Ontario Line

Queen Street from Bay Street to Victoria Street will be closed to all vehicle traffic, including TTC streetcars, beginning May 1, 2023. Pedestrian access will be maintained. This closure will accelerate Metrolinx construction of the Ontario Line Queen Station interchange with Line 1. For more information and to plan your travels in advance, please see TTC updates.

 

The Ontario Line is a 15.5 kilometre rapid transit line that will connect to other higher-order transit options including the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Line 1, Line 2, and to the GO network, in addition to numerous TTC streetcar and bus routes.

For more information about the project, or to find information about past and future public engagement, please visit Metrolinx’s Ontario Line project page.

The Ontario Line is an initiative under the Metrolinx-led Subway Program. It will have 15 stations, including six interchange stations that will connect to GO train services at Exhibition/Ontario Place and East Harbour, to the existing subway network on Line 1 at Queen Station and Osgoode Station and on Line 2 at Pape Station, and to the future Eglinton Crosstown LRT at the Ontario Science Centre station. The Ontario Line will utilize a fully automated system that will enable higher frequency of trains.

The Ontario Line is being built under several procurement contracts:

  1. Rolling Stock Systems, Operations and Maintenance (RSSOM) contract for the entire line.
  2. Southern Civil, Stations and Tunnel contract for the southern portion of the line from Exhibition/Ontario Place to Corktown Station including the Don Yard portal (west of the Don River).
  3. Pape Tunnel and Underground Stations contract for the northern portion of the line from the vicinity of East Harbour Station to the Science Center Station.
  4. Elevated Guideway and Stations contract for three kilometres of an elevated guideway and the elevated stations.

 

A map displaying the proposed 15 stations for the Ontario Line that will at operate from Exhibition/Ontario Place and East Harbour to the Ontario Science Centre station with interchange stations connecting GO train services and existing Subway lines.
Click on the image to enlarge the map.

Requests for Proposals (RFP) for the RSSOM and the Southern Civil contracts closed in June 2022. Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx awarded the South Civils contract to Ontario Transit Group to design, build and finance the South Civils package of work and awarded the RSSOM contract to Connect 6ix in November 2022.

Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Pape Tunnel and Underground Stations contract and the Elevated Guideway and Stations contract were issued in November 2022 and closed in April 2023. IO and Metrolinx have selected Pape North Connect to deliver the Pape Tunnel and Underground Stations contract. In February 2024, IO and Metrolinx signed an agreement with Guideway and Trillium Guideway Partners to deliver the Elevated Guideway and Stations Contract.

Early works construction at Exhibition Station began in March 2022, to set the groundwork for major construction in the area. Additional early works for the Lower Don Bridges and Don Yard, Lakeshore East Joint Corridor, and utility works at Queen Station and Osgoode Station have commenced.

Major construction for the Ontario Line began in 2023 as part of the RSSOM and Southern Civil contract packages of work.

Other Key Project Milestones include:

  • April 8, 2022: Metrolinx released the final Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the entire Ontario Line after seeking public feedback on the draft report posted in February 2022. The report outlines existing conditions along the transit route and ways to mitigate impacts from traffic, noise, vibration, and to protect trees and vegetation, and more.
  • December 2021: A Downtown Stations – Temporary Road Closures and Community Impacts report was adopted by Toronto City Council. The report outlined the maximum impact traffic changes could have on the community and road users including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders. These plans will be refined to reduce traffic impacts as construction contracts are awarded.
  • December 2020:  Metrolinx released the Preliminary Design Business Case (PDBC) detailing the project’s design and benefits.
  • January/February 2020: Metrolinx introduced the Ontario Line to the public using a series of public open houses.