http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/11...ld-you-pay-to-ride-the-union-pearson-express/
Contributed A rendering of what the Union Pearson Express will look like once completed in 2015, in time for Pan-Am games.
The high-speed rail line between Union Station and Toronto’s Pearson Airport is nearing completion, but the fares have yet been set.
There have been estimates that the fare could be up to $30 and a 2012 auditor general’s report found that the fare would have to be $28 for the transit project to break even.
However, Metrolinx hasn’t released its own estimate yet, said Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins. “And we don’t want to speculate.”
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Metrolinx is looking at a number of options including setting variable fares for passengers boarding at different stations, as well as senior, student and group rates, said Aikins.
“At this point in time, with the working numbers that we’re looking at, if two people were to take the UP Express from downtown Toronto to the airport, it would be cheaper than a cab,” she said. “We’re trying to keep it so it’s competitive.”
To put that in perspective, the cab fare between Union Station and Pearson is $55, according to Beck Taxi. A taxi from the UP Express stop at Dundas West Station to Pearson is $45. A pre-booked airport limo is about $50 and about $40 from Dundas West.
Metrolinx should have its business case and fare recommendations ready to go before the board before the end of the year, she said. The UP Express is on schedule to be running by spring of next year.
In the meantime, will you ride the UP Express? And how much would you pay? Consult the map below, which shows the airport limo rates for different areas of the city, as well as the UP Express stops.
Keep in mind, to use the UP Express, you still need to get to one of its three stations and the TTC Airport Rocket bus from Kipling Station, which is part of the regular $3 TTC fare, will continue as an alternative once the UP Express is running.
By comparison, it takes about one hour and 15 minutes to ride the subway and Airport Rocket from Union Station and the UP Express will only take 25 minutes.
This map shows airport limo rates between Toronto and the Pearson, as well as the UP Pearson Express stops and the major TTC lines. Click on the map to see the exact rate for your area.
Green = the limo rate is less than $40
Yellow = $40 and $49,
Orange = $50 – $60
Red = More than $60
How much would you pay to ride the UP Express?
$5 to $15$15 to $25$25 to $35This service sounds pointless if you don't live near the TTCI would ride the UP Express no matter the fare cost
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