Ontario Construction Report staff writer
The Ontario government has broken ground on a three-kilometre elevated guideway and four new stations for the Ontario Line, marking what officials call a major milestone in the province’s transit expansion plans.
Premier Doug Ford said the project is part of a $70-billion investment in public transit aimed at creating jobs, reducing gridlock and cutting commute times across the Greater Toronto Area.
“The Ontario Line will be a game-changer for GTA residents, cutting travel times across Toronto and offering more than 40 convenient connections to other transit services across the region,” Ford said at a groundbreaking event.
Construction is underway on the elevated section that will link Don Valley, Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park stations. The raised guideway will carry trains up to 14 metres above street level, beginning at the west end of Overlea Boulevard in Thorncliffe Park and running north to Don Valley Station at Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East.
The province said the new stretch of line will bring about 30,500 people within walking distance of a subway stop and improve access to roughly 14,800 jobs.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the Ontario Line is central to the government’s transit plan and will help keep thousands employed during construction.
Ground has also been broken at Cosburn Station, which will provide a new subway connection to the Pape Village area and is expected to shorten commutes for more than 10,000 people.
Once complete, the 15.6-kilometre line will feature 15 stations, running from Exhibition Place through downtown Toronto and connecting to the Line 5 Eglinton at Don Mills Road.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the project will bring more residents within walking distance of transit and help ease road congestion. She said the city will continue working with the province to deliver affordable and reliable transit service.
The province said it will cover more than 80 per cent of the Ontario Line’s capital construction costs as part of what it describes as the largest expansion of public transit in North America.
The federal government is contributing more than $4 billion toward construction. Julie Dabrusin, speaking on behalf of Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, said the project will improve connectivity and productivity in Canada’s largest city.
The Ontario Line is expected to support about 4,700 jobs annually during construction and accommodate nearly 390,000 daily boardings once operational. The province said the line will reduce rush-hour crowding at the Toronto Transit Commission’s Bloor-Yonge station by up to 22 per cent and cut travel times from Thorncliffe Park to downtown Toronto from about 40 minutes to 25 minutes.
The project is part of the province’s broader transit expansion plan, which also includes the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and the Yonge North Subway Extension.