Construction of the Ontario Line is now underway along the entire route.
The provincial government announced on Wednesday that work has begun on the Don Valley Crossing Bridge and the West Don Crossing Bridge, which will carry Ontario Line trains across the Don Valley towards the downtown core.
The Ontario Line is part of the Ford administration’s plan to inject nearly $70 billion into Ontario’s transit infrastructure, making it the largest transit expansion in North America and in Canadian history, the government says. The investment also includes the construction and expansion of existing and new highways, including highway 413.
READ MORE:‘Getting it done,’ Ford says Hwy. 413 work is underway but many residents are unimpressed
At a press conference in East York on Wednesday, Ford said the announcement marked a “huge milestone” for the project.
“We’re gonna build 33 lines, we’re gonna double the size of the transit system here in Toronto and the GTA,” he continued.
According to the provincial government, the Ontario Line will cut commute times for hundreds of thousands of commuters on a daily basis and put 230,000 Toronto residents within walking distance of “fast and convenient” public transport.
Mayor Chow echoed Ford’s sentiments during the press conference.
“The Ontario line will transform our city, it stretches across Toronto connecting different neighbourhoods,” she said.
It will have 15 stations, running from Exhibition Place to Don Mills and more than 40 connections to other transit services which should take thousands of cars off the roads every day, according to Chow.
The Ontario Line route will exit an underground tunnel on the east side of the Don Valley at Minton Place, it will then travel over the valley on the new Don Valley Crossing and West Don Crossing bridges which will connect to elevated tracks through Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park.
Premier Ford also emphasized the role the line will play in bolstering economic growth in Toronto and beyond.
This region alone generates 50 per cent of Ontario’s GDP, he told reporters, while Toronto has more construction cranes, 221 to be exact, than all major U.S. cities combined, he added.
“That’s why we need to build more transit, to keep people moving,” Ford said.
He also said “tremendous progress” has been made on the Scarborough subway extension and the Yonge north subway extension.
The announcement comes alongside news that the city’s Eglinton crosstown LRT, which is already delayed by four years, might not open this year.
Ford said at the press conference that various safety checks and tests still need to be run.
Moreover, Metrolinx has stated in the past that it would give the public three months heads up when the line was ready to open, but it is yet to do so, suggesting the line will not be ready until 2025.
“We inherited the nightmare on Eglinton…it’s our responsibility,” Ford said, before confirming that operators are currently being trained.
Meanwhile, the planned opening for the Ontario Line is in 2031.
