Ontario Line

The Ontario Line is a proposed rapid transit line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its northern terminus would be at Eglinton Avenue and Don Mills Road, at Science Centre station, where it would connect with Line 5 Eglinton. Its southern terminus would be at the existing Exhibition GO Station on the Lakeshore West line. The Ontario Line was announced by the Government of Ontario on April 10, 2019.[2][3] The Ontario government estimated the cost at CA$10.9 billion for this 15.5-kilometre (9.6 mi) line and hoped to complete the project by 2027,[2] a completion date which had been revised to 2030 by December 2020.[1]

Ontario Line
Overview
StatusProposed
OwnerMetrolinx
LocaleToronto, Ontario
TerminiScience Centre, Exhibition
Stations15
Service
TypeLight metro
SystemToronto subway
Operator(s)Under procurement by IO
History
Planned opening2030 (2030)[1]
Technical
Line length15.5 km (9.6 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification1500 V DC overhead
Route map

 Science Centre
Flemingdon Park
 Thorncliffe Park
Don River
Cosburn
 Pape
Lakeshore East line
 Gerrard
Leslieville
East Harbour
Don Valley Parkway
Don River
Richmond Hill line
Corktown
Moss Park
Queen–Yonge
Osgoode
Queen–Spadina
King–Bathurst
Milton, Kitchener,
and Barrie lines
 Exhibition
Lakeshore West line

Project history
Bloor–Yonge station during a service disruption on Line 1 Yonge–University
See also: Relief Line (Toronto) § Ontario Line

The City of Toronto had been developing a rapid transit line, known as the "Relief Line South",[lower-alpha 1] between Pape station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth and Osgoode station on Line 1 Yonge–University. In the early months of 2019, the Ontario government announced its intentions to take over subway construction in Toronto. In a surprise announcement in April 2019, the Ontario government announced the Ontario Line, which at that time appeared to incorporate much of the routing and many of the station locations of the Relief Line.[4] Unlike the City design, the Ontario Line would be a "standalone" line, one that would use lighter rolling stock and shorter trainsets than the Toronto Transit Commission's existing subway lines.[5] Members of Toronto City Council expressed their concerns that the new line would set back the delivery of rapid transit and potentially waste money the City of Toronto had already spent on the Relief Line's design.

Metrolinx prepared the plan for the Ontario Line in just three months based on a proposal by transit consultant Michael Schabas. Metrolinx hired Schabas in December 2018 to lead a team to transform the Relief Line plans into the Ontario Line. Schabas was a proponent of using lighter metro vehicles such as those used for the London's Docklands Light Railway, such vehicles being suitable for steeper grades and elevated structures. A draft plan was ready by January 31, 2019. Doug Ford approved the plan after a February 26 presentation. Metrolinx kept the project a secret until the government chose to announce it on April 10.[6]

As initially announced in April 2019, the route of the Ontario Line seemed to follow much of the route of the Relief Line, beginning at Exhibition Place, travelling northeast to King and Bathurst Streets, then northeast to Spadina Avenue and Queen Street. It then proceeded eastward through downtown along Queen Street before turning southeast in the area of Parliament Street south to Eastern Avenue. The line had one station on King and Sumach, then made an east–west crossing of the Don River to a station at Broadview and Eastern Avenue. The line proceeded northeast to Pape Avenue and Danforth Avenue and continued north along Pape, making a north–south crossing of the Don River to the Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood. The line continued northeast along Don Mills Road to terminate at Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue.[7]

The announcement that the line would extend to a new station at Ontario Place stirred controversy, as Ontario Premier Doug Ford had spoken of transforming Ontario Place, previously a family-oriented venue, into an adult-oriented casino complex, and some suspected that the plan to have the transit line extend to Ontario Place was aimed at visiting gamblers, not the citizens of Ontario.[8][9][10][11][12] Ford has denied that the extension is related to any casino plans.[13] The Globe and Mail reported that no previous plan had ever considered making Ontario Place a rapid transit destination and that the announcement surprised everyone, including Mayor of Toronto John Tory.[10]

In July 2019, the Toronto Star obtained and reported on confidential documents from Metrolinx. They showed that the proposed route would be markedly different from that of the Relief Line South and involve significant lengths of at-grade or elevated track. The Ontario Place station was eliminated with an Exhibition station added near the Exhibition GO Station. The section between Queen/Sherbourne and Gerrard stations would come to the surface and mostly follow a railway right-of-way instead of being tunnelled. The new route would substitute a Corktown station about 500 metres (1,600 ft) west of the proposed location for Sumach station on the Relief Line. The Ontario Line would share less than half the planned route of the Relief Line between Osgoode and Pape stations.[14]

