Ontario Begins Tunnelling Phase for Eglinton Crosstown Wes

TORONTO – The Ontario government has officially begun tunnelling the final segment of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE), marking a major milestone in the province’s multi-billion-dollar investment in transit infrastructure across the Greater Toronto Area.

The newly launched tunnelling work will complete a pair of 500-metre twin tunnels from Jane Street to the future Mount Dennis Station. This final underground section is part of the nine-kilometre ECWE project that will stretch from Renforth Drive in Mississauga to Mount Dennis in Toronto’s west end, adding seven new stations to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT network.

Crews will use a sequential excavation method to complete this phase of construction, advancing between one and two metres per day.

I was excited to announce that tunnelling has officially begun on the final underground segment of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, bringing us one step closer to a rapid transit line stretching from Scarborough to Mississauga — connecting 37,500 more people to fast,… pic.twitter.com/1SKRjevMnn

— Prabmeet Sarkaria (@PrabSarkaria) April 8, 2025

“Premier Ford and our government have a plan to tackle gridlock and shorten commutes for drivers and public transit users in the Greater Toronto Area,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, in a news release. “As President Trump’s tariffs continue to threaten Ontario workers and our economy, it has never been more important to invest in transportation infrastructure.”

The full ECWE will connect commuters to a range of regional services—including the TTC, GO Transit, UP Express, and MiWay—and will integrate with Ontario’s “One Fare” program, allowing for seamless transfers between systems. Once operational, the extension is expected to cut travel time between Square One and Yonge-Eglinton by as much as 24 minutes.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow highlighted the project’s benefit to local communities across the west and central parts of the city: “The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension will make life easier for residents of Etobicoke, York and Midtown Toronto – meaning thousands of people will enjoy faster commutes,” she said.

More than 4,500 jobs are being created through the construction of the ECWE, ranging from engineering roles to heavy equipment operators. The province previously completed tunnelling between Renforth Drive and Scarlett Road, where an elevated guideway is currently being built to bridge the gap toward Mount Dennis.

The ECWE is one of several major transit projects underway as part of Ontario’s $70 billion investment in public transit over the next decade. Other projects include the Ontario Line, the Scarborough Subway Extension, and the Yonge North Subway Extension—together forming what the province calls the largest subway expansion in Canadian history.

Metrolinx interim president and CEO Michael Lindsay emphasized the project’s broader significance: “It’s exciting to see so much progress being made on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension… bringing thousands of people closer to transit.”

Once complete, the ECWE and the broader Line 5 Eglinton LRT will deliver faster and more reliable transit for residents in Scarborough, Midtown, and Etobicoke—supporting growth, housing access, and job creation across the region.

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