Toronto transit plans get boost as council approves key recommendations

Mayor John Tory called it a great day for transit in Toronto after city council approved several recommendations including a preferred corridor for the downtown relief line on Thursday.

By a large margin, council voted to go forward with the executive committee's recommendations on the following files related tothe relief line, Tory's SmartTrack plan, the Scarborough subway as well as transit on the waterfront.

• Eastern Gardiner redevelopment plan approved by city council

"This plan brings together all transit projects currently under study into one plan," Tory tweeted on Thursday evening.

The proposed downtown relief line has been under discussion off and on in Toronto for decades. It's supposed to provide another route for commutersfrom thesuburbs into Toronto's downtown and provide much-needed relief to the overcrowded Yonge-University-Spadina line.

A city document laying out the recommendations said they set the stage for upcoming discussions on funding and financing new transit in the city.

Among the approved recommendations, council voted to: