Premier Doug Ford says work is officially underway on all parts of the new Ontario Line subway in Toronto, a project that is expected to massively expand public transit capacity in the city.
“This is a huge milestone for this new subway line,” Ford said Wednesday.
The province said Wednesday that work has begun under the final contract to build the Don Valley Crossing Bridge and the West Don Crossing Bridge.
“These bridges will carry Ontario Line trains across the Don Valley toward the downtown core, cutting transit times in half for families and workers across the line,” Ford said. “This final contract means that construction is now underway along the entire Ontario line. This is a huge milestone for this new subway line, a huge milestone for the hundreds of thousands of riders who will use it each and every day.”
Trains on the line will exit an underground tunnel on the east side of the Don Valley at Minton Place, south of the Leaside Bridge. They will then travel over the valley on the new Don Valley Crossing and West Don Crossing bridges, connecting to elevated guideways through Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park.
Elsewhere along the line, excavation has already begun at King-Bathurst, Moss Park and Queen-Spadina stations and ground has been broken at Pape Station. Excavation is set to begin soon at Corktown and Osgoode stations.
Speaking alongside Ford, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the line “will transform our city.”
The 15.6 kilometre-line will eventually have 15 stops, running from the former Scince Centre at Eglinton Avenue and Don Mills Road, to Exhibition Place at the waterfront. It was announced in 2019 and is expected to be complete by 2031.
While the cost of the line was originally pegged at $10.9 billion, it is now estimated to cost around $27.2 billion, with some $5.5 billion already having been spent so far.
Team working ‘day and night’ to finish Eglinton Crosstown
Ford was also asked questions about the still-unclear opening date for the long-overdue Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
When Metrolinx missed the last completion target a year ago, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster said he would provide a three-month heads-up when the agency is certain that the line will be ready to open. With three months left in the year, Ford was asked to confirm that the line won’t open this year either.
“I’m first to admit -- was there problems? Yeah, there’s problems, but we’re going to get it done and get it done safely,” Ford said.
He said his government “inherited the nightmare” of the Crosstown when it came to power in 2018 and added that the pandemic caused further delays.
However he said he remains “a big fan” of Verster.
“We hold them accountable, Metrolinx, all the time,” Ford said. “But I’m a fan of Phil (Verster), I am. The guy, what he has done, and it’s not just Phil, it’s the senior management team, the frontline workers.”
Ford added that “this is no easy task that we put on his back.”
At another news conference, Mayor Chow said the city is ready to operate the LRT and just waiting for the green light.
“I spoke to so many of the local residents that have a beautiful station in front of them, and it’s so tempting. It’s beautiful. They said, ‘My God, when can we open it up?’ It’s disappointing, it’s frustrating, it’s heartbreaking. Please just get it done,” the mayor said.
“Open it because thousands and thousands of riders are ready.”