Crews start drilling for Hazel McCallion Line extension into downtown Brampton

Crews have begun drilling boreholes along Main Street and nearby streets in Brampton to study ground conditions for a planned extension of the Hazel McCallion Line, the Ontario government said Monday.

The extension of more than three kilometres would link Brampton Gateway Terminal at Steeles Avenue East to the Brampton Innovation District GO Station, where riders could transfer to Brampton Transit and Züm. Ontario has said the line will be tunnelled into downtown Brampton.

The province’s announcement gives no cost and no construction or opening date for the extension. Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown thanked the province and urged it “to move quickly from design to construction and get the extension into service as soon as possible.”

Metrolinx president and CEO Michael Lindsay said the soil work will directly influence the equipment used on the project, and acknowledged it can be disruptive. “We will continue to work diligently to keep people informed, safe, and moving,” he said.

The 18-kilometre main line will connect Brampton and Mississauga through 19 stops. The province says light rail vehicles are being tested on that corridor, while the extensions into downtown Brampton and downtown Mississauga are being advanced as separate projects.

Source: Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

File photo: Hazel McCallion Line track under construction on Hurontario Street north of Highway 401 in Mississauga. Photo by Transportfan70, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.