Ontario Line

The proposed Ontario Line will connect the city like never before. It will be more than just a subway to alleviate crowding on TTC Line 1 – it will be a link to communities across Toronto. From east to west, north to south, from Ontario Place to the Ontario Science Centre, there’s never been a connection in the heart of the city like this one will be. Getting downtown from previously underserved areas will be a breeze, and there will be more trains arriving at stations more frequently.

As we prepare for population increases in Toronto and across the GTA, Metrolinx will be building vital, fast, reliable transit solutions to serve everyone across the region.

Where Will the Subway Stop?

With fifteen potential stations between Exhibition Place and Ontario Science Centre and potential links to GO Transit and TTC Lines 1 and 2, the Ontario Line will open up the city for all residents to live, work and play the way they want to, when they want.

More Transit for More Communities - Sooner

The Ontario Line will bring more transit to more in-need communities sooner than previously thought by using a mix of at-grade (surface) track, elevated guideways and underground tunnels. This type of approach comes with many benefits, including:

• Shorter construction timelines, fewer construction impacts – Limiting the amount of tunneling and excavation needed for the project reduces its complexity, which in turn helps reduce construction timelines and property impacts. This will be done by aligning Ontario Line operations within sections of existing above-ground rail corridors in the western and eastern segments of the line, and along elevated structures in the northern segment. In communities like Leslieville, we are also able to streamline our work with GO Expansion plans along the existing rail corridor, which reduces the number of construction zones and related impacts in the surrounding community.
• Faster and more convenient transfers – Customers using above-ground stations will be able to get where they need to go sooner by avoiding lengthy journeys underground and by taking advantage of faster transfers to other surface transit routes. For instance, an underground East Harbour station would have needed to be built nearly 40 metres underground to reach under the Don River. This very deep station would have added 4.5 minutes to each transfer, adding significant time to people’s commutes.
• More rapid transit for more communities – The Ontario Line is able to reach transit-deprived communities sooner than previously thought. These include the growing and vibrant neighbourhoods of Flemingdon Park, Thorncliffe Park, Liberty Village and Fort York.

Running along a mix of above-ground and underground tracks is not a new approach --- the TTC has done this with Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3, and many other transit systems have adopted it to deliver superior rapid transit within impressive timeframes. For example, the majority of stations and tracks for world-class transit services like Vancouver’s SkyTrain network and London, England’s Docklands Light Railway system are above ground. Since those systems began in the 80s, the SkyTrain has become the longest rapid transit system in Canada and the Docklands Light Railway system has grown to nearly 40 kilometres’ worth of track.

Neighbourhood Profiles

Zoom in on the neighbourhoods that matter most to you to find the latest local details on how the Ontario Line is being designed to fit into every community across all four segments of the route:

By the Numbers

(All numbers are approximate, based on current plans for the project)

Aspect	Future
Proposed stations	15
End-to-end journey time	30 minutes or less
Proposed connections to other transit options	Over 40, including: Connections to Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, and Stouffville GO train services Connections to the TTC’s Line 1 and Line 2 subways Connection to Line 5 (Eglinton Crosstown LRT) Connections to streetcar lines at 10 Ontario Line stations Connections to bus services at 12 Ontario Line stations
Route length	~16km
Ridership	388,000 daily boardings
Frequency	As frequent as every 90 seconds during rush hour
Improved access to transit	255,000 more people within walking distance to transit
Improved access to jobs	Up to 47,000 more jobs accessible in 45 minutes or less, on average For lower-income residents, up to 57,000 more jobs accessible in 45 minutes or less
Reductions in rush hour crowding	Up to 22 per cent at Bloor/Yonge Station, or 14,000 fewer people, during the busiest hour Up to 16 per cent at Eglinton Station, or 5,000 fewer people, during the busiest hour Up to 14 per cent at Union Station, or 14,000 fewer people, during the busiest hour
Daily reductions in traffic congestion	28,000 fewer cars on the road
Yearly reductions in fuel consumption	7.2 million litres

FAQs

You’ve got questions and we’ve got answers. Find out about why we’re above ground in certain areas, how we’re limiting property impacts, our process for property acquisition, and other important topics.

Get Involved

We’re committed to keeping you in the loop. While larger, in-person engagement is on hold we’re still available to answer your questions through email, phone, virtual open-houses, and scheduled meetings.

Construction doesn’t start on any part of the Ontario Line until an environmental assessment report is completed, which includes collecting, analyzing and reporting on public feedback. We’ll be doing several environmental assessments for the Ontario Line, including early works reports to cover specific areas of the alignment where construction will start first. A timeline of their targeted release is outlined below.

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For more information about how you can get involved and share your feedback, visit MetrolinxEngage.com/OntarioLine

Recent Developments

February 1, 2021

• Metrolinx released the Final Early Works Report for Exhibition Station after seeking and addressing public feedback on the draft report posted in November 2020. The report provides details on some of the upgrades that will be made at the site along with the impacts and related mitigations that can be expected during construction.

December 17, 2020

• Metrolinx released the Preliminary Design Business Case, which provides a more detailed understanding of the benefits of the project. It builds upon the Initial Business Case, which was released in July 2019.
• Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx issued Requests for Proposals for two major packages of work – one for the Southern Civil, Stations & Tunnels package and one for the Rolling Stock, Systems, Operations and Maintenance package.

November 30, 2020

• Metrolinx released the Draft Early Works Report for Exhibition Station for public feedback. The report provides details on some of the upgrades that will be made at the site along with the impacts and related mitigations that can be expected during construction.
• Metrolinx published the Final Environmental Conditions Report after seeking and addressing public feedback on an earlier draft that was posted on September 17, 2020. The report describes existing environmental conditions within the Ontario Line study area and an initial understanding of potential impacts the project may have, along with recommended mitigations.

In The News

• East York site selected for Ontario Line maintenance and storage facility - April 8, 2021
• Refined Ontario Line plans will better serve communities of Riverside, Leslieville - April 6, 2021
• How Metrolinx is continuing the conversation around the Ontario Line during a time of social distancing - March 30, 2021
• From Copenhagen to Toronto – Looking at a world-class transit example before Ontario Line construction begins - March 23, 2021
• Environmental assessment for the Ontario Line – A thorough review - March 18, 2021

Read more on Metrolinx News…