Canada’s Ontario government has broken ground on the final tunnel section of the $4.7bn Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, marking another significant milestone in the province’s plan to deliver a new transit line from Scarborough to Mississauga.
Once complete, the 9km line will connect seven new stations to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, making travel faster and more convenient, while bringing more than 37,500 people within a 10-minute walk of world-class transit.
Crews have just started excavating the twin 500m tunnels under Eglinton Avenue West, from Jane Street to the future Mount Dennis Station using the sequential excavation method, advancing one to two metres per day.
The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension is being constructed by WestEnd Connectors Construction, consisting of Dragados Canada, Inc., Aecon Infrastructure Management Inc., and Ghella Canada Ltd.
Last June, the teams completed bored tunnelling on the western underground portion of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension from Renforth Drive to Scarlett Road. TBMs Rexy and Renny completed the twin parallel tunnels stretching 6.3km from Renforth Drive in Mississauga to west of Scarlett Road in Etobicoke, where the LRT will transition to a 1.5km elevated guideway, currently under construction.
The extension will add seven additional stations to the 25 already planned for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
Ontario is investing nearly $70bn over the next decade in public transit, including the largest subway expansion in Canadian history: the Ontario Line, the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and the Yonge North Subway Extension.
“Better public transit means Torontonians can get to work, school and appointments faster. The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension will make life easier for residents of Etobicoke, York and Midtown Toronto – meaning thousands of people will enjoy faster commutes,” said Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto. “The city’s strong partnership working together with the province is building more transit for the people of Toronto.”
The new transit line will connect riders to regional transit services, including the UP Express, GO Transit, TTC and MiWay, where they can benefit from the province’s “One Fare” program and transfer for free. Combined with the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, the extension will cut commute times between popular destinations like Yonge and Eglinton and Square One by up to 24 minutes per trip.
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