In October 2019, Mayor John Tory and Premier Doug Ford reached a tentative deal in which the city would endorse the line and the TTC's subway network would not be taken over by the provincial government.[15] The deal was later approved by Toronto City Council in a 22–3 decision.[16]

The Ontario Line is being delivered as three separate public-private partnership (P3) procurement contracts: one rolling stock, systems, operations and maintenance contract for the entire 15.5-kilometre (9.6 mi) line and two separate civil, stations and tunnel contracts – one for the southern segment and one for the northern segment of the line. The schedules for each contract will be aligned to allow for a single in-service date for the Ontario Line.[17]

Procurement

On June 2, 2020, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx issued two requests for qualifications (RFQs) for the southern civil, stations and tunnels contract and the rolling stock, systems, operations and maintenance contract – marking the first phase of procurement for the Ontario Line. The RFQ for the northern civil, stations and tunnel contract, the northern portion of the Ontario Line from Gerrard Station to the Ontario Science Centre, is expected to be issued in early 2022.[18]

Concerns

After a draft of the Ontario Line's business case was disclosed in July 2019, a number of concerns were raised by transit experts:

  • Doubts were expressed that the line could be completed within budget and by 2027. Metrolinx plans to start the procurement process in 2020 to allow bidding companies to comment on the feasibility of the 2027 completion date.[19] The estimated completion had been revised to 2030 by December 2020.[1]
  • It may be challenging to fit the Ontario Line along GO Transit's Lakeshore East corridor. The Ontario Line would need to be added to three existing overpasses.[19] If the Ontario Line requires widening of the Lakeshore East embankment, property acquisitions may be required including nearby houses, businesses and community facilities.[20][21] In September 2020, Metrolinx said the platform area of the former Grand Trunk Railway's Riverdale railway station gave the rail corridor extra width at Queen Street; thus, the Ontario Line would not impact the adjacent Jimmie Simpson Community Centre.[22]
  • Flood mitigation projects and reconstruction of the Gardiner Expressway at Lower Don River may impede Ontario Line construction.[19]
  • There are doubts that passengers can alight and board smaller Ontario Line trains quickly enough to achieve the projected 90-second train frequency. Metrolinx insists the frequency can be met by reducing station dwell times.[19]
  • There is a concern that winter conditions may adversely affect train operations on an elevated track like Line 3 Scarborough, which also uses light metro technology.[19]
  • The elevated structures may have a greater environmental impact with respect to noise, vibration and visual presence than with an underground right-of-way. Metrolinx proposes using mitigation strategies involving "systems, maintenance and track design" to reduce noise and vibration, and new community spaces and parks "to offset (the) visual impact and footprint of the elevated structure".[23] Another design decision Metrolinx must make is whether the elevated structure along Don Mills Road would be above or beside the road.[24] In September 2020, Metrolinx said it would build noise walls along the rail corridor between Gerrard and East Harbour stations.[22]
  • Some of the savings for surface construction may be partially offset by the cost of building surface-to-tunnel transitions at Cherry and Gerrard Streets.[20]
  • Operating costs for the above-ground sections may be higher due to exposure to the elements.[20]
  • Operating the Ontario Line along an elevated Lakeshore East embankment might require slower speeds in order to navigate grades and curves.[20]

Description

Route

The following route description is based on a revised plan issued by Metrolinx in September and October 2020.

The northern terminus of the Ontario Line would be Science Centre station at Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue. This station would be a transfer point for Line 5 Eglinton and TTC buses. The Ontario Line platform would be on an elevated structure above Science Centre station's bus terminal, located north of Eglinton Avenue on the east side of Don Mills Road. Tail tracks would extend a short distance north of the station.[25]

