The first two low emission Nippon Sharyo diesel multiple unit trains for the line recently arrived in Toronto after a long trip from their manufacturing facility in Toyohashi, Japan. The trains, two cars long currently but to be extended by the addition of a middle car in December, are now being tested on the Lakeshore, Kitchener, and Barrie GO rail lines. You may spot them along those tracks in coming months; we caught one today just outside of Union Station.

 

A Union-Pearson Express train over Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, image by Jack Landau

With the trains now undergoing testing, work on the line’s four purpose-built stations is rushing along. In the image below, we can see the new Union Terminal being built adjacent to the barrel-vaulted section of SkyWalk linking Union Station with the properties to the west.

 

New Union Terminal under construction for the Union-Pearson Express, image by Jack Landau

Once the $456 million project is completed next year, UPX trains will also stop at the Bloor and Weston GO Stations, and of course Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

 

Rendering of completed UPX platform at Union Station, image courtesy of Metrolinx

Additional information and renderings can be found in our UPX dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.

Connecting Toronto Pearson International Airport with Union Station in downtown Toronto in a relaxing 25 minutes, the Union Pearson Express is set to simplify how Canada’s busiest airport is linked to its largest city. With only two brief stops at the Bloor and Weston GO Stations, the Union Pearson Express will be the swiftest and most reliable way to travel when the service takes to the rails in 2015.

The Union Pearson Express will serve four key stations: Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson, Union Station in downtown Toronto, and the Bloor and Weston GO Stations. At Bloor, Weston and Union, travellers can connect to other regional destinations easily and quickly. The stations are being designed to create a relaxing atmosphere with convenient amenities to serve guests during their brief wait for the next train.

The Union Pearson Express will connect directly to Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson. A new rail connection will branch off from the GO Kitchener Rail Corridor and travel three kilometres to the airport. The new connecting line, or “spur,” is currently under construction by AirLINX Transit Partners Inc. and is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2014.