First Ontario Line tunnel boring machine reaches future King West Station

The Government of Canada says construction of the Ontario Line has reached another milestone: the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) has broken through to the future King West Station in downtown Toronto. It is the first time a TBM has reached a station on the new subway line. Once complete, the line is expected to accommodate nearly 390,000 daily boardings and bring nearly 230,000 more people within walking distance of rapid transit. Construction is expected to support 4,700 jobs annually.

The first TBM, nicknamed Libby, began tunnelling in April 2026. It has travelled about 1.3 kilometres from its launch shaft east of Exhibition Station and installed about 780 tunnel lining rings. Crews will test and maintain the machine after its breakthrough, before it resumes tunnelling toward the future Chinatown Station. A second TBM, nicknamed Corkie, is expected to arrive in December to excavate the parallel tunnel.

The future King West Station is at King Street West and Bathurst Street. It will bring subway service to the heart of Toronto’s Fashion District, placing 27,000 people and 24,200 jobs within walking distance of rapid transit. The station is expected to serve about 5,100 customers during the busiest travel hour, with another 2,400 transfers between the Ontario Line and connecting services. Riders will be able to connect to the TTC’s 504 King and 511 Bathurst streetcar routes to reach jobs, homes and businesses across the city.

The federal government is investing more than $4 billion in the Ontario Line, its largest public transit investment in Toronto. The Ontario government is leading construction through Metrolinx.

Housing and Infrastructure Minister and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada Gregor Robertson said the line would make it faster and easier for residents to get to home, school and work. He said governments are working together to build Toronto’s first new subway line in decades and that continued progress was welcome.

Spadina—Harbourfront MP Chi Nguyen said the subway, stretching more than 15 kilometres, would be game-changing infrastructure for Toronto and help hundreds of thousands of people travel around the city. She said it was exciting to see tunnelling reach the site of the future King West Station.

Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said each kilometre of tunnelling brings the project closer to delivering a new subway line that will transform travel across Toronto. He called the breakthrough another major milestone in the government’s plan for what it describes as the largest subway expansion in Canadian history. The plan aims to cut commute times by up to 40 minutes and take thousands of cars off the road every day. Sarkaria said the project is creating thousands of good-paying jobs and building a transit network for growing communities.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the breakthrough brings fast, reliable transit closer to residents’ homes. She said King West Station will put subway service in the heart of the Fashion District and connect directly to the 504 King and 511 Bathurst streetcars. The city will continue working with federal and provincial partners to advance the line and make it easier for people to reach work, school and other destinations.

Metrolinx President and CEO Michael Lindsay said the Ontario Line is reaching significant milestones almost every month, after decades without tunnelling under downtown Toronto. He said each completed bridge, excavated station and tunnel breakthrough brings the project closer to completion.

The 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line will connect Exhibition Place to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Don Mills Road. It will have 15 new stations and more than 40 connections to subway, bus, streetcar and regional rail services. The federal contribution of more than $4 billion is part of a historic investment of more than $10 billion in the Ontario Line, Scarborough Subway Extension, Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and Yonge North Subway Extension.

During peak periods, the line is expected to reduce crowding by up to 15 per cent on the busiest section of TTC Line 1, between Bloor-Yonge and Wellesley, and cut travel times across Toronto by as much as 40 minutes. The twin downtown tunnels are being built in phases: the first TBM is digging the eastbound track tunnel, followed by the second TBM, which will dig the westbound track tunnel.

Earlier this year, Ontario broke ground on an elevated guideway and four new stations in Toronto’s east end. The segment is expected to improve access to 14,800 jobs in the area and bring 30,500 people within walking distance of transit.