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Toronto's Metrolinx recently released a draft plan that calls for spending $50 billion during the next 25 years to improve and expand public transportation and infrastructure.

"The Big Move: Transforming Transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area" includes more than 700 miles of new rapid transit lines and other measures to more than double the number of transit trips taken annually. Once the plan is fully implemented, 75 percent of area residents will live within a mile of transit service vs. today's 42 percent.

Next month, Metrolinx will hold a series of public meetings to outline and gather feedback on the proposal, as well as discuss financial plans. Some projects could be advanced next year through the MoveOntario 2020 program. Metrolinx expects to release a final plan later this year.

Created by the Ontario government in 2006, Metrolinx is charged with developing a plan to integrate the Toronto metropolitan area's transportation network and establishing investment priorities.