Ontario is one step closer to beginning construction on the largest subway expansion in Canadian history, as the province expects that the Request for Proposals (RFPs) to advance tunnelling work on the Scarborough Subway Extension will be issued in the coming days.
Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Tuesday, alongside Kinga Surma, Associate Minister of Transportation (GTA).
"After waiting over 30 years for a subway, our government is taking another critical step forward to build the improved, three-stop Scarborough Subway Extension for the people of Scarborough," said Premier Ford. "This project will create thousands of jobs, drive housing development, and triple the daily ridership to help reduce congestion and cut travel times for riders and commuters."
The Scarborough Subway Extension will extend the TTC's Bloor-Danforth Line 2 approximately 8 km via three stops, from Kennedy Station to a new terminus at Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road.
Scarborough Extension Map
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According to the province, on August 20, Ontario will invite the selected teams from the Request for Qualifications process to respond to an RFP that details how they plan to design and deliver the tunnelling work for the Scarborough Subway Extension. Upon evaluating the proposals received, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx expect to award this tunnelling contract in mid-2021.
"The RFP release is the next step in our plans for transit expansion in Scarborough as we develop a world-class transportation network that gets people where they want to go, when they want to get there," said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. "Each project milestone demonstrates our commitment to building a modern, efficient rapid transit network that best serves Scarborough for generations to come."
To expedite work on the Scarborough Subway Extension, tunnelling will begin first, to be followed by separate contracts for the balance of the work.
The release of the RFPs is part of the government's continued commitment to deliver the largest subway expansion in the country's history to commuters and businesses in GTA.
On August 5, Ontario announced three teams of bidders per project were shortlisted to advance tunnelling work on two of the four priority transit projects, the Scarborough Subway Extension and the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, included in the Subway Transit Plan for the GTA.
