A pair of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have started tunnelling 40m beneath city streets, carving out twin tunnels and connecting six new underground subway stations for downtown Toronto, Canada.
Libby, named after Toronto's Liberty Village neighbourhood, started first, and will be followed by Corkie, named after Corktown. They will tunnel for 6km to the west of the Don River.
Libby and Corkie will break through underground station caverns for six new Ontario Line stations at King and Bathurst, Queen and Spadina, Osgoode, Queen, Moss Park and in Corktown. These sites will bring more lines to downtown Toronto, connecting existing TTC Line 1 stations at Osgoode and Queen.
After tunnelling, the launch shaft east of Exhibition Station will be converted to a tunnel portal where Ontario Line trains will move between above- and below-ground tracks. A similar portal is taking shape in the Don Yard, where Libby and Corkie will finish their journeys.
The downtown area is the first of two tunnelled Ontario Line sections. The second set of tunnels will run largely below Pape Avenue, starting just north of Gerrard Station and ending where Minton Place meets the Don Valley Parkway. Work started last summer on the second tunnel launch shaft for the line, situated at Gerrard and Carlaw.
Stations are now fully excavated at King and Bathurst, Moss Park and in Corktown and will be complete at Queen and Spadina in the near future.
Once complete, the Ontario Line will serve nearly 400,000 trips every day between Exhibition Place and Line 5 Eglinton at Don Mills Road, with over 40 connections to other transit lines along the way.
When complete, it will be the city's newest subway in more than 60 years and potentially the most expensive.
The Government of Canadam which is leading the project's construction through Metrolinx, is investing more than CAN $4 billion in the new line, the single largest federal public transit investment in Toronto.
"The Ontario Line will help to transform the GTA, making it faster and easier for residents to reach home, school, or work. By working together we are building the first new subway line in Toronto in decades, and we are thrilled to see progress continue," said The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure.
The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation added: "Today is a major milestone for Toronto. This project will connect communities, cut commute times, reduce congestion, and make everyday life more affordable and efficient for hundreds of thousands of people. Our government is proud to invest more than $4 billion in the Ontario Line as part of the largest public transit investment the federal government has ever made in the Greater Toronto Area. This is what building for the future looks like."