Continuing south on an elevated structure, the line would cross Eglinton Avenue and then cross to the west side of Don Mills Road, passing through Flemingdon Park station located between St. Dennis Drive and Gateway Boulevard. Immediately south of this station, the line would turn west along the Hydro One right-of-way, and cross the Don Valley on a new bridge. Continuing west on the other side of the valley, the line would pass the Ontario Line Maintenance and Storage Facility, which would store 200 trains and have a maximum capacity of 250. The line would jog south to Overlea Boulevard and then jog west on the north side of that street on an elevated structure. The line would pass through Thorncliffe Park station, which would be over the western portion of Thorncliffe Park Boulevard. Continuing west on an elevated structure, the line would curve south over Millwood Road across the Don Valley on a new bridge roughly parallel and west of Leaside Bridge. On the south side of the valley crossing, the line would enter a tunnel under Minton Place.[25]

From Minton Place, the line would continue south under Pape Avenue, passing through Cosburn and Pape stations. The tunnel, mainly under Pape Avenue, would bow slightly to the west at Cosburn station, and slightly to the east at Pape station to avoid digging up the street to construct the station structures. At Pape station, the Ontario Line would connect with Line 2 Bloor–Danforth.[25]

South from Pape station, the line would travel roughly under Pape Avenue, emerging to the surface just north of Gerrard Street, with some of the line passing under a corner of Pape Avenue Junior Public School. On the surface, the two Ontario Line tracks would straddle each side of GO Transit's Lakeshore East rail corridor located on an embankment. (At this point, the rail corridor has three tracks with provision for a fourth. With the Ontario Line, the corridor would accommodate 6 tracks.) Gerrard station would have side platforms partly on, but mainly south of, the bridge over Gerrard Street. Further south along the rail corridor at Queen Street, the Ontario Line would have a surface station, named Leslieville, with side platforms on and south of the rail corridor bridge over Queen Street. The route would continue along the railway right-of-way to East Harbour station, east of the Don River, on the south side of Eastern Avenue, where a new GO train station would be built on the surface. East Harbour station would have 6 tracks passing through it, 4 inner tracks for GO trains and 2 outer tracks for the Ontario Line, with a platform between each Ontario Line track and its adjacent GO train track allowing cross-platform transfers. The Ontario Line would cross the Don River on two new single-track bridges (similar in appearance to the Humber Bay Arch Bridge) located on each side of the existing rail bridge. After crossing the river, the line would pass the GO Transit Don Yard before descending into a tunnel just east of Cherry Street.[22]

The route would turn north under the east side of Berkeley Street through Corktown station at King Street. Between King and Queen Streets, the line would make a broad north-to-west curve to run west under Queen Street through Moss Park station (between Shuter and Sherbourne Streets), Queen station (at Yonge Street, expanding and activating the Lower Queen ghost station) and Osgoode station (at University Avenue). The line would continue westward to a Queen/Spadina station, then diagonally southwest via a King/Bathurst station to Strachan Avenue. The line would turn westward again, coming to the surface just west of Strachan Avenue on the north side of the railway corridor along Exhibition Place, before arriving at Exhibition station, its southern terminus.[26][27]

Miscellaneous

Metrolinx is considering a means to link Exhibition station to Ontario Place. The link could be a people mover, cable cars or some other option.[24]

The Government of Ontario plans to use smaller train sets and a smaller gauge for the Ontario Line than those used on the Toronto subway system.[13] The City of Toronto's "Relief Line" proposal used the same conventional heavy rail subway vehicles as used on Lines 1, 2, and 4.[28][8] By using driverless trains with automatic train control and more frequent trains, the government expects that the line would have similar capacity to traditional heavy rail. The government also claims the alternate technology will reduce construction time and cost, as single tunnels rather than dual tunnels could be utilized.

The Ontario Line's maintenance and storage facility would be located along the CP Rail corridor in the area of Wicksteed Avenue and Beth Nealson Drive in Leaside. It is planned to accommodate up to 120 vehicles.[23]

Most of the proposed stations on the Ontario Line will facilitate transfers between other forms of public transport, and the majority will provide transfers to other rail-based transportation (GO Transit, TTC subway and streetcar). Cosburn, Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park stations' locations and transfers are not defined.

