Union Pearson Express

Union Pearson Express
A Nippon-Sharyo DMU at Mimico GO Station
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerMetrolinx
LocaleToronto and Mississauga, Ontario
Stations4
WebsiteUPExpress.com
Service
TypeAirport rail link
Operator(s)Alstom
Rolling stockNippon Sharyo DMU
Daily ridership12,000 average (2018-2019)[1]
History
Opened6 June 2015; 9 years ago (2015-06-06)[2]
Technical
Line length23.3 km (14.5 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Operating speed145 km/h (90 mph)
Route map

Legend
 Viscount
Airport Road
 Terminal 3
Terminal Link
 Terminal 1
Terminal Link Toronto Pearson International Airport
Etobicoke Creek
Kitchener line
Ontario 427 crown.svg Highway 427
Etobicoke North
Ontario 401 crown.svg Highway 401
 
Maintenance
facility
 
Humber River
Canadian Pacific Railway
Weston tunnel
 Weston
Mount Dennis
West Toronto Diamond
Milton line
Bloor
Dundas West
Barrie line
Lakeshore West line
 Union
Amtrak
Union (TTC)
Lakeshore East line
Richmond Hill line
This diagram:

The Union Pearson Express (UP Express or UPX)[3] is an airport rail link connecting Union Station in Downtown Toronto to Toronto Pearson International Airport. The UP Express began operation on 6 June 2015, in time for the 2015 Pan American Games.[2][4][5] The UP Express travels between Union and Pearson in 25 minutes[6] departing every 15 minutes, seven days a week.[7] At the launch announcement, it was stated that the UP Express was projected to carry 2.35 million passengers annually and eliminate approximately 1.2 million car trips in the first year.[2] As of 2019, it carried 4.5 million passengers annually.[1]

UP Express is operated as an independent division of Metrolinx, similarly to GO Transit. An airport rail link was one of the priority projects identified in Metrolinx's regional transportation plan, The Big Move.[8] Construction began in 2011 as part of the Georgetown South Project, which expanded the rail corridor the UP Express shares with GO Transit and Via Rail.[4][9] UP Express uses diesel multiple unit (DMU) trains that meet United States Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 emission standards. The Kitchener line and UP Express will be electrified, although no date has been set.[10] The UP Express has been criticized for not using electric trains from the outset, and for its initial fare prices that were very high compared with other North American airport–city connections.[11][12][13]

The Union Pearson Express' maximum operating speed is 145 km/h (90 mph),[14] and its average speed is 56 km/h (35 mph).

  1. ^ a b Lee-Shanok, Philip (28 September 2019). "From premium service to commuter 'milk run': Is the UP Express rolling in the right direction?". CBC News. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Union Pearson Express to Launch June 6". Government of Ontario. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  3. ^ "Metrolinx Unveils Next Wave of Big Move Projects". CNW Newswire. 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Georgetown South Project". GO Transit. Archived from the original on 4 August 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  5. ^ "Union Pearson Express to launch June 6". Toronto Star. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  6. ^ "UP Express Information". Toronto: UP Express. 28 October 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  7. ^ "15-Minute service returning to UP Express following service disruptions". thestar.com. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  8. ^ "The Big Move". Metrolinx. 2008. Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  9. ^ "The Air Rail Link (ARL) - Fact Sheet" (PDF). Metrolinx. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  10. ^ Kalinowski, Tess (19 August 2011). "Metrolinx ad ruled 'misleading' on electrification". The Toronto Star. Toronto. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  11. ^ Clean Train Coalition Inc. v. Metrolinx, 380/12 2 August 2012 (Ontario Superior Court of Justice).
  12. ^ Mackenzie, Robert (11 August 2012). "Clean Train Coalition seeks judicial review to stop diesel trains along Air-Rail Link". Transit Toronto. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  13. ^ "Is Toronto's air-rail link the priciest in North America?". BlogTO. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  14. ^ "Georgetown South Projected Train Volumes and Speeds" (PDF). GO Transit. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.