ONTARIO Premier Kathleen Wynne on Wednesday unveiled the new Union Pearson Express, a dedicated express train that will provide fast, reliable service between Canada’s two busiest transportation hubs, Union Station in downtown Toronto, and the Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Construction is now almost complete on the Union Pearson Express station at Terminal 1. Train service is on track to start next spring, in time to serve visitors to the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.

Eighteen new trains will run between Union Station and Toronto Pearson in just 25 minutes, every 15 minutes. Making it easier to get from the airport to the heart of Toronto’s downtown will help relieve gridlock, attract more visitors and build up the economy.

QUICK FACTS

• In its first year alone, the Union Pearson Express (UP Express) is expected to take 1.2 million car trips off the road.
• The construction of the UP Express is creating and supporting more than 1,200 jobs.
• Toronto Pearson and Union Station are expected to serve 190 million travellers a year by 2031 – almost double the current annual traffic.
• Metrolinx has proposed an adult one-way fare between Union Station and Toronto Pearson of $19 with a PRESTO card or $27.50 without a PRESTO card, with discounts for seniors, students, families, children, qualified airport employees and people who board at the Bloor or Weston stations. Metrolinx’s Board of Directors will vote on the fares Thursday.
• PRESTO is an electronic fare payment system available across 10 transit agencies in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, and Ottawa. It uses smart-card technology that stores funds in a secure account, replacing the need for tickets, tokens, passes or cash.