A plan to extend Toronto’s subway network north as far as Richmond Hill marked its next step Friday with a call for companies to build the project.
A series of local, provincial and federal politicians gathered at Langstaff GO Station to announce the move.
The next stage for the project will be a request for proposals, asking companies and consortiums to pitch their plans for how to tunnel an extension to the Yonge subway line.
The east side of the TTC‘s Line 1 — also known as the Yonge Line — is set to be tunnelled onwards from its current terminus station at Finch Avenue into Richmond Hill and York Region.
The extension will run eight kilometres farther north. It will run for five stops through Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill, terminating at Langstaff GO Station.
Earlier in the year, the province asked bidders who felt they were qualified to put their name in the running to build the tunnel on the project.
Three teams — CrossTransit Group, North End Connectors and Toronto-York Tunnel Connectors — were short-listed for the project. The next stage will decide which of those bidders will build the new tunnels.
“The RFP release is the next critical step in our government’s plan to extend subway service north from Finch Station to communities in Markham, Vaughan and Richmond Hill, for the first time ever,” Prabmeet Sarkaria, minister of transportation, said.
Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said he had waited and campaigned for years to push the project forward.
“Going to market for this work demonstrates the strong commitment by all three levels of government to York Region’s number one transportation priority,” he said.
The final contract to tunnel the extension is set to be announced in roughly one year at the end of 2024.
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