Federal government highlights progress on Ontario Line subway

TORONTO, April 16, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, the Government of Canada celebrated continued progress on the construction of the Ontario Line subway. Tunnelling has officially started on the Ontario Line, marking a major milestone in the project. New names have also been unveiled for four downtown stations to better reflect the neighbourhoods they will serve and make the line easier for riders to navigate. 

Two tunnel boring machines have started digging twin tunnels from Exhibition Station toward the Don Yard, as deep as 40 metres below the surface. At the Don Yard, Ontario Line trains will emerge from the tunnels and continue east above ground across the Lower Don Bridge. Once complete, the 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line will run from Exhibition Place to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Don Mills Road, with 15 stations, and more than 40 transit connections, including to TTC Lines 1, 2 and 5, multiple streetcar and bus routes, and three GO train lines. The line will also bring nearly 230,000 more people within walking distance of transit.

Four downtown stations will be renamed to better reflect well-known Toronto neighbourhoods, making them more recognizable for riders, residents and visitors and the Ontario Line more convenient to use. King-Bathurst will now be known as King West, Queen-Spadina as Chinatown, Corktown as Distillery District and Riverside-Leslieville as Leslieville.

The Government of Canada is investing more than $4 billion in the Ontario Line, the single largest federal public transit investment in Toronto. The Government of Ontario is leading the project's construction through Metrolinx.

The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister Responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, joined the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of the Province of Ontario, the Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario's Minister of Transportation, and her Worship Olivia Chow, Mayor of the City of Toronto, to celebrate the partnership and mark continued progress on this important project.

Quotes

"The Ontario Line will help to transform the GTA, making it faster and easier for residents to reach home, school, or work. By working together we are building the first new subway line in Toronto in decades, and we are thrilled to see progress continue."

The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and the Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada

"Today's start of tunnelling on the Ontario Line is a major milestone for Toronto. This project will connect communities, cut commute times, reduce congestion, and make everyday life more affordable and efficient for hundreds of thousands of people. Our government is proud to invest more than $4 billion in the Ontario Line as part of the largest public transit investment the federal government has ever made in the Greater Toronto Area. This is what building for the future looks like."

The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

"The start of tunnelling is a historic milestone for the Ontario Line which, once complete, will help cut travel times for commuters across Toronto by 40 minutes," said Premier Doug Ford. "Our government will continue to fight gridlock and keep workers on the job by leading the largest expansion of public transit in North America."

The Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of the Province of Ontario

"Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we're getting the Ontario Line done to tackle gridlock and increase access to fast, reliable and affordable transit for millions of people across the GTA. This major milestone moves us another step closer to delivering world-class transit for people across the GTA while supporting thousands of good-paying jobs."

The Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario's Minister of Transportation

"Today marks a major step forward as we begin tunnelling the Ontario Line through the heart of downtown Toronto. This project is part of a historic investment in public transit to fight gridlock, cut commute times and keep people moving across our city. As Mayor, I am committed to keeping the TTC affordable by freezing fares for three years while increasing service and improving reliability. We are introducing fare capping this year so Torontonians can ride more and pay less and advancing the design of the Scarborough East Rapid Transit Line, formerly the Eglinton East LRT. The city and province will continue working together to deliver affordable and safe transit that keeps Toronto moving."

Her Worship Olivia Chow, Mayor of the City of Toronto

Quick facts

• The elevated guideway will carry Ontario Line trains up to 14 metres above street level, beginning at the western end of Overlea Boulevard in Thorncliffe Park and extending north to Don Valley Station at Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East.
• The Government of Canada is contributing over $4 billion towards the Ontario Line.
• This is part of the federal government's historic investment of over $10 billion in the Ontario Line, Scarborough Subway Extension, Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, and the Yonge North Subway Extension.
• The Ontario Line will support 4,700 good-paying jobs annually during construction, protecting Ontario's workers amid economic uncertainty.
• The Ontario Line will accommodate almost 390,000 daily boardings and will reduce travel times from Thorncliffe Park to downtown Toronto from 40 to 25 minutes.
• Once complete, the Ontario Line will make it faster and easier to travel across the city – a trip from Pape and Danforth to Queen and University will take less than half the time, going from 25 minutes today to 12 minutes.
• During peak periods like the morning rush hour, the Ontario Line will reduce crowding by up to 15 per cent on the busiest stretch of TTC's Line 1 between Bloor-Yonge and Wellesley.

Associated links

Federal government highlights progress on Ontario Line subway
https://www.canada.ca/en/housing-infrastructure-communities/news/2026/02/federal-government-highlights-progress-on-ontario-line-subway.html

Largest public transit investment in GTA history will create jobs and kickstart the economy
https://www.canada.ca/en/housing-infrastructure-communities/news/2021/05/largest-public-transit-investment-in-gta-history-will-create-jobs-and-kickstart-the-economy.html

Housing and Infrastructure Project Map
https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html

Ontario Line
https://www.metrolinx.com/en/projects-and-programs/ontario-line

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SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

Contacts: For more information (media only), please contact: Renée LeBlanc Proctor, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, [email protected]; Media Relations, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]; Dakota Brasier, Ministry of Transportation, Minister's Office, [email protected]