← Back to works
Design Audit

Metrolinx Design Audit

Auditing Ontario's transit agency through the lenses of strategic planning, efficiency, and inclusiveness.

Exploring the ways in which Metrolinx is falling short on their social responsibility at the level of ecological sustainability and social sustainability.

Context
Metrolinx · Group Project
Focus
Transit Design · Sustainability · Accessibility · Strategic Planning
Year
2024
Metrolinx Design Audit — Title
2006
Founded
400K+
Trains & Buses
100M+
Annual Passengers
3
Brands: GO, PRESTO, UP
TL;DR

Each section opens with a one-paragraph summary. Tap Read more to expand the supporting visuals and detail.

01 /

The Overview

As an agency of the Government of Ontario, Metrolinx's intent is to improve the coordination and integration of all modes of transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Their mission: to champion, develop, and implement an integrated transportation system that enhances prosperity, sustainability, and quality of life.

Read morecontext, supporting figures

Representing the largest transportation investment in Ontario's history, Metrolinx operates three key brands — GO Transit, PRESTO, and UP Express — serving over 100 million passengers annually with 400,000+ trains and buses.

Why Metrolinx
Why Metrolinx — Audit framing
Who is Metrolinx
Who Is Metrolinx — Key facts & brands

This design audit explores how Metrolinx is falling short on their social responsibility at the level of ecological and social sustainability — specifically through their models of Efficiency, Inclusiveness, and Strategic Planning — and provides potential solutions.

Impact map — framework of improvement opportunities
Impact Map — A framework of improvement opportunities
Framework 1
Strategic Planning
Why is Union Station the center of the entire network? How does this affect the GTA population not in the downtown core?
Framework 2
Costs & Efficiency
Why is there no price reduction for someone who walks or bikes to the station? Why are they encouraging people to drive?
Framework 3
Inclusiveness
Why is equal importance not placed on people with disabilities? Why is suburban weekend access so limited?
02 /

The Challenge

Framework 1: Strategic Planning. GO Train is an essential service for approximately 219,000 weekly riders, connecting communities from Niagara, Barrie, Milton, Kitchener, and Oshawa to Toronto's Union Station. But while any transit system is more effective at traffic reduction and carbon release than single-rider commutes, Metrolinx continues to neglect a key issue in their sustainability claims.

Read moreresearch findings, supporting figures
Strategic Planning overview
Strategic Planning — GO Train's sustainability gap
Transit oriented communities
TOCs — The pedestrian vs automobile problem

Transit-oriented communities are a great solution to traffic and climate crises, yet Metrolinx has continuously failed to incentivize passengers to walk, bike, or commute to their stations. Instead, Metrolinx builds stations to prioritize automobiles rather than pedestrians. A striking 67% of commuters living outside Toronto use GO Transit to get to work, yet many can only reach stations by driving — defeating the purpose of public transit.

A case study: Bloomington GO station — an $82.4 million project that yielded a three-level parking garage with 1,000 spaces but only a single train platform seeing 4 trains per day. Built in Ontario's Greenbelt, it has zero bus routes running to it — making automotive the only way to access it.
Bloomington GO case study
Case Study — Bloomington GO station analysis
Greenbelt and Richmond Hill line
Greenbelt Impact — Richmond Hill train line

Framework 2: Costs and Efficiency. Metrolinx operates GO Transit, UP Express, and PRESTO — all currently prioritizing the GTA. Getting to stations has become increasingly difficult as suburbs grow. Many commuters in suburbs must drive to stations, contributing to emissions that undercut the transit system's environmental claims.

Costs and efficiency analysis
Costs & Efficiency — Suburban access challenges

Framework 3: Inclusiveness. Despite Metrolinx's stated commitment to accessibility, there are significant gaps. Many GO stations lack adequate ramps, have limited wheelchair access, and offer reduced weekend services that particularly affect people with disabilities and mobility issues who rely on these services.

Inclusiveness — accessibility analysis
Inclusiveness — UN accessibility standards vs Metrolinx reality
03 /

The Process

The audit process involved mapping the full ecosystem of Metrolinx operations, identifying pain points across all three frameworks, and benchmarking against best practices in transit design from around the world. Each framework was examined through primary observation, policy analysis, and case study research.

Read moremethodology, supporting figures

Key issues were categorized across three dimensions of the Metrolinx system:

Union Station CentricElongated Travel TimesToo Much ParkingLimited Bus ConnectionsRemote StationsEncourages DrivingReduced Weekend ServiceLack of RampsLimited Wheelchair AccessUntrained Staff
Strategic planning solutions
Strategic Planning — Solutions for GO Transit sustainability
Costs and efficiency propositions
Costs & Efficiency — Initial propositions for change

For each framework, the team developed evidence-based recommendations that balance environmental sustainability with practical implementation constraints. Research showed that reducing parking requirements from 2:1 to 1:1 could save as much as $2 million per project, while simultaneously increasing space available for residential and mixed-use development — creating more viable transit-oriented communities.

Inclusiveness solutions
Inclusiveness — Practical solutions for Metrolinx
04 /

The Outcome

The audit produced a comprehensive Impact Map of design improvement suggestions that reframes Metrolinx's challenges as actionable opportunities across all three frameworks.

Read moreconcept detail, supporting figures
Impact map — design improvement suggestions
Improved Impact Map — A framework of design improvement suggestions
i.
Connected GTHA
Build infrastructure connecting stations to local bus routes that align with GO Train schedules, reducing car dependency.
ii.
Bike Infrastructure
Convert parking spaces into bike storage and add PRESTO credit incentives for cyclists — $2 credit per bike parking per day.
iii.
Universal Access
Install raised platforms and ramps at all stations, with trained staff available whenever vehicles are running including weekends.
iv.
Transit-Oriented Development
Incentivize zoning and development around existing GO stations, creating walkable communities that reduce the need for automobiles.
v.
Weekend Train Service
Provide train services along all routes on weekends, reducing bus congestion and ensuring efficient travel for all communities.
vi.
Staff Training
Train staff specifically to assist disabled and elderly passengers boarding and exiting, available at all operating hours.
Conclusion
Conclusion — Toward a more sustainable and inclusive Metrolinx
With these solutions, Metrolinx can remain true to their brand's intent — to improve the coordination and integration of all modes of transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, championing a transportation system that truly enhances prosperity, sustainability, and quality of life.