Viva Blue

     VIVA Blue
Overview
Type Bus Rapid Transit
System YRT/VIVA 1system
Status Phase 1
Locale York Region, Ontario
(Newmarket; Aurora; Richmond Hill; Markham; Vaughan)
Toronto (North York)
Termini Newmarket Terminal
Finch Station
Stations 24
Operation
Opened September 4, 2005.
Owner Regional Municipality of York (York Region Transit)
Operator(s) Veolia Transportation
Route map

Viva Blue, or the Finch/Richmond Hill/Newmarket line, is a line on the Viva bus rapid transit system in York Region, north of Toronto, Canada. It is operated by Connex Transportation, under contract from the Region of York.

Contents

List of all stations

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

Viva Blue
Name Opening Date City / Town Zone Major Connections
Newmarket Terminal November 20, 2005 Newmarket North GO Transit
Eagle
Mulock
Savage September 6, 2009
Orchard Heights November 20, 2005 Aurora
Wellington
Golf Links
Henderson
Bloomington Aurora/Richmond Hill Fare-Change
King Richmond Hill
Jefferson November 16, 2008 South
19th-Gamble November 20, 2005
Bernard September 4, 2005
Elgin Mills
Crosby
Major Mackenzie
Weldrick
16th-Carrville
Bantry-Scott
Richmond Hill Centre Viva Pink, Viva Purple, GO Transit
Royal Orchard Markham/Vaughan Viva Pink
Centre Viva Pink
Clark Viva Pink
Steeles Viva Pink
Finch Station Toronto Viva Pink, Yonge subway, GO Transit, Brampton 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, operating entirely at peak periods only. According to the original environmental assessments, it is also known as the Finch-Richmond Hill line.

vivaNext

In the future, the Viva Blue line, as the Yonge Street transit corridor, may have its own subway from Richmond Hill Centre south to Finch Station, as part of the Toronto Transit Commission's Yonge subway extension. 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, as well as extend the Yonge subway from Finch Station to Richmond Hill Centre. Stations along the subway would conform to the pre-existing subway system.

The list of 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.

Service frequency

As of February 27, 2011:

In 2010, YRT introduced a new service during peak hours that bypasses the Richmond Hill Centre terminal to save up to 10 minutes of travel time, intended to replace GO Transit's cancelled limited-stop express service. Buses signed "VIVA Blue A" run southbound in the morning rush hour and northbound in the afternoon rush hour, approximately every 12 minutes.

At rush hour from Richmond Hill Centre to Finch Station, Viva Blue interlines with Viva Pink, providing even higher frequencies (YRT advertises 3.5 minute average)

Saturday service- every 10 minutes Sunday service- every 14 minutes

Travel times

As of September 3, 2006:

These results will vary depending on the traffic volume and weather.