Construction has reached a major milestone on Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, with crews completing the tunnelling work required for the eastern underground section of the project.
The extension will add 9.2 kilometres to Line 5 Eglinton and ultimately create a continuous rapid transit connection stretching farther west along Eglinton Avenue.
The latest milestone involves two parallel 500-metre tunnels running from Mount Dennis Station to Jane Street. The tunnels were excavated using sequential excavation methods, with crews progressing approximately one to two metres beneath Eglinton Avenue West each day.
Final underground section completed
The eastern underground segment is one of two major tunnelling sections being developed as part of the extension.
The western underground section, covering 6.3 kilometres from Scarlett Road to Renforth Drive, was completed in June 2024.
At Jane Street, the new line will transition from underground operation to an elevated guideway. Trains will then run above ground toward Scarlett Road before entering the western underground section of the extension.
The completion of the eastern tunnels means the project’s tunnelling component is now complete, allowing construction activity to progress toward the next stages of the wider extension.
Nearly 30 kilometres of rapid transit
Once the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension is fully completed, Line 5 Eglinton will stretch for nearly 30 kilometres, connecting communities across Scarborough, Midtown Toronto and Mississauga through a single continuous rapid transit corridor.
The project will add seven new stations to Line 5, providing connections with several major transportation networks, including UP Express, GO Transit, TTC and MiWay.
The expanded line is expected to improve connections across Toronto’s western communities while providing passengers with additional links between regional and local transit services.
Federal investment supports project
The Government of Canada is contributing approximately $1.87 billion toward construction of the extension.
With tunnelling now complete across both underground sections, the project has passed another significant construction stage as work continues toward delivering the expanded rapid transit network along Eglinton Avenue.
The completion of the latest tunnels also marks another step toward connecting the eastern and western sections of the future line and creating a broader rapid transit corridor across the Greater Toronto Area.