According to Metrolinx, the new line will do more than provide relief to overcrowding on Toronto's existing subway system: it will provide new connections to the communities of Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park.[29]

Stations

The following information, largely from the Metrolinx's Draft Environmental Conditions Report from the fourth quarter of 2020, is subject to change.[25][22][26][27]

Planned Ontario Line stations (as of October 2020)[23]
Station Type[lower-alpha 2] Neighbourhood Connections Notes
Science Centre Elevated Flemingdon Park Eglinton Integrated with station under construction at Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue
Flemingdon Park Elevated Flemingdon Park West side of Don Mills Road between St. Dennis Drive and Gateway Boulevard
Thorncliffe Park Elevated Thorncliffe Park On Overlea Boulevard over Thorncliffe Park Drive West
Cosburn Underground Old East York At Cosburn Avenue and Pape Avenue
Pape Underground Greektown Bloor–Danforth Integrated with an existing station at Pape and Danforth
Gerrard Railway embankment Riverdale  506  Carlton Located at the intersection of Gerrard Street and Carlaw Avenue, along the Lakeshore East and Stouffville GO Transit rail corridors. Although Gerrard is the proposed site of a GO/SmartTrack station,[30] the Metrolinx IBC made no mention of it.
Leslieville Railway embankment
 501  Queen
 502  Downtowner
 503  Kingston Rd		 Located at the intersection of Queen Street East and GO Transit's Lakeshore East / Stouffville rail corridor
East Harbour Railway embankment Port Lands Lakeshore East
Stouffville		 Located along GO Transit's Lakeshore East / Stouffville rail corridor between Eastern Avenue and the Don River. The station will have six tracks, with the four inner tracks for GO Transit trains and two outer tracks for the Ontario Line. Because all six tracks will be on the same level, two pairs of tracks would allow for cross-platform transfers. East Harbour is also a proposed station for SmartTrack service.[30] In the vicinity of East Harbour Station, there is also a separate proposal to extend streetcar service south along Broadview Avenue into the Portlands.[31] The location is the site of the proposed East Harbour office development.
Corktown Underground Corktown  504  King At Berkeley Street and King Street East[14]
Moss Park[32] Underground
 501  Queen Under Queen Street East between George Street and Sherbourne Street
Queen Underground Downtown Yonge–University
 501  Queen		 Integrated with an existing station at Queen Street and Yonge Street
Osgoode Underground Downtown Yonge–University
 501  Queen		 Integrated with an existing station at Queen Street West and University Avenue
Queen/Spadina Underground Fashion District  501  Queen
 510  Spadina		 At the intersection of Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue
King/Bathurst Underground Fashion District  504  King
 511  Bathurst		 At the intersection of King Street West and Bathurst Street
Exhibition At grade Liberty Village  509  Harbourfront
 511  Bathurst
Lakeshore West		 On the north side of the Lakeshore West railway corridor north of Exhibition Place

Notes
  1. The "relief" would be to overcrowding at Bloor–Yonge station and the Yonge Street section of Line 1.
  2. The station type "above ground" used in the Stations table means the station could be either at-grade or elevated.

