As Metrolinx’s East Harbour Transit Hub takes shape, local politicians express concerns over construction impacts

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

As work begins to construct the main building of Metrolinx’s monumental East Harbour Transit Hub project, the provincial transportation agency has marked a “major milestone” in completing one of several ongoing projects in the Toronto-Danforth area.

However, several local politicians are unimpressed with how Metrolinx’s is carrying out its work in the East Toronto area.

“I don’t feel that Metrolinx focusses on protecting people from the impact of their activities, and it’s illustrated with their operation of the GO system. I just don’t think they have good management structures in place,” said Toronto Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns in an interview with Beach Metro Community News last week.

Metrolinx announced the beginning of the East Harbour Hub’s work in a press release in late February, along with construction work to widen the site’s Eastern Avenue bridge to support four GO trains and two Ontario Line subway trains.

Located immediately east of the Don Valley Parkway and south of Eastern Avenue, the latest project is one of numerous Metrolinx construction projects in the Toronto-Danforth area as part of work related to GO Line train expansion and the 15.6 km Ontario Line subway system.

“The East Harbour Transit Hub will connect to the Lakeshore East and Stouffville GO lines, as well as the future Ontario Line subway, which will offer more transit options, reduce commute times and ease congestion across the city,” said Metrolinx in a press release.

The East Harbour Transit Hub will also feature an accessible passenger pick-up and drop-off area, connections to the future Broadview Avenue extension, bike parking, and several island platforms for GO trains and Ontario Line subway trains.

In the press release, Metrolinx said the East Harbour Transit Hub is set to become the city’s second busiest station after Union Station, and that the new interchange hub will help to reduce crowding at what is currently Canada’s busiest transportation hub by up to 14 per cent (14,000 people) during peak travel times.

“When the station opens, riders could see trains arriving as frequently as every five minutes, projected to serve about 100,000 daily riders combined with Ontario Line users,” said Metrolinx’s media relations team.

The new station is set to be integrated into a 38-acre Transit Oriented Community that will “bring new residential and commercial space,” to the area.

Referred to as The East Harbour development by Canadian real estate developer and property owner Cadillac Fairview (CF), the East Harbour land will integrate Metrolinx’s transit hub into the development, along with 4,000 “high-quality and diverse” residential units, over 3.5 acres of parks and open space, community-serving retail, and an “enhanced public realm.”

Tabuns said residents in his ward are open to the idea of increased transit and housing options. However, their concerns with Metrolinx are the result of “poor management” and neglect for the community.

“Construction has not been carried out with concern for the residents,” said Tabuns. “I know overwhelmingly people in Toronto-Danforth support building more transit, but Metrolinx really has to change its approach to the way that it operates.”

He said his faith in the provincial government transit entity continues to decline after the long delays in opening the Eglinton LRT, and a recently reported draft of Metrolinx’s internal fleet strategy by The Trillium which notes that many of Metrolinx’s GTA GO trains are in failing condition due to a backlog of maintenance work.

“We’re well aware of the time it took to build the Eglinton LRT, and the fact that the (Premier Doug) Ford government will not order an inquiry to find out what actually happened – so whatever lessons we might have learned from the Eglington LRT apparently are going to be buried,” said Tabuns.

“It’s also recently come out that the maintenance of their GO train fleet is approaching crisis-level.”

The East Harbour Transit Hub is just one of five Ontario Line stations running through Toronto-Danforth. In addition to several ongoing GO Expansion projects, Metrolinx has been carrying out construction work in the area since spring 2022.

According to local residents and Toronto-Danforth Councillor Paula Fletcher, several of Metrolinx’s construction sites have caused significant disruption in the area, including work on the Pape subway station, the Gerrard subway station portal northwest of Gerrard Square (1000 Gerrard St. E.), and the Don Valley Crossings’ tunnel portal structure south of Leaside Bridge.

Public backlash reached a tipping point early last year, when a 46-year-old woman was left with life-threatening injuries after being struck by a dump truck connected to Ontario Line subway work on Pape Avenue near Cosburn Avenue

In a subsequent Toronto Council meeting in late 2025, Fletcher put through a motion unanimously supported by councillors calling on Metrolinx to provide clearer vehicle identification and improve safety measures for trucks operating at its construction sites across the city.

During that council meeting, Don Valley West Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin also spoke to the “intrusive” nature in which Metrolinx has carried out construction work, requesting that Fletcher’s motion be implemented across all city wards.

Tabuns commended Fletcher’s efforts to push for more accountability from Metrolinx, stating that “safety has to be central to Metrolinx operations.”

“But we just don’t see that being the case in the recent years that we’ve dealt with them,” he said. “Fletcher is not fooling around. She’s raising and bringing forward substantial issues. I agree with her, and certainly people in this riding agree with her.”

At the 2025 council meeting, Metrolinx said it would improve safety protocols for drivers and implement GPS tracking on all their vehicles to ensure drivers are following specific haul routes.

In a recent email sent to Beach Metro Community News, Metrolinx said it will continue to uphold “strict safety measures” at all construction sites, which includes following specific haul routes and “ensuring the well-being of all road users.”

“We continue to work with our construction partners at our Ontario Line sites to ensure that the agreed-upon truck haul routes are used and all safety protocols are closely followed,” said Metrolinx’s media relations team.

 “The movement of trucks to and from work sites keeps projects running smoothly and is an important part of delivering new transit services that will benefit communities for generations to come.”

In what Tabuns described as a “hands-off and distant” management approach, he said he remains doubtful that Metrolinx’s Ontario Line project will be completed by its projected 2031 target. “If you remember when the project came forward, it replaced the downtown relief line, and we were told that the Ontario Line would be built by 2027, so we’re already four years behind.”