Highway 7 Rapidway

Summary

The Highway 7 Rapidway in York Region, Ontario, Canada, is a bus rapid transit right-of-way that runs from Bruce Street in Vaughan to Birchmount Road in Markham. There are plans to extend it west to Highway 50 and east to Cornell Terminal. It is served by Viva Purple, Viva Pink, and Viva Orange bus routes.

Highway 7 Rapidway
Warden Vivastation
Overview
SystemViva Rapid Transit
OperatorYork Region Transit
Began serviceMarch 6, 2011
Route
LocaleYork Region, Ontario
(Vaughan; Richmond Hill; Markham)
StartWigwoss–Helen
EndBirchmount Road
Stations25
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Route description edit

The Highway 7 Rapidway consists of bus lanes in the median of Highway 7 between Pine Valley Drive in Vaughan and Town Centre Boulevard in Markham. It also includes a bus-only road parallel to Enterprise Drive, between Warden Avenue and Birchmount Road. Stations along the rapidway include heated shelters protected from the elements.

On March 6, 2011, the first segment of the rapidway from Warden Road to Birchmount Road including the Warden Rapidway station opened. On August 18, 2013, the Rapidway along Highway 7 opened from Richmond Hill Centre to East Beaver Creek Drive and the subsequent year to Town Centre Boulevard (and to Cedarland on December 28, 2014).[1]

On February 26, 2017, YRT 77 Highway 7 buses began serving the Creditstone and Keele Rapidway stations. After an extension of the Line 1 Yonge–University subway opened on December 17 that year, Viva Orange began serving Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway station (via a covered on-street rapidway facility) along with Creditstone and Keele stations. Later phases will extend the rapidway west to Highway 50 and east to Cornell Terminal, potentially to the Durham Region border at the York–Durham Line.

Stations edit

 
The Rapidway station at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway station
 
Leslie Street Rapidway station under construction in May 2012
 
Rapidway stations feature heated shelters

There are 25 operating rapidway stations. All stations are built at-grade.

Stations[2]
Name Opening date Municipality Service
Highway 50 TBA Vaughan  
Highway 427
Highway 27
Martin Grove
Kipling
Islington
Wigwoss–Helen November 24, 2019[3][4]
Pine Valley
Ansley Grove
Weston
Commerce
Vaughan Metropolitan Centre December 17, 2017[5]
Creditstone February 26, 2017[6]
Keele
Dufferin January 5, 2020[7]
Taiga
Disera–Promenade
Atkinson
Bathurst September 22, 2019[8]
Richmond Hill Centre Terminal N/A Richmond Hill      
Bayview August 19, 2013[9] Markham,
Richmond Hill
   
Chalmers
Valleymede
West Beaver Creek
Leslie
East Beaver Creek
Allstate Parkway August 24, 2014 Markham
Woodbine
Montgomery
Town Centre
Cedarland January 4, 2015
Warden March 6, 2011
Andre De Grasse TBA
University
Kennedy
Bullock
McCowan
Galsworthy  
Main Street Markham
Wootten Way
Markham Stouffville Hospital
Cornell Terminal

Brampton Transit Züm Route 501 uses the rapidway between the Wigwoss–Helen and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre stations.[10]

Queen Street–Highway 7 BRT edit

Metrolinx exhibits
  Map of Q7BRT route

In January 2023, Metrolinx proposed extending the rapidway 24 kilometres (15 mi) westwards along Highway 7 from Helen Street in Vaughan and continuing along Queen Street in Brampton to terminate at Mississauga Road. This would allow buses to travel in reserved lanes from the west end of Brampton to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. Metrolinx has dubbed the project the Queen Street–Highway 7 BRT or Q7BRT.[11]

References edit

  1. ^ Marshall, Sean (September 12, 2013). "York Region's Rapidways: the good, the bad and the ugly". Spacing Toronto. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  2. ^ "Project Map". vivanext. 2017-09-01.
  3. ^ "Highway 7 West Rapidway Now Open From Commerce To Wigwoss/Helen". www.yrt.ca. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  4. ^ "Hwy 7 West Woodbridge" (PDF). vivanext. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  5. ^ "Changes are coming to Vaughan". Vivanext. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "Hwy 7 West VMC" (PDF). vivanext. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  7. ^ "Viva Bus Rapid Transit Segments Opening in Vaughan and Newmarket". www.vivanext.com. January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  8. ^ "Viva Bus Rapid Transit Segment Opens Three Months Ahead of Schedule on Highway 7 in Richmond Hill and Vaughan". vivaNext. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  9. ^ "Hwy 7 East" (PDF). vivanext. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  10. ^ "501 Zum Queen Eastbound". Brampton Transit. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  11. ^ "Introducing the proposed Queen Street-Highway 7 BRT project". Metrolinx. January 18, 2023. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023.

External links edit