, said Brampton is working with Metrolinx, the GTAA and other transit agencies to determine requirements as they explore the concept of Pearson Airport Transit Hub.

Brampton Transit currently connects with Terminal 1 at Pearson Airport. Within the next few years, and subject to funding availability, Rieger says Brampton plans to extend the 505 Züm Bovaird service from Malton GO Station to the Pearson Airport.