The City is extending phase 2 of LRT further south than originally planned, bringing it closer to Riverside South.

The current blueprint has the Trillium Line stopping at Bowesville Road.

But at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Jim Watson outlined how the City will now take LRT to Earl Armstrong Road.

“This shift brings LRT to the edge of the urban boundary, rather than terminating at a rural area within the greenbelt,” Watson said. “It utilizes more of the existing rail corridor the City already owns and, by doing so, it reduces potential land costs and simplifies construction to allow us to get closer without increasing the price to taxpayers.”

The new station would be nearly a full kilometer closer to Riverside South.

Mayor Jim Watson says the move won't cost any extra and was based on feedback from the public.

“Riverside South is no longer on the outside looking in,” Watson said.

The southern extension of the Trillium Line to the Bowesville Station would include a link to the Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, and is scheduled to be complete by 2021.

Ideally, the city wants to extend LRT even further south to the future town centre development at Limebank Road, but that's a $30 million move that's not affordable in the current budget. The City says that extension would require an amendment to the current environmental assessment for the Trillium Line and an update to the community design plan for Riverside South.

The City says staff will be completing those updates over the summer.