Subway extension ‘making a big leap forward’
The provincial government has awarded a contract to design and build the twin tunnels for the Yonge North Subway Extension.
“The Yonge North Subway Extension is making a big leap forward by going underground,” says Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “Nothing says the subway is happening more than the tunnel being constructed. The awarding of the tunnelling contract marks a crucial milestone and will begin the construction on the most significant portion of this project. This is great news for York Region’s top transportation priority.”
The contract has been awarded to North End Connectors, who will design and construct the extension’s tunnels. The contract also includes early works construction of support headwalls for future stations and emergency exit buildings. Upon completion, the extension will accommodate more than 90,000 daily trips. It will put 26,000 more people within a 10-minute walk of transit and reduce daily travel times by up to 22 minutes on a trip from Markham to downtown Toronto, the government reports.
Building the Yonge North Subway Extension will generate more than $3.6 billion worth of total economic benefits and support roughly 4,300 jobs during each year of construction, the provincial government reports. The federal government is contributing $2.2 billion in funding for the project.
“The Yonge North Subway Extension is a critical part of our $70-billion investment to build public transit in communities across Ontario,” Premier Doug Ford says. (In addition to the Yonge North Subway Extension, Ontario’s transit plan for the Greater Toronto Area includes the all-new Ontario Line, the Scarborough Subway Extension and the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension. It’s the largest transit investment in North America, the provincial government reports.)
“Today, we’re taking a major step forward as we build the Yonge North Subway Extension, revolutionizing travel across the region and extending subway access to Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill for the first time,” says Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria. “In the face of economic uncertainty and U.S. tariffs that continue to target workers and businesses across the province, we are protecting Ontario’s economy by building the next generation of subway service that will connect Ontarians to thousands of good paying jobs and housing for years to come.”
Following completion of the design, major tunnelling will begin along with a separate procurement to build the extension’s stations, rail and systems. With recent upgrades at Finch Station now complete to make it easier to connect the existing Line 1 service to the future subway extension, other preparatory work such as utility relocations are now underway.
“The recent contract award marks another significant milestone to protect Ontario by building the largest transit expansion in Canadian history, fighting gridlock, creating jobs and driving economic growth,” says York Region Chairman and CEO Eric Jolliffe. “Increasing transit remains a top priority of Regional Council and as our communities grow, sustained investment from senior levels of government is essential to support housing, jobs and a high quality of life for future generations.”