Province Breaks Ground to Tunnel Ontario Line

Crews preparing for tunnel boring machines to dig from Exhibition Station to the Don Yard

TORONTO – The Ontario government has officially started excavating the launch shaft for the Ontario Line subway tunnels at Exhibition Station, marking another milestone in the province’s plan to slash commute times across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and bring nearly 230,000 people within walking distance of public transit.

“It’s been more than 60 years since the first subway tunnels were built in downtown Toronto,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’re getting the Ontario Line done to tackle gridlock and increase access to fast, reliable and affordable transit for millions of people across the GTA.”

The 16-metre-deep launch shaft will be the starting point for two tunnel boring machines that will dig six kilometres east, from Exhibition Station to the Don Yard, west of the Don River. Once tunnelling is complete, the launch shaft will be repurposed as a tunnel portal where Ontario Line trains will transition from above to below ground.

“The Ontario Line subway is part of one of the biggest partnerships to construct public transportation in Canadian history,” said the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. “Work is progressing and today’s groundbreaking is another step toward affordable, reliable and quick public transit for Torontonians.”

Exhibition Station will be a vital transit hub, serving both the future subway and existing GO rail customers. A trip across the city from Exhibition Place to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Don Mills Road will take 30 minutes or less compared to the hour and 10 minutes it takes today. The Ontario Line will offer more than 40 connections to other subway, bus, streetcar and regional train services, bringing hundreds of thousands more people within walking distance of transit.

As part of the Transportation Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the government is delivering Ontario’s priority transit projects, which include the largest subway expansion in Canadian history – the Ontario Line, the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and the Yonge North Subway Extension.

Quick Facts

In 1959, crews began construction on the segment of Line 1 that runs under University Avenue between Union and St. George stations. In 1962, work began on the first section of Line 2, which stretched between Keele and Woodbine stations, the last time subway tunnelling was started through the downtown core.
The 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line will have 15 stations, running from Exhibition Place through the downtown core and connecting to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Don Mills Road.
During peak periods like the morning rush hour, the Ontario Line will reduce crowding by up to 15 per cent on the busiest stretch, between Bloor-Yonge and Wellesley on the TTC’s Line 1.
The Ontario Line will support 4,700 jobs annually during construction over the next ten years.
Ontario is investing nearly $70 billion over the next decade to build public transit. This includes the largest subway expansion in Canadian history – the Ontario Line, the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and the Yonge North Subway Extension.
The new Canada Public Transit Fund (CPTF) will provide an average of $3 billion a year of permanent federal funding to respond to local transit needs by enhancing integrated planning, improving access to public transit and active transportation and supporting the development of more affordable, sustainable and inclusive communities.