Union Pearson Express
The Union Pearson Express 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. The UP Express travels between Union and Pearson in 28 minutes departing every 15 minutes, seven days a week. At the launch announcement, it was stated that the UP Express was projected to carry 2.35million passengers annually and eliminate approximately 1.2million car trips in the first year. As of 2019, it carried 4.5 million passengers annually.
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. 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. UP Express uses diesel multiple unit trains that meet United States Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 emission standards. Metrolinx plans to electrify the UP Express along with the Kitchener line, as well as use a unified train set with the rest of the GO network, although as of 2019, the project was still in its early stages. 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.
The Union Pearson Express' maximum operating speed is, and its average speed is. The line initially operated with four stations but a fifth was added in November 2025.
History
Early proposals
Improved transit connections to Pearson Airport had been of interest since the late 1980s. Before pursuing the airport rail link, three formal studies were conducted, in 1989, 1990 and 1991. The last two presented options for either making a connection from the GO Georgetown train line or the Toronto Transit Commission's Bloor–Danforth line.SNC-Lavalin era
made a request for proposal for an airport rail link in April 2001. In May 2003, the bidding parties were shortlisted to four consortia, who were invited to submit business cases. On 13 November 2003, the Union Pearson AirLink Group, a subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin, was selected to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain an airport rail link. The service was to be called Blue22, as a trip would take 22 minutes to or from Pearson with a stop at the Bloor GO Station. Trains were to be refurbished Budd Rail Diesel Cars and were expected to begin running between 2008 and 2010.By 2008, there had not been significant progress on the project because of failed consensus in negotiations, regulatory hurdles and community opposition. In June 2008, the Ontario government revised the environmental assessment process from a required three-year period to six months, and later that summer it resumed negotiations with Union Pearson AirLink Group on terms for a public-private partnership. Furthermore, the high-speed link received public statements of strong support from Premier of Ontario Dalton McGuinty, Toronto Mayor David Miller and the federal government.
In November 2008, Metrolinx, the Ontario government agency for Greater Toronto and Hamilton transportation, released its regional transportation plan titled The Big Move, outlining how an airport rail link was part of a strategy to establish multi-directional high-order transit connectivity to the Pearson Airport district, in addition to the Mississauga Transitway, rapid transit corridors along Highways 427 and 407, and light rail transit lines along Eglinton and Finch Avenues. In December 2008, Metrolinx became the proponent of new EA that would simultaneously assess a combination of both the UP Express and GO Transit's Georgetown South expansion. The final Environmental Project Report was released on 30 July 2009.
Metrolinx takeover
After two years of failed negotiations and financing difficulties, the public-private partnership between Ontario and the Union Pearson AirLink Group was called off in July 2010, and Metrolinx was handed responsibility to directly own and operate the service. Metrolinx established the new operating division that would become Union Pearson Express. Until November 2012, when the official name was announced, the name "Air Rail Link" was used as a placeholder name; "UPX" was an occasionally used acronym.Metrolinx largely preserved the same project scope as had been approved in the environmental assessment, with the service designed for air travellers rather than for conventional commuters. Changes from SNC Lavalin's former proposal included refinements to take into account synergies with GO Transit. Metrolinx engaged Sumitomo Corporation of America to supply Diesel Multiple Units for the line. Kathy Haley was named the first president of the division in July 2011.
Construction
In October 2011, the consortium AirLinx Transit Partners was selected to complete building the UP Express. The consortium was made up of some of Canada's largest construction companies such as Aecon and Dufferin Construction. Construction on the spur line and passenger station at Pearson airport began in the spring of 2012, at a cost of $128.6million. At the time, the entire project was expected to cost $456million.Undertaken as part of the Georgetown South Project, the work consisted of five new road overpasses and two road underpasses, one railway grade separation, one bridge reconstruction and the widening of 15 other bridges, construction or re-construction of four stations, major track and grading construction, signal installations utility relocations, as well as the new elevated spur to and from the airport. The work was conducted while minimizing disruption to existing train operations, local residents and businesses. A new rail tunnel under Highway 401 was still required at a later date to meet future ridership demands. Construction of tunnels for two tracks began in July 2019 and is expected to be completed in late 2021.
