Toronto is looking to follow in the footsteps of several other North American cities with proposals to deck over the top of railway lines in the city in order to create a future development site.
Named the Rail Deck Park, the city has produced plans for a new city park above Toronto’s western rail corridor, which runs from Bathurst Street to Blue Jays Way.
Similar solutions have been used in New York and Chicago. The City of Vancouver has also recently purchased the Arbutus rail corridor for a similar project.
Mayor John Tory said: “Great cities have great parks. As Toronto grows, we need to take bold action to create public space and make sure we build a city that makes future generations proud.
“This is our last chance to secure a piece of land that could transform the way we experience our city.”
The next step will require the city to acquire the air rights above the 21-acre site.
