Next week, city councillors and senior staff in Mississauga will further discuss a plan to establish a rapid transit system along Derry Road in the city’s northern area.

Sam Rogers, Mississauga’s transportation and works commissioner, will present a report at Wednesday’s general committee meeting, advocating for Derry Road to be designated as the next priority corridor for higher-order transit, such as bus rapid transit (BRT) or light-rail transit (LRT). Rogers’ report highlights the urgent need for a dedicated transit route on Derry Road.

“Derry Road connects residential neighborhoods in northwest Mississauga with employment areas near the airport in the northeast,” Rogers explains in the report, recommending it be prioritized for a new east-west transit route. He also notes that a staff study has identified Derry Road as a critical transit corridor serving essential businesses, services, and workers.

The proposed rapid transit route would run from Winston Churchill Boulevard in the west, linking to the Hazel McCallion Line LRT system on Hurontario Street, Malton GO station, and potentially connecting to Toronto Pearson Airport, as well as the Eglinton Crosstown West and Finch West LRTs.

The report further reveals that Derry Road is the third-busiest transit corridor in Mississauga, following Hurontario Street and Dundas Street, with around 101,000 weekly boardings. It is also the most overcrowded route in the MiWay network, surpassing both Hurontario and Dundas streets in 2024.

“The demand on Derry Road exceeds the current capacity, even with larger articulated buses,” Rogers notes in the report.

While Derry Road is being proposed as the next priority for rapid transit, the report acknowledges that Mississauga has other pressing transit priorities outlined in the 2025 federal and provincial pre-budget submissions. These include:

Extension of the Dundas BRT

Implementation of two-way, all-day GO service on the Milton Line

Construction of a new MiWay transit facility to support expanded service

Securing operating funding for the Hazel McCallion LRT

Rogers adds that since Derry Road is still under the jurisdiction of the Region of Peel, Mississauga staff will collaborate with the region on planning and designing the future rapid transit system.

If the plan is approved by city councillors, further studies on the Derry Road proposal will begin in the coming months.

Other potential east-west rapid transit routes under consideration include Eglinton Avenue (from Winston Churchill Boulevard to Renforth Station) and Burnhamthorpe Road (from Erindale GO station to the Toronto border).