Viva Blue

Viva Blue
Overview
System York Region Transit
Operator Tok Transit
Vehicle Van Hool AG300
Nova Bus LF Series (articulated)
Status Phase 1
Began service September 4, 2005.
Route
Locale York Region, Ontario
Communities served Newmarket; Aurora; Richmond Hill; Markham; Vaughan
Start Newmarket Bus Terminal
Via Richmond Hill Centre Terminal Bernard Terminal
End Finch Bus Terminal
Service
Frequency

Weekends: 20 mins north of Bernard Terminal; 10 mins south of Bernard Terminal

Weekdays: 15 mins north of Bernard Terminal; 7.5 mins south of Bernard Terminal
Zone(s) 2 Zones
Fare 2.50 dollars when pre-paid
Cash 4 dollars
Transfers YRT TTC
←   →
A Viva Blue bus enters the Richmond Hill Centre station.
Viva Blue bus 5203 at Finch Bus Terminal, bound for Newmarket.

Viva Blue, or the Finch/Richmond Hill/Aurora/Newmarket line,[1] or the Yonge St. Corridor Line is a line on the Viva bus rapid transit system in York Region, north of Toronto, Canada. It is operated by Tok Transit, under contract from the York Region Transit. This is the busiest and the longest YRT/Viva bus route in the York Region Transit network.

List of stations

There are twenty-five stations on the Viva Blue line (from north to south):

Viva Blue[2]
Name Opening Date City / Town Zone Major Connections
East Gwillimbury GO Station TBA Newmarket North GO Transit
Green Lane TBA Newmarket North
Bristol TBA Newmarket North
Newmarket Terminal November 20, 2005 Newmarket North Viva Yellow, GO Transit
Eagle November 20, 2005 Newmarket North
Mulock November 20, 2005 Newmarket North
Savage September 6, 2009 Newmarket North
Orchard Heights November 20, 2005 Aurora North
Wellington November 20, 2005 Aurora North
Golf Links November 20, 2005 Aurora North
Henderson November 20, 2005 Aurora North
Bloomington November 20, 2005 Aurora/Richmond Hill Fare-Change
Regatta February 23, 2014 Richmond Hill Fare-Change
King November 20, 2005 Richmond Hill Fare-Change
Jefferson November 16, 2008 Richmond Hill South
19th-Gamble November 20, 2005 Richmond Hill South
Bernard September 4, 2005 Richmond Hill South
Elgin Mills September 4, 2005 Richmond Hill South
Crosby September 4, 2005 Richmond Hill South
Major Mackenzie September 4, 2005 Richmond Hill South
Weldrick September 4, 2005 Richmond Hill South
16th-Carrville September 4, 2005 Richmond Hill South
Bantry-Scott September 4, 2005 Richmond Hill South
Richmond Hill Centre September 4, 2005 Richmond Hill South Viva Purple, Viva Pink, GO Transit (Langstaff)
Royal Orchard September 4, 2005 Markham/Vaughan South Viva Pink
Centre St. September 4, 2005 Markham/Vaughan South Viva Pink
Clark September 4, 2005 Markham/Vaughan South Viva Pink
Steeles September 4, 2005 Markham/Vaughan South Viva Pink
Finch Terminal# September 4, 2005 North York South Viva Pink, Yonge-University-Spadina (Finch), GO Transit

Service from Finch Station to Bernard began on September 4, 2005. Service north of Bernard to Newmarket Terminal began November 20, 2005.

Passengers travelling between north of Bloomington and south of King must pay a two-zone fare; all others, including those starting or stopping at one of those stations, only pay for one zone.

There is also a Viva Blue Short Turn route operating from Finch Station to Bernard. According to the original environmental assessments, it is also known as the Finch-Richmond Hill line.

Future

In the future, the Yonge Street transit corridor may be served by an extension of the Yonge subway line from Finch Station to Richmond Hill Centre. North of Richmond Hill Centre, Viva Blue will have its own dedicated rapidway for most of the route from Richmond Hill Centre north to Green Lane, and along Davis Drive and Green Lane east from Yonge Street to Highway 404 and East Gwillimbury GO Station, respectively, enabling Viva buses to quickly pass through traffic. Eventually, the entire portion of rapidway will also be upgraded to allow light rail transit on this corridor.

Originally, the southern portion of the Yonge Street rapidway was to be implemented from 19th Avenue to Finch Station, but since the announcement of MoveOntario 2020 by the Ontario provincial government, proposals of the portion of rapidway from Richmond Hill Centre to Finch Station have been shelved for the subway extension on Yonge Street. While ridership on the Richmond Hill portion of Viva Blue is high for a suburban transit system, capacity constraints on the existing subway system prevent the Yonge Subway line from being extended into York Region. Alternatively (or concurrently), GO Transit plans to run express trains between Union Station in downtown Toronto, and its Langstaff train station adjacent to YRT's Richmond Hill Centre terminal daily.

The initial phase of VivaNext brings a rapidway along the portion of Viva Blue from Richmond Hill Centre to 19th Avenue/Gamble Road and from Mulock Drive to Davis Drive on Yonge Street, as well as one along Davis Drive east from Yonge Street to Highway 404. Stations along the rapidway will be lengthened and include heated shelters protected from the elements. Later phases will amalgamate the two separate rapidways into one continuous rapidway along Yonge Street from Richmond Hill Centre newly extended to Green Lane, bring a rapidway along Green Lane east from Yonge Street to East Gwillimbury GO Station, and extend the Yonge subway from Finch Station to Richmond Hill Centre. Stations along the subway would conform to the existing subway system.

The stations are as follows, from north to south (on Yonge Street), and from west to east (on Davis Drive and Green Lane):

Along the Green Lane rapidway (from Yonge Street)

Along the Davis Drive rapidway (from Yonge Street)

Along the Yonge Street rapidway

Along the Yonge Street subway

An online survey asked riders what stations they would like built along this portion of the subway. The station at Royal Orchard Boulevard was picked out of two possible locations serving the Thornhill's historic district, the other location being at Centre Street. This was because the station would have a decreased impact on the historic district.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Viva System Map 2014" (PDF). York Region Transit. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  2. ↑ http://www.vivanext.com/project-map/
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