References
  1. Spurr, Ben (December 17, 2020). "GTA $11-billion Ontario Line may not open until 2030, three years later than Ford's initial promise". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  2. Pelley, Lauren; Crawley, Mike (April 10, 2019). "Doug Ford commits $11.2B for 4 major GTA transit projects, including new 'Ontario Line'". CBC News. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  3. "Premier Ford Unveils Transportation Vision: Ontario Announces $28.5 Billion to Get Ontario Moving". Government of Ontario. April 10, 2019. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019. Joined by Jeff Yurek, Minister of Transportation, and Monte McNaughton, Minister of Infrastructure, Ford announced a $28.5 billion expansion to Ontario's transit network. This is the most money ever invested to get shovels in the ground and get new subways built.
  4. "The New "Ontario Line" – Better, Faster, Smarter". Government of Ontario. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  5. "Chapter 1, Section B: Putting People First". Government of Ontario. April 11, 2019. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  6. Spurr, Ben (February 15, 2020). "How Ford's Ontario Line plan came together in just three months — with secrecy, a shifting route and a consultant". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  7. Ferguson, Rob (April 11, 2019). "Ontario budget reveals locations for downtown relief line subway stations". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019. Fedeli's budget included a detailed list of stops for the 15-kilometre project, with stations at Flemingdon Park, Thorncliffe Park, Cosburn, Pape, Gerrard, Leslieville, East Harbour, Sumach, Sherbourne, Queen, Osgoode, Queen/Spadina and King/Bathurst, before the final terminus at Ontario Place/Exhibition.
  8. Rider, David (April 12, 2019). "Ontario Place advocates wary of Doug Ford's transit plan". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019. Complicating the question is the fact that the exact location of the "Ontario Place/Exhibition" station at the line's southern terminus is, for now, as mysterious as the rail technology proposed to power it.
  9. Keenan, Edward (April 10, 2019). "Doug Ford's transit plan has good elements. But Ford himself is cause for skepticism". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019. Ford's relief line route – rebranded the "Ontario Line" here – is a significant improvement over the first-phase plan from Pape to Osgoode that the city has developed. While the western terminus at Ontario Place will do nothing to quell speculation he has plans to build a casino on the park site, stops in the west end in Liberty Village will be useful, and the Ontario Place/exhibition site has long suffered from less than ideal transit access.
  10. Moore, Oliver (April 10, 2019). "Ontario unveils $28.5-billion transit plan, vows to double length of Toronto's downtown relief line". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019. The province said the relief line would be done as early as 2027. The timeline is contingent on factors including the upload of transit to the province. The announcement comes amid talks between the province and city on the Ontario government's plan to take over ownership of Toronto's subway network and control of expansion planning.
  11. Gupta, Rahul (April 11, 2019). "Ford transit plan like 'Groundhog Day' for waterfront: Coun. Joe Cressy: Ontario Place must remain public, says Waterfront for All coalition member". Toronto.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019. Ontario Place has long been of interest to the premier dating back to his days as a Toronto city councillor. After his election win last year, Ford promised the tourist attraction will be revitalized, and his government refused to rule out a casino.
  12. "What Are The Odds Of Casino Venue Operation At Ontario Place?". Casinos Canada. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  13. Lilley, Brian (April 11, 2019). "Ford's transit plan takes Toronto forward". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  14. Fox, Chris (July 23, 2019). "Ontario Line deviates from relief line more than previously thought: report". CTV News. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  15. Spurr, Ben (October 16, 2019). "Mayor John Tory throws support behind Ontario Line as province drops subway upload". Toronto Star. Torstar. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  16. Freeman, Joshua (October 29, 2019). "Council votes to approve transit expansion deal with the province". CP24. Bell Media. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  17. "Requests for Qualifications Issued for Ontario Line". Infrastructure Ontario. Infrastructure Ontario. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  18. "Ontario Line – Projects". Metrolinx. Metrolinx. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  19. Spurr, Ben (July 25, 2019). "Experts cast doubt on deadline, budget in Ontario Line business case". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  20. "Attachment 4 – Assessment of Ontario Line" (PDF). toronto.ca. City of Toronto. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  21. "Toronto-Ontario Transit Update" (PDF). toronto.ca. City of Toronto. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  22. "Updated Ontario Line plans from the Don River to Gerrard: Maximizing space within the existing GO rail corridor". Metrolinx. September 29, 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  23. "Ontario Line Initial Business Case – July 2019" (PDF). Metrolinx. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  24. Moore, Oliver (July 24, 2019). "'A greater potential for disruption': Confidential business case details plans for proposed Ontario Line subway project". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  25. "Updated plans for the Ontario Line's North segment: A better fit for the community". Metrolinx. October 6, 2020. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  26. "Zooming in on Ontario Line plans from Osgoode to the Don River – Delivering a line below Toronto's Queen Street that's been anticipated for more than a century". Metrolinx. September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  27. "Zooming in on Ontario Line plans from Exhibition to Spadina: Travel time savings and heritage protections". Metrolinx. September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  28. Jackson-Kelso, Rhianna; Bensadoun, Emerald (April 10, 2019). "How Doug Ford's $28.5-billion transit overhaul compares with Toronto's existing plans". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019. Under the city's plan, the downtown relief line would run 7.4 kilometres connecting Queen and Osgoode stations to Pape station. The latest estimates had put the cost of the line at $7.2 billion. The project had a tentative completion date of 2029 following a recently approved plan to spend $325 million over two years finish more quickly. The environmental assessment for the city's version of the project, one of the final steps before the construction phase, was completed last October.
  29. "Ontario Line - Projects | Metrolinx". www.metrolinx.com. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  30. Munro, Steve (March 20, 2017). "How Many SmartTrack Stations Will Survive? (II) (Updated)". Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  31. Spurr, Ben (June 24, 2019). "Sidewalk Labs says it won't pay upfront costs for new LRT critical to 'smart city' waterfront development". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  32. "Notice of Completion – Notice of Completion of Environmental Project Report Relief Line South, City of Toronto and Metrolinx Transit Project Assessment Process". Relief Line. City of Toronto. August 14, 2018. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
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