Initial operation
Service began on 6 June 2015, operated by the Union Pearson Express division of Metrolinx. With an adult one-way fare of $27.50 cash or $19.00 with a Presto card, the service was criticized for being the most expensive airport rail link service in North America. Amid public concern, fares were drastically reduced on 9 March 2016 to $12.00 cash and $9.00 with a Presto card. The change also introduced GO pricing between Bloor, Weston, and Union stations. President Kathy Haley, who was heading up the project, stepped down on 31 March 2016, in a shakeup of the ranks that resulted in changes to the line's management approach.In 2017, the Discounted Double Fare program was introduced, which offered UP Express and GO Transit customers a discount of $1.50 when transferring to or from the Toronto Transit Commission, equal to a 50 percent reduction of the $3.00 TTC cash fare at the time. The arrangement ended in March 2020 when the Government of Ontario terminated funding for the program.
On 16 November 2025, a fifth station at opened.
Service
Union Pearson Express operates every 15 minutes between 4:55am and 1:00am, making approximately 80 trips per day.Route
From Union Station, the UP Express heads northwest along the existing GO Transit Kitchener line. This section of track between Bathurst Street and Highway 427 was upgraded as part of GO's Georgetown South Project, which improved infrastructure along the route to accommodate the UP Express, GO Transit, Canadian National, and Via Rail services. The UP Express makes three intermediate stops at Bloor,, and Weston GO stations. Bloor station was redesigned for better access and connection to GO Transit, and Metrolinx is constructing a direct connection to the Dundas West subway station.Beyond Highway 427, a newly constructed rail spur carries the UP Express from the Kitchener line to the airport, forming the longest elevated rail line in Ontario. The elevated spur to Pearson Airport reaches a maximum height of, offering a view of the Downtown Toronto and Mississauga City Centre skylines. At Pearson, the UP Express arrives at Terminal 1, where riders can transfer to the airport's Terminal Link people mover to connect with Terminal 3 and the Viscount parking garage.
Stations
At Toronto Union Station, UP Express operates from a dedicated platform in the station's west wing along the SkyWalk. The platform is fully enclosed and features a waiting area, a guest services desk, café, gift shop, and lounge.At Bloor, Mount Dennis, and Weston stations, UP Express operates from dedicated high-level platforms adjacent to the GO Transit Kitchener line low-level platforms.
Woodbine GO Station, which is under construction, will also service UP Express when completed.
Rolling stock
The Union Pearson Express uses Nippon Sharyo DMU trains. The fleet consists of 18 diesel multiple unit cars, as four three-car and three two-car sets. Initially, on 1 March 2011, Metrolinx announced that it had chosen to buy 12 DMU cars from Nippon Sharyo at a cost of $53million, for the service. This was later expanded to 18 DMU cars. This brought the cost to million. The DMUs were manufactured in Japan, assembled in Nippon Sharyo's facility in Rochelle, Illinois, and towed by rail to Toronto, with the first trainset arriving on 15 August 2014.The trainsets seat between 115 and 173 people. On-board features include power outlets, Wi-Fi, luggage facilities, and washrooms.
The UP Express DMUs are based on the design created for the Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit system in California. Powered by a diesel hydraulic drive with a six-speed automatic transmission and regenerative braking, the DMUs are believed to be the first trains in the world that comply with the United States Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 emission standards, which will reduce emissions up to 90%. Braking energy is converted into electricity by the auxiliary power generator, and helps to provide onboard lighting and heating. They also comply with FRA Tier 1 crash energy management features. Modifications for UP Express use include enclosed overhead luggage bins that comply with Transport Canada rules and an enhanced enclosed luggage tower.