Within Metropolitan Toronto, the five routes proposed to be built first would both provide access to the downtown core and enhance east-west access through the city, with several of the routes roughly following the path of cancelled expressways. A sixth line was outlined but would be built at a future date.19
A Malvern route would connect Union Station in the south-west to the Malvern area in Scarborough in the north-east, following the rail-corridor in the downtown area, then the Don Valley and through the Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park neighbourhoods before utilising the Gatineau hydro corridor to pass through Scarborough.20 It would connect with the Bloor-Danforth subway at a station envisioned in the Lawrence Avenue East and Kennedy Road area, the proposed Finch route in the north, as well as existing TTC and GO Transit services downtown at Union Station.21
A Don Mills route would branch off the Malvern route just north of Flemingdon Park to follow Don Mills Road northwards to the vicinity of Finch Avenue and Don Mills Road, where it would connect with the proposed Finch route.22
A Malton/Islington route would begin at Union Station in the south-east and follow the Weston rail subdivision northwards before turning west near Eglinton Avenue West to connect with the then Malton Airport.23 This route would roughly follow the cancelled Richview Expressway and proposed southern extension of Highway 400.
A Jane route would branch from the Malton/Islington route just north of Eglinton Avenue to follow Jane Street northwards to the vicinity of Finch Avenue West, where it would connect with the proposed Finch route.24
A crosstown route would branch from the Malton/Islington route in the east and the Malvern route in the west to follow Eglinton Avenue, providing an east-west connection through the city.25 It was proposed to be built underground in the urban areas of the route and would connect with the Yonge and then-planned Spadina subway. This route would roughly follow the cancelled Crosstown Expressway.26
An additional Finch route that was not part of the initial five-line, 56.1-mile plan would branch from the Malton/Islington route near the airport in the west and follow the Finch hydro corridor to the eastern boundary of Metropolitan Toronto, with possible extension to the unbuilt satellite city of Cedarwood located north of Pickering and adjacent to the planned Pickering international airport.27 It would intersect four of the five initially planned lines and provide east-west access in the quickly urbanising areas in the northern part of Metropolitan Toronto.