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<\/a><\/p>\nAn artistic rendering of the future tunnel portal and Gerrard Station for the Ontario Line subway. (Image courtesy of King\u2019s Printer for Ontario, 2012-2025)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Ontario government has broken ground on the second tunnel launch shaft near the site of the future Gerrard Station on the Ontario Line in Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ontario Line will introduce all-new rapid transit to the Gerrard and Carlaw community and surrounding neighbourhoods, part of our nearly $70 billion investment to deliver the largest transit expansion in North America,\u201d said Prabmeet Sarkaria, the province\u2019s minister of transportation. \u201cIn the face of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty, we are protecting Ontario\u2019s economy by building the next generation of subway service that will create thousands of good-paying jobs and fuel long-term economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
From the launch shaft, tunnel boring machines will travel north, digging three kilometres of twin tunnels underneath Pape Avenue. The launch shaft will eventually serve as the tunnel portal, where Ontario Line trains will move from above-ground tracks to the underground tunnels. Gerrard Station, located just south of the launch shaft and future portal, will put nearly 12,000 people within walking distance of the Ontario Line, with over 3,000 passengers expected to use the station during rush hour every day.<\/p>\n
Once complete, the Ontario Line will deliver subway service to Riverdale and many residents across the east end for the first time. The province estimates that trip across the city from Exhibition Place to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Don Mills Road will take 30 minutes or less. That same trip takes roughly 70 minutes today.<\/p>\n
The 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line will have 15 stations and offer more than 40 connections to TTC subways, buses and streetcars, as well as regional train services, bringing nearly 230,000 more people within walking distance of transit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ontario Line will be a game changer for residents of the Riverdale community, reducing gridlock and making it faster and easier for everyone to travel across the GTA,\u201d stated Ontario\u2019s Minister of Infrastructure, Kinga Surma.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese tunnels will run underneath Pape Avenue and create a direct connection to the TTC\u2019s Pape Station, which will help reduce crowding on the busiest section of Line 2 by 21 per cent during rush hour,\u201d added Michael Lindsay, president and CEO of Metrolinx. \u201cTo put it another way, there will be 6,000 fewer people at Bloor-Yonge Station during the busiest travel hour of the day thanks to the Ontario Line.\u201d<\/p>\n