Toronto, the city growing around its new subway line

Canada is a country on the rise, experiencing economic growth driven by demographic expansion, particularly in its major cities. Among these cities, Toronto stands out as one of the most multicultural – not only in Canada, but also in the world. Today, its population hovers around 3 million inhabitants, which becomes 6 million when considering the entire Greater Toronto Area.

According to the federal government, by 2025, approximately 1.5-million new residents are expected to arrive in Canada, with many of them destined to live in Toronto or its surrounding municipalities, making it a magnet for foreign communities.

To meet the transportation needs of its current and future citizens, Toronto’s transportation system is expanding at a significant pace. Many major transit infrastructure projects are now underway, such as the Ontario Line, a new subway line that will serve thousands of customers every day and make a significant contribution towards reducing road congestion and modernizing urban transportation.

Over the next 10 years, transportation habits in downtown Toronto will undergo profound changes. Once completed, the Ontario Line will offer a station within walking distance of the homes of over 227,500 people. It will stretch from Exhibition Place, through the heart of downtown Toronto, and up to Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East. The 15.6-kilometre line will traverse some of the most densely populated areas of the city, with 15 stations and more than 40 connections to streetcars, buses, trains, subway lines, and other forms of public transportation in the city. The entire journey will take less than 30 minutes, compared to the 70 minutes currently needed on existing subway, streetcar and bus routes.

On November 17, 2022, the Webuild Group, along with its partners in the Connect 6ix consortium, was awarded a contract by Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx to build a portion of the subway line. As part of the construction team, Webuild will be responsible for building the track, systems, maintenance facility for the subway vehicles and operations control centre.

In addition to its impact on urban transportation, the Ontario Line will also make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. According to Metrolinx’s calculations, once the line opens, there will approximately 28,000 fewer car trips taken each day, which will in turn reduce annual fuel consumption by an estimated 7.2 million litres.

The Ontario Line project represents Webuild’s second sustainable mobility initiative currently underway in Canada. Webuild is also a part of Mobilinx, the consortium responsible for the Hazel McCallion LRT project, a light rail line stretching 18 kilometres through the cities of Mississauga and Brampton, near Toronto.

Looking at it on the city map, the Ontario Line’s route will add a strategic axis to Toronto’s mobility. The entire journey, including all connections to the existing urban transportation network, will take less than 30 minutes. According to Metrolinx’s calculations, there will be about 388,000 daily boardings and trains will run up to every 90 seconds during rush hour. This impact will be significant, facilitating both connections and the transportation needs of the citizens. It is estimated that, once the line is operational, more than 47,000 jobs will become accessible within a 45-minute commute.