System Vivanext Began service March 6, 2011 ← {{{previous_line}}} {{{system_nav}}} End Warden Avenue | Operator YRT/Viva Stations 14 Province Ontario | |
 | ||
Locale York Region, Ontario
(Vaughan; Richmond Hill; Markham) Start Richmond Hill Centre Terminal Major cities Richmond Hill, Markham, Vaughan | ||
Highway 7 rapidway now open 404 to town centre 2014
The Highway 7 Rapidway in Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada, is a bus rapid transit system that runs from Richmond Hill Centre Terminal in Richmond Hill to Warden Avenue in Markham. There are plans to extend it west to Highway 50 and east to Cornell Terminal. It is served by Viva Purple, Viva Pink, and Viva Green bus routes.
Contents
As the Highway 7 transit corridor, the Viva Purple line will have a dedicated right of way dubbed "rapidway" for most of the route. This will enable Viva buses to quickly pass through traffic.
The first phase of VivaNext brings a rapidway along the portion of Viva Purple from Bayview Avenue to Birchmount road. The rapidway will consist of bus lanes in the median of Highway 7 between Bayview Avenue and Town Centre Boulevard, and a new bus-only road parallel to Enterprise Drive, between Warden Road and Birchmount Road, extending to Kennedy Road in 2018. Stations along the rapidway will be longer than existing stations, and include heated shelters protected from the elements. On March 6, 2011, the first segment of the rapidway from Warden Road to Birchmount Road including the Warden rapidway station opened. On August 18, 2013, the rapidway along Highway 7 opened from Richmond Hill Centre to East Beaver Creek Drive and the subsequent year to Town Centre Boulevard (and to Cedarland on December 28, 2014). Later phases will extend the rapidway west to Highway 50 and east to Cornell Terminal, potentially to the Durham Region border at the York-Durham Line. On February 26, 2017, YRT 77 Highway 7 buses will begin to serve the Creditstone and Keele stations along Highway 7 West Rapidway. After the Spadina subway extension opens, Viva Orange will eventually serve these stations along with the opening of the huge Vaughan Metropolitan Centre rapidway station.
2014-2017 changes
Viva Purple will undergo many changes between 2014 and 2017. With the opening of the Spadina Subway extension, Viva Purple will terminate at Richmond Hill Centre, where passengers can connect to Viva Orange for service to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. Eventually, this corridor could be upgraded to light rail transit.
Stations
There are 14 operating rapidway stations and 26 stations to be added. All stations are built at-grade.
Italics indicate future rapidway station.
Viva Green will be rerouted away from McCowan and Highway 7 as the route will terminate at Bathurst and Major Mackenzie and Viva Orange will be extended west to Highway 50 and east to Richmond Hill Centre.