| Work Detail |
The Government of Ontario announced excavation has started on the launch shaft for the Ontario Line subway tunnels at Exhibition Station.
“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 MP Ahmed Hussen. “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.
“By preparing the launch shaft, we’ll soon be able to start tunnelling the Ontario Line. By building fast, underground transit, we’re providing people with more options and reducing gridlock. Our government is also seizing a unique opportunity to create vibrant, mixed-use communities known as transit-oriented communities (TOCs), which will bring more housing, jobs, retail and community amenities. These TOCs will be all along the Ontario Line and will create more than 13,000 new homes,” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. |
