The provincial government announced a groundbreaking plan to expand Ontario’s transit infrastructure on April 10.

At a press conference at Metrolinx’s Willowbrook facility, Premier Doug Ford, Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek and Infrastructure Minister Monte McNaughton announced more than $28 billion in new transit projects.

Leading the way is the Ontario Line, a 16-kilometre, free-standing subway line with approximately 15 stations, that will run from Ontario Place through downtown Toronto to the Ontario Science Centre.

• This line will:
  • be the largest single expansion in Toronto’s subway history
  • twice the length of the proposed Downtown Relief Line (DRL) for approximately the same cost
  • have the same peak capacity as the TTC’s existing Line 1
  • move twice as many people per day as the proposed DRL, with ridership expected to be more than 400,000 people per weekday
  • add 50% more subway capacity to downtown
  • divert as much as 20% of current riders of the TTC’s Line 1 to the Ontario Line
  • bring transit to underserviced priority neighbourhoods like Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park
  • be delivered in 2027
  • cost $10.9 billion

“This is fantastic news for the people of our region,” said Metrolinx President and CEO Phil Verster. “The Ontario Line will be built using proven, modern technologies, international best practices and expertise to deliver an integrated transit network.

“This network will provide important transit connections to underserved communities, like Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park. The new line will get people where they need to go faster than ever before by connecting to the TTC’s existing Line 1, Line 2, the Eglinton Crosstown and to GO Transit.

“By building on the good work already completed by the TTC, we will bring new service to our region as quickly as possible,” Verster said.

The province also announced three other major transit initiatives that will help reshape the Greater Toronto Area.

• The Yonge North Subway Extension, pushing the Yonge subway up into York Region, will cost $5.6 billion and should be open soon after the Ontario Line.
• The Scarborough Subway Extension, will turn the city’s one stop Scarborough extension into a three-stop subway, will cost $5.5 billion and will be delivered before 2030.
• The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension will take transit out toward Pearson airport, cost $4.7 billion and will be delivered before 2031.
• The projects will require a combined $28.5 billion, of which the province has committed $11.2 billion.

“We look forward to continuing to improve transit across the province to reduce congestion and get people moving,” Verster said.