Launch shaft excavation on Ontario Line begins

The provincial government has announced that excavation of the launch shaft that will be the starting point to tunnel for the Ontario Line subway has officially begun at Exhibition Station.

The PC government first unveiled the almost 16-kilometre, 15-stop Ontario Line in 2019, expanding on the city’s initial Relief Line proposal.

When completed, the line will connect with 40 other transit routes, including GO train lines, TTC subway and streetcar stops, and a new east-west light rail line currently being built.

Metrolinx has pegged the total cost of the project at $27.2 billion. Over $6 billion has been spent so far.

The 16-metre-deep launch shaft being dug will be the starting point for two tunnel-boring machines that will dig six kilometres to the Don Yard.

Once completed, the launch shaft will be repurposed as a tunnel portal where Ontario Line trains will transition from above to below ground.

“Work is progressing, and today’s breaking is another step toward affordable, reliable, and quick public transit for Torontonians,” said Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen on behalf of Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.

Projections show that up to 388,000 people will use the $11-billion Ontario Line daily when it opens in 2031.

“With the station, bridge and above-ground track construction now underway across the route, we are gaining critical momentum on a project that will curb crowding on transit lines and roadways,” added Metrolinx CEO Phil Vestor.