The committee, made up of regional and Toronto politicians and York University have joined forces to launch a major public transit initiative to Toronto's northwest corner. The extension's first phase will arrive at York and eventually extend into Vaughan, ending at the 407/400 interchange and the new downtown area of the City of Vaughan.

Paul Borghese, speaking on behalf of Toronto ratepayers at a recent conference, noted that the northwest corner of the city, with a population of 300,000, wasn't served by a subway system. "All the studies show that this is feasible, but it's been 10 years in the making. We've had enough studies. What we need now is successful completion of this project."

The extension couldn't come too soon. According to planning experts, Toronto and the GTA have run out of room to build more roads. And increasing traffic gridlock in the rapidly developing areas such as York Region -- and in the GTA as a whole -- can only be solved by rapid transit, they say.

"This is a shining example of inter-regional cooperation in support of a major infrastructure project," said Mario G. Racco, committee Chair and Vaughan City councillor. "The subway extension will greatly improve accessibility to York University and will make a significant contribution to the controlled development of high-growth areas bordering the City of Toronto."

York University President Lorna R. Marsden noted that the University is one of the most significant traffic generators in the GTA, parking more than 30,000 cars on peak days in 11,000 spaces. "We're at the geographic heart of the GTA," she said. "Sixty per cent of our staff, faculty and students live in the City of Toronto, the rest live in the GTA and our studies show that by the next decade we are going to grow to more than 50,000 people. Demographically, a lot of young people in the next 10 years from York Region are going to be choosing York as their university."

Marsden went on to say that the Spadina-York subway extension would make a major difference to York students, faculty and staff, as well as good economic, environmental and community development sense.

Hasrat Gafoor, past president, York Federation of Students stated that "this is an issue that is common to everyone at York -- students, staff, faculty and visitors. Lots of students who live in the city, now live on campus because the challenge is transportation. It's now easier to live on campus even if you live locally because of commuting times by bus or car."

The City of Vaughan has adopted policies to protect right-of-ways needed in its official plan to link York with the Vaughan Corporate Centre, the city's planned downtown area at Highways 7 and 400. The subway is seen as an essential building block of Vaughan's future development, and part of York's long-range plan.

"An expanded subway system is a viable solution to the future transit needs of the Greater Toronto Area," Racco says. "It will reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. It also will have a significant economic impact by improving access to business districts situated along the subway lines."